In order to be a doctor, you need to get through medical school. In order to be a lawyer, you need to pass the bar exam.

I completely support having requirements such as these because I would not want someone performing surgery on me who is not familiar with the human anatomy or someone who received their knowledge from watching Law & Order marathons defending me in court.

Society convinces us that if we pay thousands of dollars to go to college and get a degree, we can do whatever we want.

In some professions, however, it seems a little unfair. As a journalism major, for example, I am devoting time and money to attend a university while someone can go online, post a blog and be considered a journalist.

It is almost as if I would be better off getting a Tumblr account than wasting four years and thousands of dollars. Nevertheless, I still feel that people should have the proper knowledge about any subject that they plan on devoting their career to.

Degrees or experience should be required for all skilled professions. I would not want to listen to someone who is running for office, but has never been involved in politics; nor would I want to be taught by a teacher who cannot write a grammatically correct sentence.

Yes, I understand that college is not for everyone and some are faced with financial obstacles, but I am merely saying that whatever the profession may be, the person should be fully qualified for it.

Whether it be the little piece of paper that states you were at some type of college for two to four years, or the fact that you have accumulated an adequate amount of work experience, these accomplishments should give someone an advantage in their search for jobs.

It might not be as important now, but later on, you will notice the difference that having a degree can make, specifically when it comes to receiving your paycheck.

According to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau titled “The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings,” “high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn $1.2 million; those with a bachelor’s degree, $2.1 million and people with a master’s degree, $2.5 million.”

While this is encouraging to those of us who are working toward degrees, the gap will lessen significantly if employers do not retain higher education as a requirement.

I am not saying that every job necessarily needs a degree; the degree helps prove that you are qualified. But if you don’t have the means to go to college, then be sure to prove that you are suited for the job.