A Choice. We get one here at IVCC, at least in the option of tuition. Not whether the amount goes up or down, but, rather, we possess the option of whether or not to pay for one. Society subconsciously states that to securely get a salary higher than minimum wage, it is required that we spend at least four years in higher education and eight years total preferably for certain institutions. What about the 248,000 people in 2012 that had degrees and worked minimum wage paying jobs, according to the Wall Street Journal?

By now, we all know that a degree doesn’t mean security. So, why is society demanding that all of humanity spend thousands of dollars—that most don’t have—to get a higher education? Intelligence is now linked to letter grades and hours spent studying, and we are downgrading jobs that don’t need this education—small business owners, waitresses, electricians, auto technicians. We don’t need higher education to be intelligent or function in society; there is so much more to critical thinking and observing the world than sitting in a classroom, taking tests, and receiving letters.

As long as students—the people that IVCC exists because of—continue to attend, we are agreeing with this tuition increase and the belief that we need college to live. We ask you now—how far are you willing to believe this notion in society, how much are you willing to spend to hopefully one day face hundreds, maybe thousands, of other applicants for a career?