I used to hate school.

Elementary was fine. They let us read a bunch, gave us snacks and rarely made us do homework. But by the time I got to high school, I was tired of learning. I would dread waking up in the mornings and I complained all the time. Just ask any of my teachers; I was the worst.

The homework felt so pointless. I always did it, but I knew I wasn’t going to use algebra in real life. (Sorry Mrs. Wyse, but I can’t say that I actually have yet.) Why did I need to know how to make a catapult out of Popsicle sticks that could launch a marshmallow? Why did I need to understand the workings of the government? Okay, so that last part I do actually need. (You were right Mrs. J.)

I hated school - until I realized how important it was.

I should have been more grateful for the fact that I was able to attend high school for free. I should have shown my appreciation to those teachers who worked so hard to make sure I could go to college. And I should have thanked my parents more for showing me the value of an education.

Here I am, a few weeks away from the end of my junior year of college, and I can’t put a price on education. I’ve spent the last three years accruing thousands of dollars in student debt so I can keep going to school, putting myself through more of what I detested in high school.

But I chose to do that.

Without a college degree, the chances of finding a job are slowly declining. Nearly 65 percent of all jobs in the U.S. require a college degree or at least some college experience. That other 36 percent isn’t really full of jobs paying more than the minimum wage.

Most people who are looking to make enough money to support a family will need a college degree. But here’s the catch - not everyone has the luxury to afford it.

Education is a privilege. It’s also becoming a necessity.

While I sit here and complain about the fact that my professors don’t seem to realize that I have more classes than just the one they teach, there is someone working a minimum wage job, wishing they had the opportunity to go to college at all.

Sure, my parents aren’t footing the bill for my college. I’ll walk away from a private institution straddled with debt, but at least I’ll have a college degree. I can get a job that will get me out of that debt and then some.

Those people who never had the opportunity for college are trying to make ends meet every day. While some people choose not to attend college, there are just as many who were never given the chance in the first place. That’s not fair.

I know life’s not fair, but we shouldn’t be sitting around doing nothing about it. We can change this. Our education system is broken, but not beyond repair. We need policies in place that will give people more opportunities to attend college and make it more affordable. We need people who care about education, more people than just the teachers, people who can show others how important education is. Public high schools and elementary schools need to stop teaching for the standardized tests and focus more on teaching for the betterment of students’ lives.

For those of us not going into the education field, we can start by appreciating the value of our college educations (and our high school educations for that matter). We can recognize them for the privileges that they are and stop complaining about all of the work we have to do. And we need to stop pretending like anyone can simply go to school and find a better job. It’s really not that easy; we've just had the privilege that makes it feel like it is.