There is a constant debate, probably across the globe, about education. Is our education system adequate, are we setting ourselves and future generations up for success, etc, etc. Now education is definitely an important issue, but based on what I've seen and heard about the United States' approach to education, there are definitely some issues that need to be resolved.

First, and probably most obvious, is the fact that Americans rank pretty low among the rest of the world's nations. This should be taken exactly as it is and should show that there is just inherent flaws in the system that need to be resolved, or there are inherent flaws in the mindset of our society that need to be adjusted.

Now, I'm not here to propose another system of education for our country. I'm not running for President, and I am not going to pretend that I can even begin to formulate a plan to better educate our country. Absolutely not. However, I do plan on running for President in 2044 so I guess I should learn about that sometime soon, yes?

Anyway, let's discuss the second issue of education, our society. There are some inherent flaws in the minds of our society, our youth, and especially our employers that cause issues with the system that just need to be addressed. For one, I think a majority of students are just pure lazy. I've seen and read articles from people discussing the uses of algebra outside of tenth grade and how useless learning algebra is. Admittedly, they have an argument for their case, but they are completely missing the point of why we learn algebra: algebra is useless in itself, but learning a difficult subject is a great way to teach work ethic, perseverance, and other skills which will help mold a better worker. If you need hard work in order to understand something on a deeper level, and you succeed, aren't you more likely to apply this technique to things other than school? Absolutely. I guarantee you will, because you saw positive results the first time and you're looking to repeat that.

Another issue is the fact that education seems to be more of a requirement than a means to better your mind and work ethic. Take college for example. If I were a betting man, I would wager that at least half, maybe even two-thirds, of students enrolled in a university are doing so simply in order to college in order to get a degree. They're doing this because they have been told throughout their lives that they need a college degree in order to work. While it is true that almost every job has a "degree requirement" it should not be the case. It is, quite honestly, ruining the lives of many young adults.

The fact that a majority of jobs need a college degree just doesn't make any practical sense. Most of the skills you need for an average 9-5 you will learn on the job. College is tough. College is expensive. Most importantly, college is not for everyone. There are some kids that just shouldn't go to college. This isn't me knocking the intelligence of other people. It could also be a financial issue. However, if your mental capacity is not up to the level of a college student (and there are different levels of mental capacity) why would you put yourself through the stress and grueling effort that you would need to put in, just to realize that your Brit Lit class had nothing to do with your eventual job? Why would you take out massive student loans, put yourself into a lifetime of debt, only to get a job and realize that your gen. ed. requirement was completely unrelated to the real world? You wouldn't. No sane person would put themselves through unnecessary stress.

I'm not saying that college is a bad idea in general. Doctors need college, lawyers need college, many other professions do need college. Like I said before, higher levels of education promote a greater work ethic. They strengthen minds and expand understanding. However, if you're eventually going to be working an average 9-5 in working class America, then you don't need college. It just makes sense that this would be the case.

Education itself is not a bad thing. If there were a financial solution for college and other levels of higher education, then it would be a semi-different story. Community colleges help, but it's still an insane amount of money. Education is helpful. We need it, but we also need people to have a better quality life. By putting themselves through unnecessary stress in order to work a job that doesn't actually need a university degree, and by putting themselves into decades of debt, people are doing exactly the opposite. Basically, the education system needs to find a different way to motivate learners. "You need this for your job." You don't. A majority of you do not need this. Jobs will look to see if you graduated, and that is that. It's pointless.