Necessity of Credential

I feel like credential is the final goal to reach for people since they work so hard to achieve one. The diploma is the certificate for me as a future pharmacist who needs one to get a safe position in today’s society. Honestly, the majority of employment today happen through the process of checking whether people have credentials or not that prove whether they were “successful” during previous school or university lifetime. There can be people who state, “remember that schools and universities are places for you to learn and understand information and not just to earn grades or diplomas for future jobs.” And I think it is true. However, it is also true that we invest tons of money into the educational institution, where they might not guarantee to give you the opportunity to live on successfully in the future. Learning itself can happen anywhere besides the university too, whether by your parents, employed counselors, and teachers, etc. And if I think as a student who is just in a place to learn something new by putting millions of dollars in one year, I feel like I am wasting my time. That is why the diploma is so important to me. It is the only way that decides if I can work as a pharmacist in the future in the U.S. Of course, it would be great if our society did not distinguish people’s ability to work by credentials in the first place, but that is not how our society works now. Ultimately, it turns out to be our responsibility to learn, our responsibility to get the proof, or credential, somehow from the university to earn what you want: career, family, better life. 

Again, some people might disagree with me and understand my opinion as if I’m only here in university just for the goal of receiving the diploma. And I’m not. I do love learning in this kind of environment, interacting with my friends and professors about new topics that will build me into a better man. But, the question was, “Is it okay if there is no diploma guaranteed for me in this university and am I still going to continue until graduation?” My answer to that is no. The diploma is my qualification, the indication of my hard efforts during my past years. Without it, I have no credibility from anybody to believe that I am a helpful pharmacist. There is no certification for anybody to believe what I have been doing for six years at Northeastern University. 

Also, how about those who struggled through poverty? I don’t believe that poor family added their kids into college for simply a reason for their learning. It is more likely for the kids to succeed in establishing a safe job and to turn more wealthy for their future generations. 

I get that people say learning itself is a beautiful aspect of life, and it’s true. But, that phrase mostly comes from people who learn from a supportive environment and when they can live happily without credentials. And I think most cases aren’t such case.