Graduation Season is Upon Us

The trees have all turned green and the air outside is heating up just in time for the ritual of dressing up in black robes, black hats, long sleeve shirts, pants, and any other non-summer friendly clothing for the sake of graduation! Oh, and did I mention that these events are usually forced to take place outside, in the heat, because that is the only place you can fit fifty thousand proud family members, each armed with air horns and fresh vocal chords? But that is all a negligible price to pay in order to witness those who have made the accomplishment of graduating from college.

I hear people say things like “these days everyone goes to college” and “so what, everyone graduates from college” and it makes me sick to my stomach. To make light of the fact that in America, the land of the free, the home of the worlds best post-secondary education system, 30% of our population is able to graduate from college. To put it in perspective, only 10% of the US population was able to graduate from college in 1970, which means we have tripled that number in only 40 years! So 30% of our population is able to earn a bachelor's degree or higher in what is probably the toughest, and certainly the most respected university system in the world and we look at it as if it were just another day when graduation rolls around? Shame on us! We should be jumping for joy and celebrating at the top of our spirits because for every college student that receives a diploma, it brings us all one step closer to maintaining our edge as the dominant country in the global economy.

So the next time you get an invitation to a graduation or you meet a person who has recently graduated, don't just say “congratulations”, say “thank you and God bless you for working your ass off to better yourself and the world that we live in”. Getting through college is tough and requires an immense amount of energy and commitment that only 30% of our country is willing to expend. While that number is higher than in any other country, it still warrants a ginormous pat on the back to those who walk that distinctive path.