Looking at higher education through the lens of dystopian characteristics, one can say that college-level education is both oppressive and enriching simultaneously. On one hand, people that can not afford a college-education will not be able to obtain the benefits of learning in the certain field of an individual’s choice, and because of this, they are less likely to be hired in careers that require a degree. Additionally, the price of tuition and books alone can have people repaying for their education years after they graduate as well. It is because of these high prices that people sometimes take more than four years to graduate because they have to work while simultaneously passing classes. In addition to this, because of all the technological advancements and the internet today, there are so many more ways to obtain a job and make a living. For example, people that have taken coding bootcamps that last only fifteen months can be hired by big companies such as Amazon and Apple. Also, businessman such as Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates showed that starting a big company in America is possible and does not require a college degree in order to be successful. From this point of view, one can say that college education is oppressive because it puts a person at a disadvantage because of the amount of debt a person is in and not everyone can afford such a luxury. In contrast, if a person is able to afford a college education they are able to wreak the benefits of having knowledge in a certain field and really applying it to the real world where they can obtain a job. For example, a civil engineering degree allows an individual to build infrastructure such as highways and bridges that we use everyday, and a degree in biology can encourage an individual to go into careers involving research to help fight terrible diseases such as cancer. Also, a college-education allows an individual to meet a wide variety of people with different backgrounds with different career goals and can help a person really network with people outside of their desired field. Overall, while higher education can seem like a dystopia at times, there is also a sunshine at the end of the rainbow for those who do pursue it.
