With or without diploma
As I was looking over some of the things I have written in the past few years, I was reminded again of the reason why I finished college and why I pursued higher education for that matter. In fact, some people I admire were not college graduates. They merely stood above the rest in the chosen fields they have ventured.
But this is not to say that I have any regret on finally having that diploma. In a society that equates such to education – to what a person actually knows – this is an achievement in itself. For one, you are not alone in going through all that college crap. On my case, I knew that it was my parents and my relatives who were gladdened that I finally could be called a graduate. For others, the same thing is a symbol of a better future; a hope and a dream rolled-out on a piece of paper; a chance to increase one’s status and stature in life.
I am compelled to say – by which I am doing this in all humility – that I became speaker for numerous events absent the diploma. Then, I reasoned that I was always the speaker but never the graduate. Having been a media practitioner since I was 16, I could confidently say that my training was enough. Having passed through numerous editors and mentors, real life offered me more than what any journalism class could offer. The actuality of being in the thick of things provided me with the know-how of publication and the inside-and-outs of the profession. But despite of this, there are some people who would not accept me in their academic circle.
I remember distinctly how Vergel Santos of the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) argued that a diploma is not necessary in media. All that was needed, he said, is a mastery of the language and a week of training. Or how one engineer from a prestigious company boasted on having trained a mason into becoming an effective construction supervisor. He said, kulang na lang sa diploma, ang piyon niya ay engineer na. The truth of the matter is, given the proper training and exposure, anyone could become what he had always dreamt to be. A grain of truth that escapes us nowadays is that real education and knowledge could not be monopolized by those who went to school.
But as I also experienced, the reality of things would always be such. Undergraduates are found way below the level of those who have a diploma. A quick glance at the resume is already a deciding factor to get hired or to get fired. Never mind what he knows, mind what is written on his bio-data.
It has always been a state policy that education be instilled among its citizens. A sound mind in a strong body; a Greek philosophy emulated by every democratic country. But democracy requires equality. This, I fear, is absent in the educational system we have.
If only education were not capitalized into becoming a gross business venture. Even graduates have problems finding a job because they did not come from a prestigious university. And the trend nowadays is that one must have at least have earned a Master’s degree to be preferred over everyone else. I personally know of stories of smart, young people who have finished college on time – who are responsible and hard-working – but are having problems finding a decent job. Some became policemen while others worked in factories and other odd jobs enduring problems of contractualization and poor working conditions.
The blatant display of inequity inside and outside school is mirrored by the college graduates we produce. A graduate of a small-town college is no match for a university graduate. Enrollment and other school fees are exorbitant to the point that many are forced to quit school. More than this, even the allotment for the gains of the Reformed Value Added Tax (RVAT) is grossly laid-out. While 70% would go to debt services, only the remaining 30% would go to infrastructure and education. Even state colleges are hard-pressed for money that they could no longer amply support their students and faculty.
Why inequity? Inequity in its strictest sense means unfairness. It is unfair that some people can’t go to school and it is also unfair that the government should care more for paying debts than educating its youth. Again, should we blame the economy and all the hardships it produces? It’s called priority. Put education down your list of priorities and expect that in the near future, the same problems of the government would crop-up all over again.
But this is not to discourage people from going to school. In fact, I encourage everyone who has a chance to do so. But let us be reminded that real education could not be found only at the four-corners of a classroom. Strive hard to learn everything that you can inside the school and be wary on how time swiftly flies. And when you do get that diploma, do not solely rely on such. It has been proven that though it is quite valuable, the same may not be enough for the real world.
I finished college in order to get that diploma. Now, I know that it is just a piece of paper and a bit of word that I could write on my resume. But I did learn things at college that I would not find elsewhere. It is the realization that education is not education if it is confined, inhibited from learning newer things. It is the knowledge that a diploma is but a small piece on proving your real worth. I also learned that unless we become vigilant with the priorities of the government, college is worthless both before and after graduation.
In the end, education would teach us that it is our duty to constantly remind the government on how lowly our education system had come to be. That education may be found with or without a diploma. For those who have not finished college, do not despair. Those who did also experience the same problems as you do. And for those who did, let us all be reminded that real education does not stop during graduation time. Let society be our teacher and let its lessons be our driving force.
