Issues in President Obamas Educational Agenda - Essay Example

? College Degree College Degree In this increasingly compatible world where the labor market keeps evolving, people want to have all the advantages over others to land their desirable jobs before get their hands on. In order to make that happen it is important that we first educate ourselves, get a college degree and then chase after our goals and find our most desired jobs. Although we all know that earning a degree is a very tough job it involves a lot of hard work, determination, time and even personal and financial sacrifices but it is all worth the pain and effort when eventually we reap the rewards. Because a college degree has multiple advantages on our lives, they are not only professionally but socially, mentally and physically as well. This is one repeated issue in President Obama’s educational agenda. President Obama wants the America to have the greatest proportion of undergraduates in the world. Like he said in his address to a joint session to congress that US expects all its children to not only be a school graduate but also a high school and a college graduate as well and find a job that pays good. We all applaud the president’s strong ideas and devotion towards a better educated society because we all know that a college degree has multiple usages. For example; KNOWLEDGE The major benefit of being a graduate is the intellectual knowledge one achieves which all in all gives us a better understanding of the world. It helps us understand ourselves and our purpose in this world and gives us a better sense of conciseness, helps us explain and defend our beliefs and ideas. When we are educated we understand each other better and make rational decisions based on informed and clear ideas. SELF-CONFIDENCE There is more than achieving knowledge and wisdom to being a college graduate. We gain self-confidence, while attending college and opting for different courses, we not only develop a good understanding in those courses but we also gain confidence. Some colleges insert more pressure on building up confidence in their students because it is a way towards teaching them how to deal in their professional lives. You are not only becoming a better educated person rather you are learning how to progress in your life because now you know that you possess the knowledge and skill that are very important for success. PROFESSIONALISM In college we learn valuable skills that we apply in our professional lives. We also learn how to utilize our skills and information how to identify and rectify issues and problems. It also helps us learn how to work in a group of people and with their diversities and how to critically think and find solutions to the problems. These abilities are one of the highly-valued skills in today’s labor market. BETTER HEALTH A survey shows that people who are well-educated and graduates are normally healthier than people who earn only high school diplomas. The reason is that when you are employed you can afford a better health care and also because you are also more knowledgeable and informed about healthy diets and exercise. Studies show that people who actively use their minds live longer lives and are less prone to developing diseases like Alzheimer and dementia because they use their minds in their professional and personal lives. POWER TO EARN According to a survey, people with college degrees earn more than the people with only high school diplomas, though there are a few exceptions in that case. According to the U.S Census Bureau, an individual with a college degree earns about $2.1 million over his/her life time. One only with an average High school diploma will earn about $1.2 million. If someone has an advanced degree then he/she will have an even higher income over their lifetime. If a person has a master’s degree then he/ she will earn about $2.5 million, one with a doctoral degree will earn about $3.4 million however, one with a professional degree will earn $4.4 million. These are the few out of many advantages of being a college graduate although not everyone thinks and believes the same. Not every student feels the need of going to a college; some kids find college boring and irrelevant. Many of them drop out thinking that college is not preparing them for anything practical because most of these kids like working with their hands and have good artistic skills. These children have the skills and urge to pursue an honorable blue collared trade after finishing off their high schools. According to labor experts and demographers we will soon be facing a shortage of skilled blue collared workers. Our blue- collared baby boomers are retiring and our new generation is too over skilled to take the jobs and neither are the schools preparing our next generation to take its place. US is facing a deficit of skilled welders, carpenters, mechanics, electricians even computer, solar and cable technicians etc. This does not mean that our children shouldn’t be encouraged to attend schools or discourage them from achieving college degrees but putting them in a race of getting a college degree by force is also unfair to them. This marathon will only end up with a cadre of skilled professionals with no jobs and if they even do find jobs they’d be over skilled for them which will lead to discouragement and broken hearts. The reason why children opt for compromising their future and choose not to go to universities and colleges is because of their requirements that are sky high. In California there has been a decline in vocational education because both male and female high school graduates are required to have good skills in the field of health, electronics, automotive wood and metal work etc. These high requirements are the reason for discouragement among children. This is not only foolish and unfair to those children but it is also tyrannical because to be fair one should know basic knowledge, good reading and writing skills and math proficiency in order to get into a college that they desire for. Gov. Arnold is pitching on promoting vocational education which benefited him growing up in Austria. He has constantly been searching funding for similar training programs. These programs should be encouraged around the nation. What I believe in is that nobody should be forced to do something that they do not wish to do. It is good that President Obama is highly focused on giving a better future to our children and also trying to encourage them to find it. He is highly determined to encourage our young generation to be graduated so that they can find better jobs that pay well because many cynics have written about the lack of discipline in some kids because of the environment they are brought-up in. Although in my observation when you offer these kids the right education they will succeed. Only the urge of learning something valuable and useful has the magic to spark up a motivation to achieve something in life. So only prompting our kids to get college degrees in order to make a better future is not enough. REFERENCES Osher, Bill, and Sioux H. Campbell. The Blue-Chip Graduate: A Four-Year College Plan for Career Success. Atlanta, Ga: Peachtree Publishers, 1987. Print. Katel, Peter. Jobs Outlook: Is a College Education Important?Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly, 2010. Internet resource. Horowitz, Jennifer A, and Bruce E. Walker. What Can You Do with a Major in Education?: Real People, Real Jobs, Real Rewards. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2005. Print. Read More