How many degrees does it take?

When I was a little girl in grade school, I was in awe about education. I wanted with all my heart to make my mother proud and to please my teachers. I wanted to be "Teacher's Pet" although for the most part I was just one of the mediocres. I admired those students who made "smarts" and schoolwork look easy. It was never easy for me. I had to work hard.

High school offered some great opportunities like being on the newspaper crew, being a Science intern and getting to work with animals, joining the service club called Jaycees Juniors or Jayteens, Drama Club and Student Government. It was interesting to learn how things worked in society and we all learned how popularity changes fate. Yet most people (especially teens) don't realize until much later that popularity itself is beyond our control.

College was different than high school for me. I decided to focus on books more than extracurricular activities. I wanted my education to matter and be significant. I learned about many classical writers, and even got introduced to various literature from the world. It was all fascinating to me and I felt proud of myself for being part of it. When I finally graduated, I really thought I was equipped to be a success in life; But I didn't realize that there was yet another education that I didn't have -- the school of hard knocks: The Streets. There were many books written about many street wise characters, but I had not even read those. They were not included in the curriculum that I followed to achieve my Bachelor's degree.

When I applied my degree for my teaching career and taught at public school, that was also another education. It was just like interning except that I was finally on the payroll and instead of having a mentor guide, I had a boss and director to report to. Although I had managed stress during college, the "real" job was much more challenging because I was totally responsible for my classroom and I had put additional pressure on myself wanting to impress everyone involved: the faculty, the students, and the parents. I was never able to complete my first year for either becoming overwhelmed and inefficient, or some fate from above my control.

After I experienced a domestic violence situation in 2018 that ended with a felony on my record, my career was gone - just a memory that could not serve me anymore except for sadness or regret. I had to reinvent myself and I didn't know how. That's when street wise began to teach me.

I didn't want to be a prostitute. I don't believe that sex should be sold. It's too wonderful and pleasurable and even sacred to demean it and treat it as if it's just a product. I've seen some men and women who go that route become very bitter and nasty because of what they had to do for that "job" and I always thought it a bad choice. I had considered becoming a "dancer" in the gentlemen's club, but I don't have the typical kind of Barbie doll body that they prefer there for their reputation and image. So I didn't have many choices for career as a middle-aged woman with outdated office skills, no persuasion ability for sales, and only a basic education provided to me from high school and the first 4 years of college.

But as my eyes opened to the people on the streets, I realized how much talent and skill go to waste every day simply because of prejudice. I'm not talking about racism. Prejudice meaning Pre-Judgements that tend to be exaggerated and false from people to other people that they don't even know personally. Just because someone doesn't have a car or wear an expensive suit, doesn't mean they don't have a wealth of gifts to bring to the table. I instinctively understood that my whole life, but learning about it in the real world is another lesson that you don't get in college.

After all I've learned from the classroom to the real world, I still don't feel like I'm an expert on life. I think I'm mostly wiser now about how to spend my time and how to deal with people from different walks of life with different viewpoints. However, I still wonder: How many degrees does it take before someone considers you a success? How much education do I need before I can simply praise myself for my own wisdom?