Why Is Education So Important - Coursework Example

Why Is Education so Important? Introduction The culture of this country has always stressed the importance of education in the realm of a competitive environment. Qualifications and competencies of individuals are developed with the advancement in theoretical and practical expertise. The right to education appropriately awakens the wisdom of every individual to discern if higher education would eventually be pursued. Subsequently, different reasons provide the impetus for graduating students to decide on a college career. For a determined few, pursuing a profession is not an option but a requisite if the ultimate goal is to succeed in life. For others, attending a university would entail sacrifices in terms of financial support and overcoming hurdles related to educational advancement. For the individual with a vision to excel in a specific course, a college degree could be the best alternative. The objective of this essay is to proffer the rationale for the importance of education in contemporary times. The discourse seeks to provide appropriate response to the following inquiries: What exactly a good education means? How does the level of education affect the individual’s mindset and personality? Is it a fact that the more education one gets, the better it is for the individual? Is education important for everyone? Is the level of education always proportional to a person’s salary? Which ways of getting the education are the best? And what is a practical value of the education? Meaning of Good Education The history of education has evolved from a curriculum comprising of a simple theoretical framework to the complex structure we have today. The development of technology opened a whole spectrum of information and educational opportunities which enhanced the capabilities of individuals. Murphy, et.al. (2002) averred that “school leaders, educational administration faculty, and policymakers are endeavoring to redefine the profession in an era of ferment, during which the legitimacy of its knowledge base and the appropriateness of programs for preparing school leaders have been thrown into question”. An education is thereby classified as good depending on an interplay of critical factors, to wit: (1) the personal traits and characteristics of the child; and (2) the educational institution’s plethora of teaching issues (quality of teachers, instructional materials, methodologies, policies and procedures, cost of tuition, location, profile of students, among others). The personality of the child is of utmost importance as it affects his or her academic performance. Each student is unique in skills and qualifications but educational institutions generally impose a universal curriculum applicable for all. The various factors to be considered in selecting an appropriate educational institution should likewise be closely evaluated. Just like considering factors in the choice of career, the decision to enter college should also take into account relevant issues such as financial support, proximity to residence, admission requirements, and opportunities for personal and professional growth, among a host of other factors. High school graduates who opt to choose a college degree would soon realize the benefits of higher education. By attending collegiate instructions, a student would be on an advantage over high school graduates in terms of competence on the field of endeavor one aspires to be. In a community college, the tuition fees are relatively lower as compared to well known universities. The admission requirements are not so stringent thereby making more students eligible for enrollment. With less competition come lesser pressures in entering a higher educational level. In addition, graduates from colleges have higher chances to get immediate employment versus those who opted to rely on their high school diploma. A graduating student is faced with an array of alternatives one of which is the specific career to delve into. The choice of one’s profession depends on factors worth evaluating. Personal interests, preferences, skills, talents and future expectations usually form the primary determinants for a specific career. For some individuals from different cultures, the choice would require parental guidance or advice – or professional compatibility. Usually, siblings of doctors or lawyers opt to select the came career path for continuity, familiarity or genetics. Other students opt to select a career based on peer pressure or based on current demand for a particular profession. There was a time when a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing was the career in demand due to the availability of employment opportunities coupled with higher income potentials in the country and abroad. Careers on Information Technology also saw a sharp rise in demand concurrent with technological advancement and the onset of the internet era. Is Education for Everyone? “Most of the young adults are often advised to obtain a four-year degree, because it is a main way to reach the American Dream. However, some experts say that a four-year degree may not be always necessary for everyone. Some professions that are in high demand, like medical technicians, require only two-year degree or even less. “For decades, only about 22 percent of jobs have required a baccalaureate degree or higher, and yet 75 percent of the jobs consistently require training beyond high school but below a baccalaureate. That's community college” (Tony