Why Education?

Can a person be successful without an education? Is going to college and getting a college degree pointless? A lot of people believe that getting an education and going to school is senseless.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in “Information Technology Systems” and it took me 5 years to get that degree. I am $90,000 in student loan debt and I have to ask myself, was all of that time, effort and debt worth it?

Once I graduated college, I did not get a career related job in my field of study. I worked in the hotel industry while attending school and continued to work in the hotel industry once I graduated.

I applied for many jobs in the I.T. field but they all required more than a degree to get hired. I would later learn that a Bachelor’s degree wasn’t good enough.

I needed to get certified in some other I.T. related area in order to stick out.

I was so tired of school and I needed a break. “What am I going to do with my education and why did I go to college"?

At this point, I started building websites independently for small businesses. I then started researching professional photography.

I invested in my own photography equipment and began to practice taking professional pictures.

I wasn’t generating enough revenues to do this full-time so I had to get a job and go back to the hotel business. Working in corporate America, for someone else’s company was not where I wanted to be.

I had an epiphany one night working the graveyard shift at a Hilton property and it dawned upon me what my education actually did.

During the pandemic, when people lost their jobs from a lay-off or just quit, everyone was clueless of how to pay bills and were they would work.

Me - on the other hand had established the type of professional reputation as a college graduate that allowed me to work independently and still make money.

Education taught me resilience and how to have a never give up mentality. I learned how to resolve conflict and how to create opportunity out of a unfortunate situation.

My writing abilities are on a professional level and public speaking now comes natural.

I research things before getting involved and I know the importance of commitment, determination and dedication. These are all qualities that you can not put a price on.

I went to college to enhance my mind and way of thinking. I learned how to develop a passion for achieving and accomplishing.

College taught me how to work as a team, incorporate thinking strategies to resolve conflict and also how to be consistent with all that I do. I learned life skills.

My Education is a part of my new personality and when I speak to people, they can tell I’m a college graduate. I have learned how to turn nothing into something, professionalize the experience and advance the situation.

My debt and time spent going to college and finishing was well worth it because I live and breathe everything I have learned.

I am an Alumni member of the UOP and I have a lifetime enrolment with the resources the University of Phoenix offers students and professionals.

My education is priceless and I am a smarter individual.