A "Class in Itself"

When I think of social stratification the first thought that comes to mind is education vs. work experience and parental social class. Growing up my parents would have been considered working class. My mother graduated high school but never went to college and my father only has a sixth grade education.  When his father died at a young age, he had to work to help take care of the family, which was common for many.  All social classes falling under the upper middle class rarely considered continuing education an option, even if they somehow finished high school, partly because of social class division.  They were skilled workers who worked to make ends meet and gained various skill sets which in past time qualified them for a good paying job.  I think many would agree that experience is the best teacher but in today's social stratification set, it’s no longer sufficient for the position.  There was a time not so long ago when a college degree, though beneficial, didn’t stand between you and the job. If an individual possessed the know-how and experience for the position then it was at least obtainable.  I’ve always been a proponent of education.  My parents desired for their children to accomplish what they couldn’t.  I was the first out of seven children to graduate from high but didn’t attend college until my early thirty earning a bachelors degree. Now, I’m returning to school to earn a second degree; while having worked in my field for over 17 years, with the experience required for high paying positions but without the credentials to satisfy the education requirement.   As stated in the text, “education is one of the strongest predictors of occupation, income, and wealth later in life, a "class in itself."