How important is education?

In my last blog I mentioned that I have been enrolled at SJSU for around 6 years but that I do not regret it, the time spent in college I mean. Though I have spent much of my time taking several classes, not focusing on one major area, I feel that it has benefited me overall. What could possibly be wrong with learning as much as one can in several different areas of study? Herein lies a major problem I have with our education system in America and how college is looked upon, especially in California. As most of us would agree, education is among, if not the most important part of any society. It is the driving force behind the way any society runs. It leads to increased productivity, decreased crime levels, and techological advancements as well as advancements in all other fields. But in the United States education is seen as something required for a good paycheck. Although not everyone sees it this way, education, and especially college, is seen as simply a means to more money. While we are taught at an early age that getting a college education is important, we are taught the wrong reasons for this. The emphasis is placed on the amount of money one will earn with a degree, not on the knowledge one will hopefully attain. The idea of getting out of college with a degree as quickly as possible is presented as the only way to do it, to be successful. In California things are even worse. Students are being forced to graduate as quickly as possible, and denied the opportunity to take classes outside their field of study (my brother is a good example of this, but I won't get into that right now). At the same time, any attempts to raise taxes to increase money spent on education are voted down by a population that is both naive and uninformed. So how important is education? The answer would seem obvious, but apparently it isn't.

Vocabulary Words:

Sacrosanct: 1. Extremely sacred or inviolable 2. Not to be entered or trespassed upon 3. Above or beyond criticism, change or interference (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sacrosanct)

Inviolable: 1. Prohibiting violation; secure from destruction, violence, infringement or desecration 2. Incapable of being violated; incorruptible; unassailable (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/inviolable)