As a freelance writer, I believe in presenting my work in the best possible light, and often edit the heck out of my work. And, I am also willing to assist others, to make their work sing. Copyediting and proofreading are skills which not all possess, and as such, I am more than happy to offer my services. But, have we really sunk so low that we will take jobs which undermine our integrity.
Two recent Craigslist postings, "Help Me Cheat on My Spanish Test," and "Will Pay for Classes," illustrate what is wrong with our society. The first one I refused to open, but the second one was quite interesting. The person who posted does not "have time" to attend his/her online classes and is willing to pay someone $100 per class, to attend instead.
Numerous posting ask for professional freelancers to research and write thesis papers, do their homework, and now, attend classes for people who apparently don't understand the concept of education. If I'm going to do your work for you, regardless of what you pay me, that diploma or degree better have my name on it, not yours.
What makes me even more sad, is there are writers out there perfectly willing to take on these jobs. Is it really worth it, to sell yourself out, for the amount someone is willing to pay to steal an education. Because that is what it is -- theft. I often wonder if the colleges and universities know, or even care, that their students are paying for their grades, rather than earning them on their own merits.
I am struggling financially, as are many people in this economy, but I will not compromise my ethics and take such a job. And, I would love to know why a professional writer would. I may sound naive, but if you have no intention of doing the course assignments, and apparently can afford to pay someone to do them for you, why bother going to college in the first place? Your education amounts to just a piece of paper, that someone else earned, and should be rightfully theirs.
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