University graduation ceremony yesterday. I've come to this somewhat later in life than was the original plan. Without getting carried away with detail, if you are doing or have done your degree, do the ceremony.
A degree is so much more than a piece of paper, it's a milestone, a significant marker in your life that becomes part of your DNA. It becomes an integral part of who you are and how you perceive yourself. And the ceremony is the point at which you fully grasp these changes. On completing the degree I was relived and satisfied, but joining hundreds of fellow graduates and sharing their pride of achievement was a singular experience not to be missed. As you walk on to the stage for your ever so brief moment, that's the moment that you understand the changes.
Unfortunately the moment was soured somewhat when we returned to our seats and took the time to read the graduate certificates issued by the university - they were completely wrong. One would think a university would have the capacity to differentiate between and undergraduate degree and a post-grad. What's hard about that?
Writeagenn.
100% on this one. Taking the time to put the ceremony back in graduation is important. Its not just a factory to getting a job, a Degree should be something which changes your life and your world view. We have ceremony (as do all peoples) to mark the transition from one thing to another. Its an important tool in helping people grasp the importance of things.
ReplyDeleteIts sort of ironic that the people who make a living out of our welfare system have sought to provide counseling services for every other thing, but we just push people through Uni as if its a conveyor belt. As you probably know there is even more emphasis on 'do it on line' and 'do it in your own time' to make it seem even less like an important transition.