Education does not equal jobs

America is currently in turmoil, and the economy has shown little signs of drastic improvement. Yet, as time wares on the key question America should face is how to help our the struggling middle class Americans. As of August 2011, 9.1% of Americans hobbled on without jobs(google public data), and this is easily the biggest plague and difficulty our nation faces in our present state. So, it seems as if the easiest goal for America to state is simply create more jobs. Simple goal, but our country is mistaken in their avenue of pursuit. Students are encouraged to go to college in society, get a degree, and get a job. Students are not encouraged to go out and forget college, and start a business. Quite possibly the one that might supply America with an insane amount of jobs. For example, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg, all never got a college degree. Yet, they own some of the most successful businesses in the United States, and employ thousands of people together. This is for the simple reason that our education system stifles the traits needed to be a successful employer.
            A college degree simply is meant to be a symbol, such as any other degree or certification is. It should symbolize an in-depth knowledge of a certain subject and an ability to work hard. Yet, in colleges across the world the focus is definitely shifting less on working hard, to being intelligent. A stress has been put on intelligence and knowledge across the country, as more and more teachers are stressing the knowledge hoping that the good will and dedication follows soon afterwards. Teachers and universities instill some traits needed for entrepreneurs, but not what are arguably the most important ones. It is important to be intelligent, yet some of the most successful businessmen state that they reached success due to their failures and hard work. Not to forget, colleges almost lead people away from creating jobs and businesses. In college, students live in a structured environment and are taught to make safe choices. A teacher might tell a student that in computer engineering, the student could make $100,000 annually. This type of thinking stifles entrepreneurship, it's a one way train of thought. The student sees his goal as getting a job similar to this. Consider the following in great detail, "If there was a goal-setting course somewhere in my college education, I must have missed it!  Everything I’ve learned about goal setting, I have learned on my own, from experience, from coaches, or in seminars"(http://www.companyfounder.com/2011/10/an-entrepreneur-does-not-need-university-education/). This comes from Paul Morin in his discussion regarding the need of a college education, and clearly college destroys some traits needed to successfully be an entrepreneur. Now, some people will state that college is indeed necessary for any path. Everyone has heard the fact that students with college degrees make nearly two times as much as people without them, it has been recited everywhere. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, students with a master's degree make nearly three times as much as students without a high school degree. Therefore, these degrees procure the student's opportunities to earn more one would be lead to believe. When really, the dropouts didn't earn less because they were dropouts, but because they were not qualified for the work force. The students probably set lower goals for themselves and achieved less overall, while the students with the degrees were most likely more dedicated and excited about challenges they faced. So, a student who was dedicated and a hard worker, may have achieved more without a college degree, if he had taken that avenue. Yet, we will never know, but these stats are definitely the wrong way to be viewing the value of a degree.
           Again, the issue boils down to the need for jobs in the American economy and the relation of an education to that. Obviously, a post secondary education is needed for many jobs today, but not for the people creating those jobs. These rulers of tomorrow and heroes of today, need traits not taught in school. They need un-ending dedication, faith, and the ability to inspire others. They need the ability to sell a product, fail gracefully, and most importantly offer a unique and different service. Sadly, students are taught none of this! They are taught to simply be better than those before them, but that will not suffice anymore. If America is to succeed for tomorrow, college needs to change. It needs to teach our children more effectively, and give them something valuable. Something that signifies their place in society because right now all it signifies is their lack of creativity and innovation as well as their in-depth knowledge of some book that will be outdated in two years.