Part of the Voice I Almost Lost – Blog #25
by Alana Pierre Curry
There is a belief in some spaces that higher education is the ultimate marker of commitment, that if someone has dedicated several years to completing a degree, it shows discipline, determination, and the ability to learn and grow. And in many ways, that is true. Education has value, and I would never deny that.
But I also believe there is another truth we do not talk about nearly enough.
Some of the greatest lessons in life do not come from textbooks. They come from responsibility. From hardship. From choices you cannot undo and commitments you cannot walk away from. They come from lived experience: the kind that shapes your character, your instincts, your resilience.
Someone once said that earning a degree shows a person can commit to something for years while learning along the way.
But one could argue that becoming a parent, and in some cases navigating that journey alone, is one of the biggest commitments a person can ever make.
A life depending on you.
A life that cannot wait for your convenience.
A life that forces you to grow, learn, adapt, and persevere every single day.
And through that struggle comes learning, not just academic learning, but a level of discernment, common sense, and lived experience no classroom could ever teach.
I would never knock higher education. I encouraged my daughter to pursue hers with intention and stay dedicated until she earned her degree. Because I know what it felt like to be passed over for opportunities I was fully capable of, simply because I didn’t have the degree at the time.
So later in life, I went back to school. I earned credit hours equal to a bachelor’s degree at most universities. I gained knowledge I am proud of. And I also gained something else…
$75,000 in student loan debt.
I don’t regret the learning, but I do question systems that insist learning only counts when it comes with a price tag.
I question a system that values formal education so heavily that it overlooks the education people earn through survival, through hard work, through raising a family, through showing up every day when life gives them no choice but to keep pushing.
Higher education matters. But it should not be the only measure of someone’s potential or capability.
I have worked with people hired with degrees who lacked common sense and emotional intelligence, and I have worked with people hired without degrees who were some of the most gifted, intuitive, and committed team members I have ever worked with.
Education comes in many forms. Book learning expands your mind.
Life learning expands your capacity.
Both matter.
Both are worthy.
Both deserve respect.
So yes, pursue education if you choose to. Stay committed. Grow. Learn. And celebrate every milestone.
But also honor the degrees you earn through living: the ones forged in resilience, responsibility, sacrifice, and strength. Because those degrees count too. And sometimes, they shape the most capable leaders of all.