Does a Good Education Really Equal a Good Job?

For those of us who have surfed and played on Facebook pages, we all know the initial excitement of finding a long lost high school or college pal that we haven’t had contact with in 10 years or more.  Those first Facebook IMs between you and an old friend are enthusiastic in tone, warm in sentiment, and revealing in content.  The exchange of tales about what happened after you parted, how many kids each of you now has, whether you are married, or still married, what kind of work you’re doing….

That is the one topic I have come to dread.  Why?  Because the system did not work for me like it was supposed to.

I was fortunate enough to be in gifted, or at least privileged education for my entire secondary school years.  I attended a private school until the 8th grade, and then I was recommended and accepted into a special accelerated high school educational program called the International Baccalaureate Program.  The I.B. program is unique because of its well-rounded and versatile strategies in teaching, and its focus upon independent, self-motivated learning by the student.  It more than prepares high school students for college; it also requires over 200 hours of community service, extracurricular activities and/or sports involvement, as well as an extensive 30 page thesis paper whose subject and research is chosen and conducted by the student.  This is no ordinary A.P or C.P class, this is an entire 4 year program, that rewards the student with an additional I.B. diploma if they pass the testing at the end of their senior year.  This diploma has the potential equivalent of anywhere from a semester to a year’s worth of college credits – meaning that student has a huge headstart into college, as well as their career.

Because of the 4 years of repeatedly intense and rigorous classes that were shared with the exact same people for all of high school, those of us that completed the program had very invested interest and relationships with one another.  We shared homework, projects with after school hours, community service, study groups, presentations, performances, summer school courses and our social lives with one another for 4 years – which is no fleeting moment, especially while in the throes of adolescence, working harder than many college students.