As I was looking over some of the things I have written in the past few years, I was reminded again of the reason why I finished college and why I pursued higher education for that matter. In fact, some people I admire were not college graduates. They merely stood above the rest in the chosen fields they have ventured.
But this is not to say that I have any regret on finally having that diploma. In a society that equates such to education – to what a person actually knows – this is an achievement in itself. For one, you are not alone in going through all that college crap. On my case, I knew that it was my parents and my relatives who were gladdened that I finally could be called a graduate. For others, the same thing is a symbol of a better future; a hope and a dream rolled-out on a piece of paper; a chance to increase one’s status and stature in life.
I am compelled to say – by which I am doing this in all humility – that I became speaker for numerous events absent the diploma. Then, I reasoned that I was always the speaker but never the graduate. Having been a media practitioner since I was 16, I could confidently say that my training was enough. Having passed through numerous editors and mentors, real life offered me more than what any journalism class could offer. The actuality of being in the thick of things provided me with the know-how of publication and the inside-and-outs of the profession. But despite of this, there are some people who would not accept me in their academic circle.
I remember distinctly how Vergel Santos of the Philippine Press Institute (PPI) argued that a diploma is not necessary in media. All that was needed, he said, is a mastery of the language and a week of training. Or how one engineer from a prestigious company boasted on having trained a mason into becoming an effective construction supervisor. He said, kulang na lang sa diploma, ang piyon niya ay engineer na. The truth of the matter is, given the proper training and exposure, anyone could become what he had always dreamt to be. A grain of truth that escapes us nowadays is that real education and knowledge could not be monopolized by those who went to school.
But as I also experienced, the reality of things would always be such. Undergraduates are found way below the level of those who have a diploma. A quick glance at the resume is already a deciding factor to get hired or to get fired. Never mind what he knows, mind what is written on his bio-data.
It has always been a state policy that education be instilled among its citizens. A sound mind in a strong body; a Greek philosophy emulated by every democratic country. But democracy requires equality. This, I fear, is absent in the educational system we have.
If only education were not capitalized into becoming a gross business venture. Even graduates have problems finding a job because they did not come from a prestigious university. And the trend nowadays is that one must have at least have earned a Master’s degree to be preferred over everyone else. I personally know of stories of smart, young people who have finished college on time – who are responsible and hard-working – but are having problems finding a decent job. Some became policemen while others worked in factories and other odd jobs enduring problems of contractualization and poor working conditions.
The blatant display of inequity inside and outside school is mirrored by the college graduates we produce. A graduate of a small-town college is no match for a university graduate. Enrollment and other school fees are exorbitant to the point that many are forced to quit school. More than this, even the allotment for the gains of the Reformed Value Added Tax (RVAT) is grossly laid-out. While 70% would go to debt services, only the remaining 30% would go to infrastructure and education. Even state colleges are hard-pressed for money that they could no longer amply support their students and faculty.
Why inequity? Inequity in its strictest sense means unfairness. It is unfair that some people can’t go to school and it is also unfair that the government should care more for paying debts than educating its youth. Again, should we blame the economy and all the hardships it produces? It’s called priority. Put education down your list of priorities and expect that in the near future, the same problems of the government would crop-up all over again.
But this is not to discourage people from going to school. In fact, I encourage everyone who has a chance to do so. But let us be reminded that real education could not be found only at the four-corners of a classroom. Strive hard to learn everything that you can inside the school and be wary on how time swiftly flies. And when you do get that diploma, do not solely rely on such. It has been proven that though it is quite valuable, the same may not be enough for the real world.
I finished college in order to get that diploma. Now, I know that it is just a piece of paper and a bit of word that I could write on my resume. But I did learn things at college that I would not find elsewhere. It is the realization that education is not education if it is confined, inhibited from learning newer things. It is the knowledge that a diploma is but a small piece on proving your real worth. I also learned that unless we become vigilant with the priorities of the government, college is worthless both before and after graduation.
In the end, education would teach us that it is our duty to constantly remind the government on how lowly our education system had come to be. That education may be found with or without a diploma. For those who have not finished college, do not despair. Those who did also experience the same problems as you do. And for those who did, let us all be reminded that real education does not stop during graduation time. Let society be our teacher and let its lessons be our driving force.
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