I should start off by saying I love school.

I love colleges and the purpose of universities. I love the idea that a place exists to teach knowledge that creates an environment to support people having great ideas and achievements. I've spent the last 13 years pursuing 2 bachelors degrees, 1 masters, and am now finishing up my doctorate in Sociology. As a graduate student I worked as a teaching assistant and then an instructor teaching undergraduate level courses for six years. I worked as a program evaluator for one university doing surveys and focus groups to make the university a better place.

That being said I often feel discouraged by what many colleges have become...a cash cow. For many colleges, they are no longer a place focusing on intellectualism.The goal isn't to produce great ideas and research.

For many universities the focus in now on the business of education.

It's because of this shift from education to making money that I have become frustrated with the whole system. I remember as a kid I was always told if you want to get a good job and make a lot of money you need to go to college. My mom was a single mom who worked as a hair stylist. We were poor and my mom constantly struggled to make enough money. "Grow up and go to college" was said to me over and over because it was believed to be the solution to get out of poverty.

Record Enrollment This Semester!!! (Translation: Money, Money, Money!)

That belief is still very strong. Colleges where I live are constantly boasting they are having record enrollments each year. More scholarships and the ease of getting student loans make it simple to pay for an education. Colleges lower their standards so more people qualify to get admitted.

When I hear a college is bragging about record enrollment statistics I don't see this as completely good. When college becomes a business the focus goes more on numbers than on the quality of education.

To have a bachelors degree is no longer special in terms of finding jobs. At one time if you had a college degree you were something special. Today, there are so many people with bachelors degrees that there are no jobs. The masters degree has now become what a bachelors degree use to be and more people are seeking even higher degrees (taking out more student loans) to compete in the job market.

All Those Chairs and A Clock Above The Teachers Podium (wonder what the students will watch more?)

The idea that every kid needs to grow up to go to college isn't necessarily a great idea if the quality of the education is lowered and the degree will be useless due to an oversaturated market. If someone wants to go to college to gain knowledge, to be intellectually stimulated, and to learn more about things they are interested in, then I fully support those people.

The shame are the people who go to college just for the degree...and those are a dime a dozen. As a graduate instructor I taught introductory auditorium classes for Sociology with 100+ students in each class. Very rarely did I teach a class where students were majoring in Sociology. I taught countless nurses, engineers, business majors, and more. Kids who wouldn't use the knowledge I was teaching them. Colleges boast record enrollments which as a teacher means class sizes go up and more classes are moved online to cram more students into the money pit. Large classes aren't designed to enhance learning. A teacher can't give 100+ students one-on-one attention, good discussions, or assignments designed to enhance learning.

Books: A Small Thing Containing Whole Worlds Of Knowledge

For me a 100+ student class meant I couldn't learn all my students names, kids didn't feel comfortable having intellectual discussions, and taking care of grading and lesson plans took a huge amount of time. When I taught large classes I felt as if I didn't know my students or the effects my class had on them. I did have some small classes (15 to 30 students) and those were amazing. I knew every students name. I got to talk with every student, had interactive assignments, and knew at the end of the semester I made a difference.

The Pixabay University Woman

She's Smiling Because She Made The University Tons Of Money Off of Signing Students Up For Student Loans

That's why I don't think college should be for everyone. Because when everyone goes to college, the quality of the education people receive slips off. Because when having a degree stops being special, it makes taking out those student loans a big mistake.

I wish that colleges could turn their focus back on education and not the money. I remember upper level professors influencing me to keep my classes easy so students could have a simple time passing. Students are given powerpoint slides and other tools to ensure they can get passing grades by pretty much having the answers handed to them. This isn't education to me. Education is being challenged to think critically and actually learn material to pass a class.

I understand that a degree hold status in society. I understand that it does help people get jobs. I just think it's a shame it's so common for people leave a university with a piece of paper and no greater knowledge of the world. They spend 4 years going to classes that are designed to pass mass amounts of students instead of being challenged to truly learn.

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