Once again today – in the paper and in print – are polls
that show Donald Trump’s biggest lead in the Presidential Race is among those
Americans who have only a High School Education.
Among those with a College Degree, Hilary is winning more and more
votes.
The inference, sometimes called out sometimes not, is that
stupid people are voting for Donald Trump.
Un-Educated or High School Diploma doesn’t mean stupid.
It simply means the person didn’t attend college. Some people had to work to support
families. Some people had a great job
out of High School and chose not to attend college. Some people didn’t have the opportunity
because of location or expense. Some people find their passion and challenge
outside of college.
In different times, and in different parts of the country –
these were/are perfectible understandable and valid choices. But once the
original opportunity goes away, the next available opportunity for those “un-educated”
people might be more limited.
And, while I disagree that Donald Trump is the “answer”, the
problems of those without a college degree are quite real. People without
a college education face significant challenges in our new economy.
In many cases, a college degree (or professional
certification or the right school) is
a pre-requisite just to get an interview.
And that has changed over the past decade or so. I have a PMP certification (now) that hasn’t
really taught me all that much. But I
needed it to continue to work in Project Management in New York financial industry
despite having done the work for 15 years.
So as we look at what the hell is going on in the world, let’s
not assume that High School Diploma or
less equals stupid.