Education Is Missing the Mark

 🎓 Education Is Missing the Mark 🚨

I just read the headline:

“Missing the mark: when an 89.5% average is not enough to get into engineering at the University of Calgary.”

Let that sink in. An 89.5% average — almost perfect — and it’s still not enough. 🤯

How messed up is that? 💔

---

It reminds me of my own path through education, and all the ways doors were slammed shut — not because of lack of effort or talent, but because of bureaucracy, money, and deliberate gatekeeping. 🚪❌

📸 When I was in the Photography program at Langara, I discovered that the program was basically designed to “weed people out” before second year.

When I found out, I told everyone. We worked together, and in the end, we all made it through to year two — except for two people.

But here’s the thing: there was never enough equipment, resources were scarce, and the whole structure felt like it was built to keep people out rather than help them succeed. 🥀

---

And then there was the money barrier. 💰💸

• I couldn’t take photography through EI retraining — they flat out refused. So I had to get a loan just to pursue my passion.
• I also thought about massage therapy before I hurt my hands. Back in 1995, that program was $11,000 — and get this — it was designed so there wouldn’t be too many massage therapists. 🤔
• Then there was VFS (Vancouver Film School). I wanted to go so badly 🎥🎬, but the tuition was $10,000 and you couldn’t even get a student loan for it back then. 🚫🎓

👉 Another door slammed shut.

---

When I look back, I realize how cruel it all was.

💔 Delaying or denying someone’s dreams — not because they aren’t good enough, but because of financial red tape, arbitrary rules, or programs built to eliminate rather than nurture — it leaves a mark.

And now we see it again in Alberta — kids with 89.5% averages being told they’re not good enough. Not because they can’t do the work, but because the system is broken. 🧩

---

✨ Education is supposed to empower us, help us grow, and support us in building our futures.

Instead, it’s become a maze of gatekeeping, debt, and scarcity. 🌀💸🚪

🌱 We need to rethink education — deeply. Not just who gets in, but how programs are structured, how they’re funded, and what values they’re built on.

Because right now, too many dreams are being rationed, postponed, or stolen altogether. 🚫💭💔