Zeiss, president of Central Piedmont Community College). A bachelor’s degree may not always lead to financial success. Significant part of this success depends on the field of study. For example, health care or computer science degree may be a better choice for higher salary than humanities. “I don't think society in general requires everybody to go to college. It certainly requires people who have skills, and there certainly are ways to obtain those skills other than a four-year college” (Edwin L. Herr). Obama administration mostly agrees with this statement. It is projected, that very soon jobs, which require a two-year degree, will grow twice faster, than jobs, which have no college degree requirement. It will be simply impossible to keep the jobs like these without the special training at community colleges (Obama). “ Effects of Student Drop-outs and Graduating in School The study conducted by Alliance (2007) point out that dropouts are a drain on the economies of each state and the nation. Lower local, state, and national tax revenues are perhaps the most obvious consequence of higher dropout rates; even when dropouts are employed, they earn significantly lower wages than graduates. State and local economies suffer further when they have less-educated populaces, as they find it more difficult to attract new business investment. Simultaneously, these entities must spend more on social programs when their populations have lower educational levels. Dropouts represent a tremendous waste of human potential and productivity, and reduce the nation’s ability to compete in an increasingly global economy. Students graduating from high school, for example, provide both economic and social benefits to society. In addition to earning higher wages, which results in attendant benefits to local, state, and national economic conditions, high school graduates live longer (Muennig, 2005), are less likely to be teen parents (Haveman et al., 2001), and are more likely to raise healthier, better-educated children. In fact, children of parents who graduate from high school are themselves far more likely to graduate from high school than are children of parents without a high school degree (Wolfe & Haveman, 2002). High school graduates are also less likely to commit crimes (Raphael, 2004), rely on government health care (Muennig, 2005), or use other public services such as food stamps or housing assistance (Garfinkel et al., 2005). Additionally, high school graduates engage in civic activity, including voting and volunteering in their communities, at higher levels (Junn, 2005). Benefits of Higher Education In a study conducted by Baum & Payea (2005, 7), the identified benefits that higher education gives to the individual are as follows: (1) higher pay for both men and women of all racial and ethnic groups; (2) the ability to recover the tuition paid for college education from the higher earnings accorded; (3) the extensive experience learned from higher education in terms of theoretical orientations and applications in actual business settings are relatively higher. For the society, higher educations provides lower rate of unemployment, more tax revenues, lesser reliance on governmental support. In addition, those who acquired college education were found to smoke less, are more health conscious, and are less likely to commit crimes. Finally, there is a direct relationship found among college graduates and participants of civic organizations, volunteer work, voting, and donating blood. (Baum & Payea, 2005, 7). Formal education communicates skills and perspectives that cannot readily be gained in other social settings. The school is often a place of transition from a highly personal to a more impersonal world; new habits are learned, such as the punctuality necessary in a time-conscious society. However, according to Broom & Selznick (1997, 341) “schooling can have psychic costs as well; if the school unduly prolongs dependency, instills feelings of inferiority, or exaggerates the worth of intellectuality, it may have negative effects on personal growth and well- being”. Influencing Factors in Education Good students have parents who care about education. A supporting parent can be the difference between a child’s academic success and failure. A study sponsored by the National Science Foundation confirmed that the greatest impact on a student’s performance is parental encouragement. (Reader’s Digest, 1990, 285). Without parental backing, children seem to have great difficulty in understanding what school is good for. Of course, parental support is no guarantee of academic success, but lack of it makes school a lot tougher for most children. Parents who show no interest in their children’s education tend to produce students who do poorly and may drop out. On the other hand, high expectations by a teacher can encourage a student to do better, whereas low expectations may result in a mediocre performance. Aside from the critical skills that are honed by the teachers during higher education to assist in one’s future endeavors, there are various organizations in one’s field of interest which contribute towards increasing professional knowledge and abilities. It is not enough that educational institutions have answered their teaching requirements for courses through instilling the needed skills to succeed in one’s career. To reiterate, Carter, Bishop & Kravits (2007) emphasized the following skills acquired in college to ensure success: setting goals, managing time, knowing