An Investment for a Lifetime: Is College Worth It - Essay Example

An Investment For A Lifetime Is College Worth It? Introduction: There are many Americans who feel that college education has become a financial burden for parents and students alike. This approach to higher education was absent back in the eighties, or for that matter even the nineties. The economic crunch faced by the country, coupled with some brilliant business performances by college drop-outs has led to this thought process gaining ground. What about the students pursuing their higher studies presently? Do they have a positive outlook to what is going to happen after they are handed their degrees? And then there are financial issues that parents, students, and college presidents deal using different perspectives. In our study of the higher studies scenario, we find out what these sections of the American society think. We temper our conclusions at the end of the article keeping in mind all the opinions. The Job Scenario Today : How Well Has America Understood Itself? When America was down in heavy debts, the man who gave it hope and devised strategies to tackle the financial crunch faced by the country was its President Barrack Obama. Himself a law graduate from the Harvard law School, Obama used all strategies that would lead to job creation for Americans. In a recent event he was quoted saying, “Everyone here knows that small businesses are where most new jobs begin.” (Ellsberg, 2011, p1). And if we take a quick look at recent success stories, then college drop-outs who have pursued their passion seem to be leading the pack of employment and job creators. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and more, the list only gets endlessly impressive. Gates had dropped out of Harvard in 1975, and went on to become the father of modern age computers through Microsoft. When he was awarded a doctoral degree by the same University in 2005, he ended up saying, “I am a bad influence. That’s why I was invited to speak at your graduation. If I was invited to speak at your orientation, fewer of you might be here today.” This is where America faces its biggest question in higher education today. As it is, the number of jobs available is less, and as Larry D. Singell Jr, rightly points out, out of them fifty percent of the jobs that exist today, were not even there twenty years back. (Lilly, 2011). College Education : The Latest Dilemma For American Students Most parents bring up their children, teaching them to work hard to get into college. “Nearly every parent surveyed (94%) says they expect their child to attend college, but even as college enrollments have reached record levels, most young adults in this country still do not attend a four-year college. The main barrier is financial.” (Taylor et al, 2011, p.7). Professor Jamsheed Choksy reflects the brighter side of this ideology and says, “When students graduate and have their degrees in hand, they naturally anticipate an immediate payback. What takes time to sink in is that it’s a very gradual payback over a lifetime. College offers a different satisfaction.” (Lilly, 2011). Monetary gain comes slowly, and with time. There is no doubt that Larry Singell is right when he says, “College graduates now earn on average between $1 million and $1.5 million more than high school graduates over the course of their careers ” (Lilly, 2011). But is every graduate able to enjoy the long-term journey? Given financial circumstances has led to a society which feels that with genuine interest and passion for the work you choose to do, you really do not need a college degree. “Classroom skills may put you at an advantage in the formal market, but in the informal market, street-smart skills and real-world networking are infinitely more important.” (Ellsberg, 2011). Let us take the case of Steve Jobs. He skipped college routine but still used his knowledge of calligraphy obtained while at college to develop font types in the first Macintosh, which we find in all our Windows devices today. Jobs later on said, “It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.” (Gallo, 2012). This brings us to the best part of the discussion. Which comes first? The hen or the egg? The Upside and The Downside : America Needs Both! College has a unique style of adding to what you already know. “Passion matters. Skill matters. Qualifications and degrees matter, too” (Gallo, 2012). And indeed, to be able to give your best output through systematic education, we need to allow students develop an open-minded approach in their skill and career developing journeys. Larry Singell says, “….you are what you know. Your experience moving through this life is really connected to what you understand. Knowledge makes it so much richer” (Lilly, 2011). College presidents and parents were questioned in a survey as to what they thought the role of college education in a student’s life is. “Presidents are evenly divided about the main role colleges play in students’ lives: Half say it is to help them mature and grow intellectually, while 48% say it is to provide skills, knowledge and training to help them succeed in the working world” (Taylor et al 2011, p.9). Even parents share a similar opinion percentage. “According to the Pew Research… “Some four-in-ten say the main purpose of college should be to help an individual grow personally and intellectually, while nearly half say it should be to teach specific skills and knowledge that can be used in the workplace.” (Taylor et al 2011, p.37). So, what is the youth supposed to do, trying to bag any of the openings in the job market today? Apparently, they have two options. Either they pursue a sincere college degree, or quit the idea and develop operational skills to match a job requirement and grow in that particular field. Many thinkers feel the latter to be a great promise of bright careers, unlike the belief from yesteryears wherein, college degrees were a must-have for a promising career. As Larry Singell points out, “What you need to do is to learn how to think logically, communicate clearly, act creatively, and live ethically — all of those things that a liberal arts education helps you to do. That’s an essential part of general human capital” (Lilly, 2011). However, there is this eternal need to strike a balance in this outlook, “Certainly, if you want to become a doctor, lawyer or engineer, then you must go to college. But, beyond regulated fields like these, the focus on higher education as the only path to stable employment is profoundly misguided, exacerbated by parents who see the classic professions as the best route to job security” (Ellsberg, 2011). The focus has to be mainly on following classic routes that enrich a student’s creative tastes. This is indeed a great way to keep, in the words of Professor Jamsheed Choksy, “connections between people, connections between societies, bridging of cultures, abilities to understand others in good times and bad, in peace and in war” (Lilly, 2011). Let us not forget that, ”When asked whether college has been a good investment for them personally, considering how much they or their family paid for it, fully 86% of college graduates say it has been a good investment. Only 6% say college has not been a good investment for them, and 7% say they are not sure.” (Taylor et al, 2011, p.42). Conclusion: There has been a great amount of discussion on the topic as to make a lifetime investment is college education is worth its while. If college graduates did not get those degrees working towards their careers, then we would not have a stable society. With two job markets today, America has scope to provide for college drop-outs and those who want to build their own businesses. Most of us think encouraging these entrepreneurs is important. “I’d put my money on the kids who are dropping out of college to start new businesses. If we want to get out of the jobs mess we’re in, we should hope that more will follow in their footsteps.” (Ellsberg, 2011) Using appropriate college education even if this is for only a few months, can help these entrepreneurs create the right balance. Also, employers must have an open platform for those who did not pursue their degrees, but tried building their own businesses. We say this because, “….we don’t have a shortage of lawyers and professors. America has a shortage of job creators. And the people who create jobs are not traditional professionals, but start-up entrepreneurs (Ellsberg, 2011, p.1). References Ellsberg,M. (2011), Will Dropouts Save America?, The New York Times, retrieved on March 17, 2014 from : http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/opinion/sunday/will-dropouts-save-america.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Gallo, C. (2012), High-tech dropouts Misinterpret Steve Jobs Advice, Forbes, retrieved on March 17, 2014 from : http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/12/06/high-tech-dropouts-misinterpret-steve-jobs-advice/ Lilly, B. (2011) Is a College Degree Worth the Cost?, The College Magazine, Arts and Sciences at Indiana University, retrieved on March 17, 2014 from : http://college.indiana.edu/magazine/fall2011/cover.shtml Taylor, P., Parker, K., Fry, R., Cohn, D., Wang, W., Velasco, G., Dockterman, D. (2011), Is College Worth It?, Pew Social And Demographic Trends, retrieved on March 17, 2014 from : http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/05/15/is-college-worth-it/ Read More