By Steffanie Martinez |Staff Writer|
A college diploma seems useless when all you need is one viral video to earn you millions of dollars, right? Not so much.
Media influences our lives now more than ever, whether we choose to accept it or not.
It has introduced us to a world where being successful doesn’t always begin or finish with a college education.
The term “internet celebrity” denotes any YouTube, Vine, and Instagram star who makes a living out of posting content on social networks—jobs that require no sort of diploma.
They make it seem simple, when the reality is that fame is not easily accessible to anyone who has a social media account.
People like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg created memorable legacies with no help of a college degree.
Media influence has provoked an ongoing debate within [us] students, provoking doubts about whether or not all our time and money spent here is going to be worth it once we attempt to enter the workforce.
People are making millions with no degree under their belt, so why is obtaining a degree stressed? This was a question Gates responded to in a recent blog post.
“Although I dropped out of college and got lucky pursuing a career in software, getting a degree is a much surer path to success,” stated Gates.
“College graduates are more likely to find a rewarding job, earn higher income, and even, evidence shows, live healthier lives than if they didn’t have degrees. They also bring training and skills into America’s work force, helping our economy grow and stay competitive,” continued Gates.
Rather than thinking about the time and money it takes to earn our diploma, we have to take into consideration that our education is something that can never be taken away from us.
There are limitless opportunities that open up to those who choose to pursue a higher education.
Although obtaining a degree does not necessarily guarantee anything, it takes character, persistence and motivation to reach your career goals, which makes having a degree valuable.
Ultimately, the college experience is what each individual chooses to take from it, and there’s no “easy way out.”
The mission of CSUSB is to “cultivate the professional, ethical, and intellectual development” of its students.
This should reassure students that a higher education diploma earned from a university signifies more than just a piece of paper given to help you obtain a job.
Obtaining an education is an experience that will allow you to meet diverse people, develop skillsets, confront challenging ideas, and even offer a gateway into self-exploration that you will not receive anywhere else.
Choosing to pursue a higher education is a personal choice, just like chasing fame. However, pursuing an education yields better results in more ways than just financially.
As a first-generation college student, it’s hard to see education in terms of just money and time, because it is indispensable. It is an opportunity to experience what my parents were not able to.
The media will continue influencing our way of living, so it is up to us to differentiate reality from the superficial world they’re trying to create for us.
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