My Dashed Ivy League Dreams

I was talking about education with someone the other day; we were discussing our long term goals.  I am continuing my education as a Social Work major now; I have to get my BSW in Social Work as the minimum requirement in my state to hold the title of "Social Worker."  My goal is really to complete an MSW.  My friend asked me what graduate schools I was applying to.  I casually started to comment that I had looked into programs, listing the names of schools as I talked.  When I got to the name of an Ivy League school that I have a good change of getting into, my friend proceeded to sit there and laugh right in my face.  I mean, it was an enormous guffaw launched across the table in my direction.  Nice.


"What?!"  I said.  "I have a good chance of getting into their advanced standing program to complete my Master's in a year!"  She shook her head "you could never in a billion years pay for that."  I felt insulted, not really by her, but at what causes a great education to be so far out of reach to the point that someone would laugh in my face for even considering it.

I understand the concept of working hard and getting a reward because you did so.  However, when it comes to something as fundamental as knowledge, I wince to see it commodified.  Especially at the expense of young college kids who feel pressured to go to college, have no idea what they want to do, and pick a major whose course load looks appealing only to find out there's not much you can do with that particular degree once you graduate.  The college has made money though, and the new graduate is now swimming in debt.  Indeed, to be able to better yourself in order to "move up in the world" means you have to have the tools to do so.  Education is one such tool.  How easy is it to better yourself when the tool you need to do so with is out of your reach?  People will say, you don't need an education to make it in this world [insert inspirational story of one person you met one time who didn't go to college and did awesomely here].  It's true, you do not need an education to make it in the world.  However, it certainly helps and it certainly disenfranchises some people, who with their passions and skill sets, need an education as a requirement to enter into the field they would be most skilled at and thus benefit the community around them immensely.

My dad's story is one of the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" kind.  His mom left when he was two years old.  He spent a good deal of time being raised by his grandmother.  He got good grades in school and was a happy kid though there wasn't much money for anything.  When he graduated high school, there was no money for college.  So he enlisted in the military and did well.  In addition to his hard work, his privileges as a White, heterosexual, Christian, male who does not have any disabilities more than likely helped as well.  He met my mom and they got married.  Work was often hard to find.  I remember when I was little, my mom would work evenings at a local store that was a bit like today's Wal-Mart.  My dad was (and still is) a Licensed Professional Land Surveyor.  He has worked so hard and done so well, he is literally one of the best in his field, that he and my mom have made a nice life for themselves.

You see, he was made for surveying.  He is mathematically brilliant.  The man can tell you the volume by a mile-high pile of gravel just by walking around it, measuring a few things, and scribbling on a notepad.  He enjoys being outdoors.  He is good with electronics.  I swear there is nothing about land surveying my dad does not know.  He is the guy you hire when you want it done well, you want it done right, and you want it done well and right the first time it is done.

However, if my dad were a young twenty-something coming out of the military right now, he would not be able to be a Professional Land Surveyor.  The laws have changed and you must have a minimum of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a land surveying curriculum in order to be licensed.  You cannot practice or call yourself a "Land Surveyor" without being licensed.

Where would my parents be now if my dad could not have followed his dreams and passions into a field that is beyond perfect for him had a specific education been necessary and not within reach?  I do not even want to think about it.  Maybe he would have ended up in a job he did not like and did not enjoy where advancement did not come easy.  I don't even want to think about it.  It makes me worry about my kids future and education; what will be available to them?  College tuition calculators that average out how much you need to be saving per month to pay for your kids' college when they hit 18 make scary predictions.

Another friend encouraged me to feel jaded by my lack of ability to pay for school, let alone the school that I would like to go to.  She said because I do not fall into any other minority group than being a woman (being adopted doesn't count as a minority group to most people), no one will ever help me go to school or give me a break despite the fact that college is still a struggle.  I encouraged her to realize that we have never been turned down for employment or a place to live because of the color of our skin.  Anywhere we go our religion is more than likely accepted and common place.  We've never gone hungry or without a roof over our heads without a day in our lives.  We both have been blessed with good health.  Both she and I benefit from unearned privilege that has made meeting our needs possible, even if we aren't eligible at times for help reaching for the stars.

So, I won't be attending that Ivy League university.  The program I need costs more than twice the amount that one at another perfectly good college costs.  As much as I'd love to follow my life long dream (OK, maybe not life long but something I've aspired to since I was 16), I can't get into a mountain of debt that I'd still be paying off by the time I need to start paying for my kids' education.  One of the main reasons I am going back to school is to increase my earning potential so that I can increase our likelihood of being able to send our kids to college.  Going to this university would be counter-productive to that goal.

But one can still dream, I suppose.

Photo credit: Naypong