On behalf of the entire team at Leader Publications, I would like to congratulate Southwestern Michigan College’s 2014 spring graduating class.

At the risk of sounding cliché, you all should take a moment to bask in the glory and celebration of overcoming one of the more difficult challenges you’ll ever face: earning a college degree.

With all the negativity surrounding the worth of higher education these days, you might be tempted to dismiss your accomplishment as something “you had to do.” Don’t. While it may not immediately be apparent, the hours you’ve spent typing up term papers, cramming for midterms and scrawling the terms from your instructor’s PowerPoint in your notebook will all pay off handsomely for you in the end.

I can attest to that myself.

I too spent my early days studying at a community college, earning my associate’s degree before transferring to a four-year university. I never regretted the experience it gave me, as I was able to make the difficult adjustment from high school to college without having to travel halfway across the state.

I know that the knowledge I gained in my collegate career has gotten to me to where I am today, professionally, and there’s no way I would let anyone tell me I wasted my time.

Whether you’re transferring to a university to earn your bachelor’s degree or are jumping right into the workforce, we wish all of you luck. While your future may take all of you in different paths, you can take pride in your accomplishments together on Saturday.

Ted Yoakum is the community editor for the Dowagiac Daily News. Email him at ted.yoakum@leaderpub.com.