The (Alleged) Importance of Education

by J. Brown

During college, I took a number of courses on African-American History and Literature. In one such course, we discussed and wrote essays comparing and contrasting the views of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. Both men were influential Black figures during the Reconstruction era that followed the abolition of slavery. After freedom was finally achieved, most former slaves found themselves in a very fragile state. Newly-freed Blacks now had to find places to live, find ways to make a living, and ultimately learn how to survive on their own. As one might imagine, this led to various opinions on how best to achieve these newfound goals. While many African-Americans held polarizing views, Du Bois and Washington served as figureheads representing the opposite ends of the spectrum. 

Du Bois, who was born free, was well educated and graduated from Harvard. He believed that the key to Black success would come from education, knowledge of the arts, and access to equal opportunities. Washington, who was born a slave, graduated from Hampton, a historically black college. He founded Tuskegee Institute, which focused on teaching agricultural and technical skills. He believes that the key to Black success would come from learning job skills that would allow Blacks to earn money for themselves. 

Learning about these two men, I always leaned in favor of Du Bois' ideas. To me, Du Bois' plan was more long-term, while Washington's plan seemed temporary. Sure, vocational skills can get you a job, but how can you ever expect to get a better job in the future without an education? I also read about the so-called Atlanta Compromise, and that really turned me off from Booker T. Washington for good. It always seemed to me that Washington was a bit of an Uncle Tom, appeasing to the fears of whites by assuring them that Blacks would never be their equal as long as white philanthropists supported and funded his industrial efforts. 

With all these preconceived notions, I recently read Booker T. Washington's autobiography Up From Slavery. I thought maybe reading his book would help me appreciate his perspective. Though I still disagree with Washington on a number of things, it did make me wonder about the true value of education. To Booker T. Washington, the true way to prove your worth to society is by being able to produce something. In his words, "The individual who can do something that the world wants done will, in the end, make his way regardless of his race." He then used the scenario of a man going into a community prepared to teach them how to formulate Greek sentences when they actually need someone to build their homes and wagons. This of course is a very simplistic way of thinking about it, but at the end of the day, what is the merit of simply being educated?

According to a 2013 study, only 27 percent of people have jobs related to their college major. Furthermore, it could be argued that most of the things you learned in college haven't helped you to earn a profit or make a living. (In fact, the very topic I'm discussing - while thought-provoking - isn't making me any money.) This makes me wonder if Booker T. Washington was right all along. I understand that there are jobs that exist today that weren't even dreamed of in 1901. Still, even computer-based and technology-oriented jobs require a certain skill set that must be learned (i.e. vocational training). We say that the purpose of getting a degree is to "get a good job". But what is the true purpose of the degree if I don't actually utilize it after I get it? 

I currently work for DC's public school system, and I could not have gotten my current job without a degree. However, there are few things about my college experience that have actively helped me to do my job better than I could have had I gotten the position straight out of high school. On a related note, our district pays our teachers more money if they've achieved higher-level degrees, but all of our assessment data shows that there isn't any discernible link between our high-quality teachers and their education levels. There are standouts with Bachelors, and there are terrible teachers with Ph.Ds. 

Speaking of which, I've recently begun to question the merit of most Doctorate programs. While I respect anyone's decision to further their education, I am skeptical as to the actual value of doctoral theses. If I get a Ph.D in Philosophy or Modern Art or American History, what good does that actually do? How does my dissertation actually help society? Who's even reading my thesis besides other people that are already highly educated? It feels like, on many levels, the only real benefit of higher education is the chance to "get educated." We applaud these people for being "lifelong learners", but who does that help other than themselves? This may be the point that Booker T. Washington was trying to make over 100 years ago. 

I realize my own hypocrisy in all of this, because I have a Master's degree, and I fully expect my children (when I have them) to go to college and "get educated". I realize that we live in a society that affords its best opportunities to those that have degrees. One could even argue that the entire collegiate experience isn't even really about the courses, but about the intangibles that you pick up throughout the course of a 4-year degree program (time management, public presentation skills, working on team projects, etc). In that regard, yes, we've all learned plenty in college. But is this the only way to achieve these skills? By paying tens of thousands of dollars to take required courses that I don't even care about?

Don't get me wrong; I still think education is important. But maybe we've gotten the definition wrong. Maybe the tests and theses and study sessions weren't the real education, after all. In a country where only 40 percent of us have college degrees anyway, maybe it's time we figure out a better way of getting to the real thing.