Credentialism's a Platypus

 Watch the video first, because you won't  understand the title or any of my clever puns  until you do.

 *Spoiler alert* My post will have a lot in  common with Jenna's. But this is a big deal. And  we call it,

 CREDENTIALISM!

 Chances are, you've been slave to this platypus  at one time in your life or another (even if you're  like Jenna and Jerrick, and aren't right now). So  many people go through school, go through  internships, go through jobs, only for the  diploma. Only for the extra bullet on a resume.  Only for the chance to gain the position they actually want.

And this cannot be right! Besides the fact that we are supposed to gain knowledge for our personal benefit and to "go forth to serve," the world is different now. People aren't just looking to see that you have a diploma. They want to know that you extended yourself--that you took advantage of the opportunities in your life and developed skills and experience.

Mind you, maybe you develop those things by doing an internship or getting a different job. That, however, is a different thing altogether. Doing something for more purpose than the diploma or the resume is good. Doing it solely for the credentials? Bad.

I could cheat my way to that diploma. Or, better yet, with our new, easy, and convenient friend the internet, I could just print off a diploma and give it a fancy frame. Doing things for the credentials does nothing for society and nothing for you in light of all the new jobs and masters degrees out there. You won't be able to get that cool job or that cool position just because you have a transcript and a loaded cover letter. You'll just be giving in to the platypus.