Role of Education in Career Success - Essay Example

Running Head: Role of Education in Career Success Role of Education in Career Success [Institute’s Role of Education in CareerSuccess Abstract Education and successful careers are often seen as unrelated. People often quote examples of figures that have made it to the top without a degree. However, as this paper shows, education provides a stable ground for a healthy, stable career. Researches show that education instills and hones certain set of skills, which come in handy in professional lives, and gives an edge to those who take the long road than those who prefer short cuts and drop out. Although, there are examples of those who attained great heights without a degree, the paper shows that education did play a part in their success as well. With the economic recession and financial turmoil surrounding economies around the world, the importance of education is neglected and traded off for quick income. However, with the economic crises increases the risk of financial crashing. In such times, a degree is more stable a resource than work experience (University Microfilms, 2008). Introduction It is a human tendency to look for short cuts. In every sphere of life, one easily finds examples of people making it through short cuts and taking a non-conventional path to their destination. Rag to riches stories of high school and college dropouts, like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, who made it to the top and used to their inner innovation and abilities to the maximum potential, are cases, which make a strong point against the orthodox path of education. As appealing as it all sounds, role of education in career success is vital and significant. Statistics from Lansing Community College reveal that elementary teachers work less than most other professionals i.e. 10 months per year with best and the most experienced ones earning up to 85,000 dollars per year. The point to mention this is to emphasize on the government investment on schooling. Secondly, teaching is one of those professions where one is supposed to carry a college degree. Thus, it is an example of how higher education gives way to successful high-paid jobs. Education is a complex term. With stages of schooling including elementary, middle, high, and college, one usually perplexes himself with its utility at every stage. Therefore, parents rarely object to send their kids to elementary or middle school, even high school. However, things are more complicated at the level of college since individuals now have to make their own decisions and parents grow tired of supporting their children for so long. Despite of these issues, education is very significant in main of a successful career. This paper will attempt to highlight some of the ways in which a good education is a necessary factor to an ideal, successful career. Literature Review The field of education is full of studies on role of education on successful careers. Researchers are interested in finding out, how exactly education plays a role in determining successful career paths. To review the literature, one must be clear about the terms used in the search. The keywords of this paper are education and career. Education It is defined as a process of acquiring knowledge and skills set which enables an individual to process information and make wise decisions. The concept of education has grown expansive in the past couple of decades. Earlier, education was perceived limited to getting a degree whereby with the growth in competition in all fields of sciences, the concept of education is expanded to more continuous and encompassing form of education which does not restrict itself to the walls of a classroom. Career It is defined as the occupation a person takes up for most part of his life and progresses within its scope. Career is, to say the least, the most important part of a person’s life. People select their careers usually quite early but many people make shifts across different careers, depending on various factors. Many studies (Paik, 2004) highly correlate education with successful careers. Education hones the skill set that is required by the career that one undertakes. Researches (Paik, 2004) also reveal that the odds of being successful in career are greater where it is backed up by a strong educational background than when there is no back-up education or a degree. On the other hand, there is observational data available for the contradictory hypothesis i.e. education may not be that important for career success. Many case studies in recent years have been put forward to show that people can do really well in their careers even when they do not have educational edge. However, not much data is available in this aspect (Paik, 2004). Pat Boer’s article ‘Advancing Your Career’ (1999) states, “Experts say the best way to advance is by having a trusted and powerful mentor.” Moreover, “Most stumble along or believe success depends upon qualifications and credentials.” This leads to another advantage of college degree: mentorship. Most good colleges employ faculty with established networks and that are considered an authority in their fields. As a fresh job candidate in the market, a student has a strong backing of his teachers or alumni who serve as his mentors and counselors and help him make the right choices. Jean Gatz (n.d), in her article “What You Need to Succeed in the Workplace,” lists down important key strategies for a successful career selection: “1. Keep your personal life in order 2. Work smarter, harder, faster. 3. Demonstrate and document value-added 4. Welcome change. 5. Commit t lifelong learning 6. Look for leadership opportunities. 