Clearly many people misunderstand the reason for a college education. It is not to get a job. That’s how, often times, it is used, but that isn’t the reason for its being. A college education gives students a chance to be better more informed members of society. College is a place where students can begin to learn where they really fit into society as adults and how they can make contributions both domestically and globally. Unfortunately, the educational system has been diverted, hijacked, to support the interests of other industries. Colleges have gone so far off course that now the question of the necessity to attend college has become a valid question.

Regardless of the student’s chosen discipline, what is the first thing that happens to them when they get a job? They get trained to do the job they are hired to do. That being the case, why not hire students to do a job, save a lot of time and expense, and cut out the middle man, i.e. the college? The useless degrees list covers many areas that provide value to the human existence. They help recognize beauty. They entertain. They give us much needed diversions from the continuous toil of hard work. I can’t imagine a world without music, or literature, or the ability to intelligently communicate with one another. I can’t imagine a world moving forward without having some idea of where we’ve been. Useless? I think not. All the disciplines taken together make this human experiment work. That’s how we grow and learn as a species. We need all disciplines working together for our physical and emotional survival.

? Professor Marvell Lawson is an author of the forthcoming book “Small Business Superstar Speaking Secrets”, professional speaker, and communication coach who works with individuals and organizations wanting to deliver powerful speeches and presentations with confidence; and communicate more effectively, grow their business, make more money, and build professional credibility.