Celebrating education

Today sees the Graduation ceremony for CQUniversity at the Bundaberg campus. The ceremony is held in the early evening at the Moncrieff Theatre in the centre of town. After my class this morning I had a surprise visitor from one of the graduates. This was a mature age student who completed our STEPS Program a few years ago and has since completed a Bachelor of Property with CQUni. A family man who previously worked in the Building Industry, it was wonderful to see he had finished his degree (mostly via external study). It seemed like yesterday that he was re-entering the wonderful world of education with the STEPS Program and now, just a few short years later, he has a degree. I asked him what he was doing at the moment. Perfectly contented, he told me he was doing some labouring and building work. So one could easily assume that his higher education experience had not really changed him in any way at all. I doubt however that this is the case. Even though he has not found work in the local area in the field of his degree, he is to be commended for completing it while balancing a demanding work and home life. I have no doubt that he will continue to look for work that relates to his study, but in the meantime the completion of a higher education qualification has added value to his family, his local community, and most of all himself. It is tremendously important that we remember that sometimes education is not solely about getting a higher paid job or a promotion. It can also be about less tangible results - setting an example for your children and others around you that it is possible to take on a long term task and persevere - seeing it through to the end. Education in all its forms enriches the culture of our regional communities and those who live in them. For that reason, it should be celebrated, in and of itself.