A University Degree - Essay Example

Degree is not necessary to achieve a Successful Career. Discuss A degree is a symbol of an individual’s hard work and commitment shown towards theory but it is not a guarantee that this person will achieve what he craves for, within the professional fields of life. The reality is starkly different from what has been taught time and again to the students. A university degree can find ways to get a student on top; however this can make him feel naïve about the challenges that are about to come his way. A university degree does not ensure that he will attain success within his career as well. Technical experience and expertise provides solid footings for the individual and also presents him the much needed confidence which could rule the roost as far as his professional undertakings are concerned. However the role of a university degree within the successful making up of a career is a debatable one, more so because this presents a whole range of opportunities, failures and experiences upon which he could gain a lot of lesson. (Mcnay, 2006) It has often been seen that the students who are poor at attending classes are usually the ones who get the top most jobs and make a lucrative career at the end of the day. This is because their approach has been entirely different from the studious nerds who devote themselves whole-heartedly towards attaining knowledge day in day out. This is not exactly a bad thing to do but then again, a balance between studies and gaining practical experience is all the more necessary. What this will do is to instill the much needed confidence within the student that he can win himself favors if he is good at tackling the practical domains of life in much the same way as he could understand the written word in the book. Thus the balance is the missing ingredient within his armory and one that hurts him the most at a later stage in life. (Webb, 2002) A university degree acts as a bridge between a person’s capabilities and his professional expertise yet it in no way becomes the cornerstone for his success overall. It provides him the knowledge yet does not provide him guaranteed success – which experience and on the job training can actually facilitate. In the competitive world of present times, having a university degree is a definite plus and it gives the student to back up his knowledge in a documented form. However this knowledge becomes difficult to gain anything from when an equally experienced yet lesser educated individual applies for a specific job along with him. The experienced professional, though not quite knowledgeable gets the job, much to the dismay of the studious person. This is in essence an anomaly of the educational system within the society as it fails to teach the difference between the right and the wrong, the proper and the improper, and the fundamentally right and the technically wrong. A university degree forms as a good reservoir of knowledge but then again the kind of knowledge gained from experience and training is a completely different and more thorough yardstick of the difference that exists between the two. (Laubscher, 1994) However the university degree cannot, at any stage, be denied its due right and a person must acquaint himself with the degree that he wants to achieve within his life. There is no substitute for gaining knowledge nonetheless. Also one must discern the fact that both (gaining knowledge and getting experienced) have their pertinent perspectives and the same need to be looked upon at from a broader perspective before deciding upon choosing either one of these. A successful career is built upon a basic understanding which comprises of finding out what is right and proper for an individual at the present stage and how he can use the resources available at his disposal to make it even better within the future. This gives him hope and that too a solid one that he is well placed to face the challenges which might come his way in the coming times. It also makes him realize that he is settled enough to make a name for his own self within the family domains and thus pursue a personal relationship so that he could move ahead with his own family. It is a fact that the professional domains have a direct bearing on the way employees look at their personal lives and thus decide whether it is the right time to move ahead and do something for their very own selves. Thus the work-life balance theory kicks in and it provides for an interesting comprehension nonetheless. Thus it would be wise to state that a university degree is not the most important ingredient for scripting a successful career on the part of any individual – be it a man or a woman. The need in essence is a will to succeed, and a determination to make a name for one’s own self through rigorous planning and hard work regimes. A university degree might give a written piece of evidence that the student has passed certain courses and programs yet it in no way would state how experienced or qualified in the practical sense this person is to the prospective employer. The worth would only be established if the individual exhibits the same within the working domains on a consistent basis. (Ware, 1987) His professional undertakings thus take the lead in all his actions and his dedicated lust for the job at hand makes him a winner at the end of the day. All said and done, the role of a university degree starts getting lesser as the professional studies start to become a part of a student’s life. The manner in which he exhibits his professional undertakings is deemed as important and thus a much needed positive attitude wins him favors in all his tangents which lead towards the building up of a successful career. This is a tried and tested phenomenon. Bibliography LAUBSCHER, Michael R. (1994). Encounters with Difference: Student Perceptions of the Role of Out-of-Class Experiences in Education Abroad. Greenwood Press MCNAY, Ian. (2006). Beyond Mass Higher Education: Building on Experience. Open University Press WARE, Mark E. (1987). Handbook on Student Development: Advising, Career Development, and Field Placement. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates WEBB, Graham. (2002). Supporting Student Learning: Case Studies, Experience & Practice from Higher Education. Kogan Page Word Count: 1,006 Read More