You didn't need a college degree to become one of the people who knew what was really going on. If you paid attention, you could pick things up on your own.

...even though I was getting better education at home than any of the kids in Toyah, I'd need to go to finishing school when I was thirteen, both to acquire social graces and to earn a diploma. Because in this world, Dad said, it's not enough to have a fine education. You need a piece of paper to prove you go it.

In this world, it's not enough to have a fine education. You need a piece of paper to prove you got it.

Teaching is a calling too. And I've always thought that teachers in their way are holy - angels leading their flocks out of the darkness.