Tear the paper ceiling

If you have been walking the streets of Chicago this summer, you may have noticed a rather extensive advertising campaign on various signage and many of the rotating placards at bus stops and other locations that say, “Tear The Paper Ceiling”.

It caught my attention for sure.  I thought maybe it had something to do with a construction company, possibly roofing experts, or selling ceiling tiles, an arts and crafts supplier or worse yet a new religious sect with a new and improved way to look at the hereafter.

But it was none of the above…not even close.

As curiosity morphed into Google search, I found when I checked out the website (tearthepaperceiling.org) that their mission was to be promoting job opportunities for those who have not earned college degrees, but instead have gained skill via on-line education, vocational training, community college experience, military experience, and maybe most importantly actual on the job work experience.

The problem as the “Tear The Paper Ceiling” folks describe it, is that studies show that those without college degrees, even though they may have similar skill sets and experience as the 4 year college grads, they do not get promoted or advance on the company pay scale ladder as they should.  At least in proportion to those with the college degree in hand.

There is…and they have brilliantly named it “A Paper Ceiling”, that separates the two different backgrounds and it creates what they say ( and I completely agree with them) an unfair advantage to those that have the 4 year college degree in hand.

This hit home for me.

I have always advocated the credo of “never let school get in the way of your education", which has not gained me much popularity in my own household as the lovely wife has a doctorate in education and does not take too kindly to the belittling of a high level college degree.

The issue, though, and the Tear The Paper Ceiling folks would agree, is not to put down or criticize those who earned college degrees at four year institutions—it is a tremendous accomplishment no doubt— but instead to even out the playing field and give equal respect to the experience gained by actual on-the-job training and through some of the alternative means explained above.

It is a movement and emphasis that has long gone unnoticed and now?  The cause has a name, and an organization fighting for it.

For more information or to get involved check out the website “tearthepaperceiling.org”