#getabachelorsdegreeorbust by Zachary

#getabachelorsdegreeorbust by Zachary - April 2018 Scholarship Essay

I have created the hashtag #getabachelorsdegreeorbust as my hashtag because it hits close to home for me. You see, my mom has a college degree from Pitt (Where I will be attending in Fall 2018 semester) but my dad does not. That doesn’t seem like a big deal does it? He has held many management level jobs in his life. He has been able to climb the corporate ladder with success and recognition. Until October 2016. That was the day, due to merging departments, that my was father was laid off. Ok, no big deal. Let’s brush off our suit and revamp our resume and get back in the saddle. Well, the horse didn’t want to budge. Why you ask? Because my dad didn’t have a college degree. He has an associate’s degree, but that doesn’t cut it in today’s society.
If you look at my father’s credentials, you would be impressed with the positions he’s held and the promotions he’s received. That was the hardest part of watching him apply for job after job. He would get the initial screening phone call from the recruiter that always ended the same way. “No, I do not have a bachelor’s degree” I watched as the frustration and disappointment washed over his face. I watched as my mom, who had 3 jobs just to maintain our style of living, collapse of the couch due to sheer exhaustion. I watched as depression slowly took over my father’s will to find a job, the phone calls stopped coming in. He didn’t give up tho. He persevered and each day always ended with “I wish I finished college and got my degree” or “This is why you need a college degree son”
The day came where he did get that offer. Granted, not as much as it would have been had he have that coveted piece of paper, but it was a job none the less. It came with insurance as well as assurance that my family would be ok.
I am telling you this story because it holds a special place in my heart. As a child, you view your father as this strong brave man and yet I saw my dad cry in fear. Obtaining a college education is crucial in todays society. Not only will it pretty much guarantee you a job, it can be the determiner between a high paying job and a mediocre or less than stellar job. By earning a degree, you can work with the college career office that will help place you in a job that you are the subject matter expert. Education gives us a better view of the world. It can take us to places that we never expected to go. Education will provide will with a path of endless possibilities. This is what education means to me and why I feel it is so important to #getabachelorsdegreeorbust