We as a collective society are dropping the ball when it comes to our post high-school education system. We spend 12 years learning General Education only to be slapped with 2 more years of college level general education, almost like a barrier of entry to taking the courses that apply to the degree for the field you want to work in. So many people, myself included, have been blocked from pursuing their dream jobs because they often require degrees to even take the certification exams. In my case it was physical therapy assistant and then occupational therapy assistant and now i’ve settled for a degree-less job. While my passion remains deeply planted in helping people (specifically people with disabilities), my barrier for entry is safeguarded by my inability to fathom college level algebra, a subject i would seldom use in the field of physical therapy anyways. Why are the only careers that allow on job training and apprenticeship style learning occupations like welding, construction, plumbing, and other trades that have much higher safety penalties if done poorly? This is America, we can do better than this. I think its time we give our education system a course on common sense. My goal is for the creation of legislation that would allow, or necessitate the creation of more focused expedited career education programs to allow average people to learn and train for the jobs they want and not the jobs they don’t. To be more specific, a person training to become a (in my case) physical therapists assistant should be made to take courses on biology and kinesiology, and should not be made to take courses that are irrelevant to their desired practice like english and statistics or algebra. I really want to hammer down that this should be as close to apprenticeship style training with some coursework on the side as possible, i believe this to be the best way to create a more competent workforce that is more prepared for real life events and not just multiple choice exams. However, I do realize the value of general education, so in order to access these specialized programs people should need a GED or high-school diploma to prove 12 years of educational competency. I believe this would help close the unemployment gap and allow for the creation of more opportunities for higher paying careers and more importantly impassioned careers for hard working Americans who are currently held back by a cumbersome, decrepit system that is long overdue for an overhaul or at the least some good old competition. It’s time to end the monopoly on education and create a system that supports American’s dreams, and not just professors’ careers. Thank you.