Nine numbers and one paper make a person, another paper makes success

A college degree is a piece of paper, set apart from all other pieces of paper by words written on it in some fancy style. This paper symbolizes, this single piece of paper symbolizes four years of effort, four years of blind commitment. Commitment to what is commonly known as higher education, this paper symbolizes education. This piece of paper and this piece of paper alone means that a person is smart. Four years, eight thousand dollars, countless days stuck in the same place and what does it guarantee? Not a job, not financial stability, not fulfillment, not even happiness, No all it guarantees is a single very fancy piece of paper. A piece of paper that somehow proves a person is smart. Is it really that smart to place so much importance in something so superficial. I can not justify giving up four years of my life to a piece of paper. The piece of paper proves nothing, I know I am not smart because of it, I know it does not promise me any kind of future, I know there are plenty of people smarter than I ever will be who will never even try for it, but I have been conditioned to want it. Unfortunately the more time I invest in it and the more things I see other people invest in the less I seem to want it. I am nintey percent positive that I am not strong enough to not follow through with this. Chances are I will earn that piece of paper, I will be proud of that piece of paper, and one day I might even frame that piece of paper. I am certain however I will never define myself by that piece of my paper. It is just a piece of paper, I am so much more than a piece of paper and I will never let a piece of paper influence any decision I make. I will graduate and then maybe I will be myself.