I have been thinking a lot about this subject lately and it is something I have always felt strongly about.

Having a degree doesn’t mean you are smarter, better, more qualified, or harder working than a person who doesn’t have one. It just means that you went to extra schooling to learn more about a particular subject and now you have a piece of paper to prove it.

That is literally all a degree is a piece of paper. Why do so many people make such a big deal out of it?

College is expensive and time-consuming and not everyone can attend. So why should those people who are probably raising a family or just trying to make a living be denied a job, a promotion, or a raise just because they don’t have a piece of paper that said they went to and completed college?

I know plenty of people who never went to college who are smart, hard working, and determined that could do mostly any job a college graduate does.

A degree doesn’t define success. There are a lot of people who never went to/finished college who are very successful and living a happy life.

Bill Gates, one of the richest men in the world, never finished college. Emma Stone never even finished high school. Steve Jobs, creator of Apple products, did not finish college. Ellen Degeneres dropped out after one semester.

Even rich and famous people don’t have degrees, and no one seems to have a problem with it. They can get jobs easily, so why can everyday, run of the mill people?

I would have never of thought about attending college if we didn’t live in a world where you need a degree for practically any job, not just one in your field. Employers and others have become so obsessed with the idea that having a piece of paper with your name on it makes you more qualified than the person who works every day to make a better life for themselves.

There are people out there who spend years in college and working towards their degree and when they graduate and get out, they STILL can’t find a job in their field, and most of the time end up working in retail until something comes along.

All of the time and money college graduates spend on school, you could be out there exploring the world, and following your passions to make life fulfilling. So do not ever think that just because you don’t have a degree or experience that you are not worthy.

If it makes you feel any better our president didn’t have any experience and he landed the job of running our country. So never give up, work hard, and fight the stereotype of “Degree and experience needed.”

You learn every day, even outside of school. If you have a passion for something, you can accomplish anything.

Motivational speaker and author, Jim Tunney once said, “It’s the will, not the skill.” If you are willing to get that job, promotion, etc, you can achieve it even if you may not have all of the skills.

A degree doesn't define your character, your personality, your abilities, your passion, and it doesn't define you...

To those out there who don’t have a degree and who don’t plan on getting one, I applaud you because you’ve had to work 10 times harder to make a living for yourself in this messed up world. Also, you are doing it all without having thousands of dollars in loan debt. So technically, you are the smarter ones!