Degrees of Separation

[Something's got Heidi all riled up! Read on to find out what - and who - got her peeved.]

This morning I was reading Single-ish on glamour.com while I sat at my desk and had breakfast. Now I’m a pretty big follower, checking in and reading almost daily (and for those of you who are not familiar with the blog, it’s a guy and a girl – both single – who write about dating and their search for love). So today I came across this post. Erin had gone on a date with a nice enough guy who was not a good match for her. One of her reasons? He had no degrees.

After I read the post I was upset. So I IM’ed Dorkys with this question: Would you date a man who doesn’t have a college degree? Her answer: Depends. He might not have one, but he needs to be intelligent.

My sentiments exactly. It’s important for someone to be smart meaning they have common sense and are out there doing something with their life. A college degree doesn’t make someone smart or intelligent. It doesn’t even guarantee you a job (especially in this economic climate). Would I like my future children to go and graduate from college? Yes, because it might make their lives a little easier and provide better opportunities. But do I think that going to college will make them better people? No, not at all.

A college degree as a key to certain doors: it helps you open them, but whether you last after you walk through depends on you as a person, on luck, on whether you have ambition and drive to make it in the world. If all you have is the degree then you won’t get anywhere.

I can’t imagine thinking that I am better than anyone just because I went to college. Does going to college make me a better person than someone who didn’t? No. Does it make me smarter than someone who only has a GED? No. All it does is open some doors for me and the rest is up to my work ethic.

The fact that a degree is so important to her (“unless you’re Bill Gates or Britney Spears”) made me think. I understand the Bill Gates part – he’s an extremely intelligent man who didn’t have to finish school because he had a lot more going on in that head of his. But Britney?? I love Britney, but I think we can all agree that the only thing she and Bill have in common is money. Which makes me think that not having a college degree is only acceptable to her if you have money.

I’m all for having standards (hey, I’ve been accused of being too picky more than once), but I’d like to think that I am too picky because I am looking for a man I can respect as a human being. A man that is a hard worker whether he finished school or not, someone who makes things happen for himself, who doesn’t think any job too demeaning.

Who knows? Maybe I’m being judgmental because I’m judging someone else’s standards, but I don’t think I am. It just makes me sad to think that society has become so caught up with what people do for a living, what school they went to, or how they look that we have lost track of what’s really important – someone’s character.

[So, do you guys agree? Is a lack of a college degree a deal breaker for you?]

Image: sethmcallister.com