College. It’s the topic that is constantly looming over teenagers’ heads. In a society that pushes college from the instant students enter high school, many students feel obligated to spend thousands of dollars for their education.

College. It means different things to different people. For some, it means the chance to acquire knowledge that was not given to them in high school. For others, it means the chance to escape from home. For more, it is the only future offered to them after high school.

Whatever the major or school of choice, one feeling floods the student as they stand cap-and-gown, with diploma in hand, after spending four or more years preparing for the future.

Success.

And it is that success that drives their view of a university degree and its significance to the working world.

But what about those who do not go to college? Those who cannot pay the lofty price? Those who have no interest in pursuing a white collar job that requires a degree? Are they left in the shadows of these college graduates, forgotten?

Often they are deemed as unable to provide a suitable life for themselves and their families.

Why are they thought of as inferior? As slackers? As ignorant?

What about the man who is the manager of three popular restaurants in the area? Or the woman who is the top salesperson at a multimillion dollar company?

Too often these types of people have years of successful experience, but as soon as they mention they have no college degree, they are immediately downgraded. Suddenly, their experience and their expertise in the field is worth nothing because they did not spend thousands of dollars and four years of their life on a piece of paper.

Nothing is wrong with going to college, and nothing is wrong with not going either. It is simply a matter of preference based on what someone wants to do with his or her life. But that choice should not determine how people are treated.

The Mill Stream believes that people shouldn’t need a college degree to get respect. A piece of paper and thousands of dollars of debt should not elevate anyone’s status in society. The truck drivers’ and mechanics’ roles are just as important as the CEO’s of a behemoth business. Someone should not be treated like they are on the bottom of the totem pole based on their level of education.

Yes, college looms over students, but it is not the only option. A degree does not equate to successful or superiority over those who wish to pursue another path. No matter the path, and no matter the career someone pursues, they are human. Their choice of education should not affect how they are treated in the workforce or in the community.