Education or Contribution?

While enjoying my vacation in Mexico I welcomed a thought provoking conversation with a local staff member; he, Abe, also  has a love for psychology and through brief conversation it's apparent he too has a charitable heart.

Abe shared his prior endeavor within a non- profit organization whose goal was to increase high school graduation rates within Mexico. The program was founded in California, with its basic idea as having liaisons within the non-profit organization to recruit high school aged students in Mexico then coaching them through graduating.

Abe discussed that support from family, friends, and communities throughout Mexico is minimal; there, once of age it's encouraged that the best method of contributing is joining the job force as a way to help your family.

The conversation was interesting for several reasons, one of which being a few parallels between his culture and mine. But by far the most informative statement was that in Mexico, if you do not have a high school degree or GED, you are not and cannot ever be eligible for promotions.  

For a single moment I thought of the foundational idea of USA being the land of the "All-America Dream", where hard work and loyalty can sometimes pay off; because here we can begin at the bottom and move up; in fact their are several businesses that  make this a requirement.

For me it gave just a little more perspective. I thought about how big of a sacrifice it must be to not finish schooling knowing your decision is everlasting. That moment truly lends the question: To be educated or to contribute? I also thought of how this set-up lends to a common day caste system.  More specifically, how things change and yet they still remain the same.

Abe is a staff member here now because the non-profit initiative failed. Too many students found the lack of support too much to overcome; for with each day out of work, parents were upset and peers confused.  As a compromise, initially some students enrolled in school and had work; however in just a short period of time, found the this load to be too heavy, considering longs hours on the bus to get to and from work that was heavy in labor as well as having a long shift to make the best of the commute; they all bailed.

For me, coming from a a family and community filled with support I knew no other option but to complete high school and college as a minimum. I've never had to choose between education and income. Stories like this remind me of my blessings, remind me that the USA still has room for growth- as does the world itself. And lastly, reminds me that knowledge is power...so make sure you get some!