and using learning styles, critical and creative thinking, reading, note taking, test taking, writing, quantitative learning, and defining a personal mission. These skills along with guidance from institutions such as the Association of American Educators would ensure application of a holistic program required to further personal and professional growth. The Higher the Education, The Better Traditionally, Americans have viewed education as a means of social advancement. By providing equal educational opportunity to all, schooling could serve as a progressive force for eliminating poverty and promoting economic equality. In a study published by AQU Catalunya entitled “The match between university education and graduate labour market outcomes (education-job match)” written by Dr. Enric Corominas, Dr. Carme Saurina and Dr. Esperança Villar from the University of Girona, it was revealed that “the variable that most conditions job quality is the degree studied and that graduates who continue with university studies have better jobs compared to those who have not done so”. (AQU Catalunya, 2010, par. 5). This generalization is validated by another study conducted by Asian Development Bank (2003, 3) when it averred that “the relationship between education and poverty reduction is very clear: educated people have higher income earning potential and are better able to improve the quality of their lives”. This fact applies in every part of the globe where highly educated people get jobs and are accorded with tasks and responsibilities with greater accountabilities. In return, they are highly compensated for the qualifications and special skills developed through academic pursuit and professional experience. Conclusion Education, per se, provides innumerable benefits for the individuals as well as for the society, in general. It is during these times that students develop long time friendships and learn a diversity of topics in accord to their personal interests. In some countries, education is considered a privilege rather than a right. It is most fortunate for developed countries to have focused on the right of every individual to be educated, at least in the primary and fundamental stages of development. Although schools cannot accomplish as much as was previously thought, schooling does make a difference. Whether or not there are gains in social equality, education remains a major avenue of individual opportunity. Even if schools cannot do the whole job, for the disadvantaged, they are still the main potential resource for communicating basic skills, improving health, and making children part of a welcoming world. These are attainable objectives, and to achieve them there is no substitute for educational investment and educational reform. The fact remains that education remains to be more of a privilege in most countries all over the world. There is a responsibility to ensure that every student who is granted the right to be educated would not only value and cherish the lessons learned; but more so, to share what they have learned in terms of making each and everyone aware of the importance that education accords – to oneself, and to the society, as a whole. Total Word Count: Introduction to Conclusion – 2,176 Works Cited Alliance for Excellent Education: Issue Brief October 2007. The High Cost of High School Dropouts What the Nation Pays for Inadequate High Schools. 2007. Web. 12 April 2010. AQU Catalunya. The higher the university education, the better the job. 24 March 2010. Web. 15 April 2010. Asian Development Bank (ADB). Better Learning, Better Future: Education and Training Sector Strategy. Retrieved 15 April 2010. Baum, Sandy & Payea, Kathleen. The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society. 2005. Web. 12 April 2010. < http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/press/cost04/EducationPays2004.pdf> Billitteri, T. J. “The value of a college education.” CQ Researcher, November 20, 2009: Vol. 19, pp. 981-1004. Print. Broom, L. & Selznick, P. (1997). Sociology: A Text with Adapted Readings. Harper & Row Publishers, New York. Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. Keys to College Studying: Becoming an Active Thinker, Second Edition. Pearson Prentice Hall. Pearson Education, Inc. 2007. Print. Garfinkel, I., Kelly, B., & Waldfogel, J. Public assistance programs: How much could be saved with improved education? Teachers College Columbia University. 2005. Print. Haveman, R., Wolfe, B., & Wilson, K. “Childhood events and circumstances influencing high school completion.” Demography, 28(1). 2001. Print. Junn, J. “The political costs of unequal education.” Paper prepared for the symposium on the Social Costs of Inadequate Education, Teachers College Columbia University, October 2005. Print. Muennig, P. “Health returns to education interventions.” Paper prepared for the symposium on the Social Costs of Inadequate Education, Teachers College Columbia University, October 2005. Print. Raphael, S. The socioeconomic status of black males: The increasing importance of incarceration. Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley. 2004. Print. Reader’s Digest. ABC’s of the Human Mind. Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. 1990. Print Scott W. Wright, “Community Colleges,” CQ Researcher, April 21, 2000, pp. 329–352. Print. Wolfe, B. L., & Haveman, R. H. “Social and non-market benefits from education in an advanced economy.” Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, June 2002. Print. Read More