The Value of Education in Todays Society - Research Paper Example

From very small children,many people are taught that to get ahead today, they must have a good education to be successful. Many horror stories are told by parents about how, if they do not have an education, they will not be able to have a good job. Wobbekind (2012) states that education is important to society because it helps them become more productive in the workplace. Wobbekind gives the example that education has provided approximately one third of the growth in productivity for the United States. This statement shows that education is important to the economic growth of a society. Without education, it is difficult for the country to grow. It is important to also understand that we have learned many things in our life time and many of the things we learned will either move us forward or set us back. Our thinking has been learned also, so what we do with formal education will depend on what we have learned throughout our life time. This research will provide several ways that education is important to society. Education is Important to Self-esteem Education helps the individual understand their place in the world. Education provides an opportunity for people to take part in society at a different level. As an example, a person who goes into business will understand better how to manage business and how to help others manage their business. An individual can lead certain situations while influencing different aspects of society. They would do this from a better job. Through a study conducted by Hallsten, Gustavsson, and Rudman (2012) the authors found that self-esteem increased the longer students stayed in college. Education in this case opened the mines of the individuals and helped them understand a variety of issues better. Ünal (2012) suggests that using hands-on teaching techniques can also enhance the self-esteem of students and help them move more directly into their education. This action allows them to open their minds to a variety of ideas which can carry into the workplace. In the workplace, these skills become ways that individuals can create leadership opportunities. Leaders benefit society by understanding how society works and being able to advocate for legislation to help others. Education is Important to the Economy and to Learning Civic Responsibility Participants in higher education are often more responsible financially because they are opened to a variety of higher level thinking skills. Mohan (2012) states that an individual who gains a degree is often able to find better jobs than those who do not. Mohan also states that people are less likely to accept public assistance if they have a good job. Brand (2010) states that education puts people into the position of becoming more civic minded. Brand notes that as people excel in college, they are less likely to be involved in volunteer work. Education opens people’s minds and directs them to a better life. This is an important feature of education that is true across cultures. Education is Important to Career Advancement Many people want to advance in their careers. Many times, they only way for advancement is to gain more education. In many corporate settings, as employees gain certain levels of education, they can move into management other positions. Education helps an individual see other opportunities and put into place goals and objectives that are important to their own career growth. Comunian, Faggian, and Jewell (2011) point out that there are a variety of careers that are successful when people are looking for jobs. When someone has education they can also begin at a better salary than they would if they only have a high school education. A higher salary may mean that a person will spend more money in the economy and this will help society improve. Educated people are able to critically think in many situations. Baum and Payea (2005) state that when people have a college education it provides society with lowered unemployment and less poverty. This means that college education people will not rely as heavily on governmental services and will bring more tax revenue to the society. Also, educated people impact the way that the next generation will react to education (Baum & Payea, 2005). As an example, when parents have gone to college, their children will be more prone to go to college than children of parents who do not attend (Baum & Payea, 2005). Education is Important to Curb Boredom Young people are often faced with boredom in a classroom, which can lead to truancy or eventual incarceration (Mann and Robinson, 2009). Boredom can become more prevalent when educators use PowerPoint presentations and lecture instead of interaction inside the classroom. Educators that use their own creativity and have an understanding of how students learn are able to engage students in learning. When students are engaged in the learning, they have the opportunity to learn more. For society, this means more creative employees and people who can set goals and achieve them (Mann and Robinson, 2009). Brown (2009) suggests that education also helps students learn critical thinking and how to listen and respond to different viewpoints. In society, people are always asked to interact on the job or in different situations. Also, with the climate of work turning to a more diverse environment, people have to be able to understand each other and work together in teams. Education helps individuals work better together and teaches them to discuss issues on many levels. Education teaches them to examine and research situations instead of jumping to irrational conclusions. Education also provides an understanding of concepts they may not have thought about before and makes them critically think them through. Education also helps society in creating more rational people who can approach a situation from many different sides and they learn to allow new and different ideas into their own lives. Education is Important to Globalization Today’s economy has become more global and Americans are being asked to gain more global knowledge. As the economy and political policies continue to change, the needs for competition and understanding have changed (Viederyte, 2009). Many businesses are requiring employees to have knowledge of more than one language so that they negotiate contracts easier. With this comes the need to develop an understanding of many cultures from many different directions. Globalization also brings with it the need for computer knowledge that includes an understanding of virtual working teams, and they must be able to take in knowledge quickly (Viederyte, 2009). Foldy, Rivard and Buckley (2009) add that education brings people together and teaches them how to create and work within diverse work environments. The team will also understand their own cultural identity. Balciunaitiene, Petkeviciute, and Zygmantas (2011) state that to sustain a society, the participants must be educated and able to speak on a worldwide level. In a sustainable society, education can be the key to transforming it (Balciunaitiene et al., 2011). Education is Important to Leadership Education creates leaders. Leaders are important in any society because they are at the head of most organizations. Chyns, Kiefer, Kerschreiter and Tymon (2011) state that education is important to self-awareness and leadership development. The authors studied leadership and found that leaders must be able to understand the environments in which they work. Leaders also have an understanding of how to lead people and get them to do what is needed. This is important because without strong leadership, most organizations fail. Conclusion Education is important to society on many levels. Education drives a society and can help it transition to a stronger community. Education is important to enhance a society and to make it stronger. When someone is gaining education, he or she learns how to help others achieve as they take the role of leadership. Education is important to the economy because educated people spend more and they pay more taxes. They also pay taxes. Both situations bring people together and help the society grow. Most organizations are working with a diverse work group which means that training should be involved with them to understand more about cultures and about what culture looks like. In a global world, it is important is to be culturally sensitive to the needs of all workers and this come with education and training. There is no doubt that education is important to society. There are a variety of ways that educated people help the economy. References Balciunaitiene, A., Petkeviciute, N., & Zygmantas, J. (2011). Higher education for sustainable society development. Human Resources: The Main Factor Of Regional Development, (5), 33-41. Baum, S., and Payea, K. (2005). The benefits of higher education for individuals and society. College Board. 1-56. Retrieved from EducationPays2004.pdf Brand, J. E. (2010). Civic returns to higher education: A note on heterogeneous effects. Social Forces (University Of North Carolina Press), 89(2), 417-433. Brown, K. (2009). Questions for the 21st-century learner. Knowledge Quest, 38(1), 24-27. Comunian, R., Faggian, A., & Jewell, S. (2011). Winning and losing in the creative industries: an analysis of creative graduates career opportunities across creative disciplines. Cultural Trends, 20(3/4), 291-308. DOI:10.1080/09548963.2011.589710 Foldy, G. E., Rivard, P., & Buckley, T. R. (2009). Power, safety, and learning in racially diverse groups. Academy Of Management Learning & Education, 8(1), 25-41. DOI:10.5465/AMLE.2009.37012177 Hallsten, L., Gustavsson, P., and Rudman, A. (2012). Does contingent self-esteem increase during higher education? Self and Identity, 11, 223-236. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15298868.2010.544872 Mann, S., & Robinson, A. (2009). Boredom in the lecture theatre: An investigation into the contributors, moderators and outcomes of boredom amongst university students. British Educational Research Journal, 35(2), 243-258. DOI:10.1080/01411920802042911 Mohan, R. (2012). Importance of Education in Society. Buzzle.com. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/importance-of-education-in-society.html Chyns, B., Kiefer, T., Kerschreiter, R., & Tymon, A. (2011). Teaching implicit leadership theories to develop leaders and leadership: How and why it can make a difference. Academy Of Management Learning & Education, 10(3), 397-408. Ünal, S. (2012). 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