The diploma, a pristine sheet of ivory paper with your name written on it, rolled up with a ribbon tied perfectly, a piece of paper that everyone wants to get. Everyone is expected to possess this document and anyone who does not possess it is classified as a “failure”. The “success” expected by society requires a college degree; however, college is not the best option for everyone because many professions do not require it and everyone has a different definition of “success.” No one should be forced to follow this cookie-cutter curriculum to succeed. People today see success as someone with a large amount of money "living the life." Different people have different views of success. Does having a lot of money make a person successful? It shouldn't. ThomasThere are many jobs that don't require a degree, such as artistic jobs. For example, to become a geisha the person should go straight from middle school, skipping high school, because to learn all the values ​​of being a geisha it is better to learn at a young age. Geisha are Japanese entertainers, trained in the arts of music and dance to entertain Japanese cultures. They believe that starting young makes it easier to shape children's minds. In Japan, elementary and middle school are the only requirements, and attending high school is not mandatory. Charles Murray argues in his article “Are Too Many People Going to College?”, that “More people should acquire the basics of a liberal education. But for most students, the place to provide those basics is elementary and middle school.” (235) Just as Murray states, in Japan basic knowledge is learned in grades K-8. If basic knowledge is learned first, university should not be a place to learn more. Many of these people in this profession are able to work without a college degree. College should be for people who want to pursue specific professions. This perception that a college degree is the golden ticket to a dream job. Over the years, the underemployment rate has risen to 16.8%. Underemployment is someone who is currently looking for a job or working part-time because they can't find a full-time job that uses their degree. Hart Research president Geoffrey Garin says “higher education today is about preparing people” for jobs that don't exist. (Ungar, 227) This quote perfectly portrays what is happening in this society. Having a degree doesn't always get you a job because I think everyone has this ticket, known as a college diploma, which is no longer something special. I heard from a person in my class that even if the resume was top notch with an amazing college listed, the person wouldn't get the job because they are overqualified. If my classmate is right that even graduating from a great college wouldn't get you a job, then we need to reevaluate the popular assumption that college is a guarantee for a job that requires their work.