7. Communicate openly and directly.” These skills are ingrained in the curriculum of most degrees and mandate of extra- curricular activities, which are basic components of college education. Thus, having a strong educational background makes it easier for the student to attract recruiters since their resumes display more of these desirable traits than those who never went to college. Analysis Education is gaining more and more importance with time. Its role in successful careers is undeniably huge. To begin, most jobs these days come with a pre-requisite of a degree or GED. Thus, if a person is not educated, he shuts on himself a big part of the career spectrum to choose from. For instance, a person with great social skills and intellectual stamina for being a teacher can completely deprive himself form a fulfilling career if he does not go to college. Secondly, education also shows direction. It hones the capabilities, inspirations, and mould skills of student in direction where they comply most with their line of profession. A doctor does not only learn medicine in medical school, but also learns the ability to cope with pressure and to perform in stressful situations, which helps him/her when he/she enters in the profession. Thirdly, education, in many instances, leads to career. What it means is that a person chooses a particular career based on what he learns during his education. This is most vividly evident in cases where people enter colleges with a particular mindset and take a 180-degree shift during their sophomore year (Frank & Halstead, 2010). Certain Physics major might realize, during his undergraduate degree in theoretical physics that he is better at writing than calculating and that he derives more pleasure in intellectual discussions than measuring objects and therefore shift to philosophy. That does not mean that his education or the years he spent studying physics were wasted; what it means is that studying physics made him reach his real inspiration, his calling in life. In other words, had he not gone to college to study physics, he would not have realized that what he really wanted was to study philosophy. Many people quote Steve Jobs or Bill Gates amongst many other famous celebrities who quit education and still had very successful careers. Personally speaking, there are two explanations to this. First, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates both went to college. They dropped out because their education thus far made them realize their purpose in life- precisely what education is supposed to do ideally. Had Jobs never gone to college, he would not have realized that he wants to enter technology. Therefore, the cases are more in favor of the hypothesis than they are against it. Secondly, one can observe only a handful of people who have made it without education. Inherited wealth, hard work, or chance can be few factors involved. This is not to say that their success is overstated but it is highly likely that if one follows their example and leaves college, he might not make it that far up. Many people invest time, energy, and wealth in their education and reap fruits in their careers. That is the fair cycle and most people get good results (n.d, 2006). Lastly, education gains significant important when it comes to maintaining the successful career. In the times we live in, nothing is left to imagination. From willful migration to natural disasters, many people lose their jobs and wealth and have to start from the scratch. In such times, a degree might go further than work experience because of two reasons. First, professions are always adaptive to local needs. Therefore, an executive in Texas might not be a good fit in a company in Asia because the work ethics differ completely. However, a graduate of University of Texas may go and work anywhere in Sub-Sahara or India and totally fit in. Secondly, education fosters diversity and collaboration. With effective team-building skills developed during the schooling, it is much easier for college graduates to blend in with the ideologies and upper tiers of an organization than a drop-out who has not been taught the effective people skills. Future Trends With the longer-than-expected economic crises in developed and developing countries all around the world, education, here in sense of higher studies, is becoming less and less available and opted-for (Burtnett, 2011). People are now looking for a quick fix to their economic downfall and investing into avenues, which start showing quick results. Education’s connection with economic success has always been a suspected one. People often fail to see any reason behind investing in college education for their kids since they know that it will take a while until their kids start earning. Instead, sending kids to community college and letting them earn with a part-time job seems to them a better deal. However, as mentioned earlier too, college education does pay off. The careers with proper educational back up are more stable, generally. Thus, there is a less probability of ending up in a ‘wreck’ if one avoids short cuts and attains education. Conclusion The paper attempted to portray the rightful significance of education in establishing a successful career and maintaining it. A country’s development is not just restricted to its GNP but is also extended to the scale of social indicators and how well are individuals doing on education, healthcare, and general quality of life. There is a reason education is given this much importance, which is that it has proven to be a defining factor in country’s economy and progress, which consequently is determined by its individual’s prosperous careers. References Boer, P. (1999). “Advancing your Career.” Motivation, Mentors, and Networks. Center for Career/Life Planning. Burtnett, F. (2011). Bound-for-career guidebook: a student guide to career exploration, decision making, and the job search. R&L Education. Frank, B., Halstead, J. A. (2010). Pathways to a Nursing Education Career: Educating the Next Generation of Nurses. Springer Publishing Company. Gatz, J. (n.d). What You Need to Succeed in the Workplace? Careers Advisory Office. n.d. (2006). Ferguson Career Resource Guide for Women and Minorities: Resources for Women. Infobase Publishing. Paik, S. J. (2004). Advancing educational productivity: policy implications from national databases. IAP. University Microfilms. (2008). Dissertation Abstracts International: The humanities and social sciences. University Microfilms International. Read More