by Jamie Pierce

Created on: July 11, 2009

Simply put, the BMW is a better choice. There are quite a few reasons for this. There are two major arguments that can be made for the BMW. The first is that the BMW is a better investment. The second is that the BMW influences the perceptions of those around you. While it may seem obvious that the degree is a better choice as the value of education has been pounded into our heads since we were born, the corporate world does not seem to value it nearly as much as our government will lead us to believe.

First, either side will argue that their side is the better investment. Of course, the BMW (or other luxury car) can be purchased used. A degree can never be purchased used. You can only earn the degree and while this may seem like it adds value, there are others who have no degree already at the company that you will be hired into when you graduate building their social network and cliques. You can sell the BMW whereas the degree can never be sold. Many corporations have very conservative management and those who go to college are very often faced with a liberal outlook that will not serve you well in the corporate world. Take a look around your office and see how many people have some form of degree. It will be a decent number of people, even though some may not be relevant to their position. Now, look at those same people and see how many have a BMW. That number will very close to zero. If the value of an object decreases as it becomes easier to obtain, the value of the degree has dropped while the value of the BMW has stayed even if not increased.

Second and most important is appearance. With the BMW, you have purchased a status symbol. People in the office will see you as someone with money and perhaps dignity. You will seem to others to have lots of moneyand for some reason, they believe rich people make better decisions. If you were to buy a nice BMW used, your superiors may see you as frugal and able to find gems for lower prices and keep costs down. With a degree, you have entered a pool of applicants that all have degrees and the only way to decide between them is your work performance and again, from their perception of you. In this case, the BMW becomes the better choice.

As you continue on in your career, you may be able to get your foot in the door with education but the perception of your peers and co-workers will remain long after you have moved positions. The education you had before you were hired is no longer your selling point. It has become their perception of you and your knowledge of internal processes. This, among all the other reasons discussed is why the BMW as a symbol is more powerful and useful than any degree could ever hope to be.

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