“What is College Good For?”

By Nakesha S. Willis

According to research, college is an educational institution or establishment providing higher education or specialized professional or vocational training. In my opinion, college is an awesome investment because having knowledge and being trained in a certain field may make your living someday. Let’s see what others think about it!

         Many have raised the question of whether college is worth the investment. Many people, like me, believe knowledge is everything! Most professions or occupations today require a certain level of degrees and experience.  In the article Professor: Value of College Extends Beyond Paycheck by NPR Staff, Professor Mike Rose, speaks on the importance of getting an education. He is adamant that we are not learning just to make a living, but to assure that you will be able to pursue the things you desire most. I definitely support that statement. I have always been told that nothing will be handed to you, it is up to you to work hard for what you want to accomplish. Louis Menand stated in Live and Learn: Why we have college that college exposes future citizens to material that enlightens and empowers them, whatever careers they end up choosing. By that, he meant college is to prepare you for what you choose to pursue. If you skip out on that experience, you’re missing a valuable part of your life. College teaches a great deal of responsibility. It’s an environment where you should network and learn new things each day.

Will students today occupy jobs that do not yet exist? As stated in Don't Miss the College Forest for the Career Trees, a college may not always be able to anticipate what technical skills students will need about ten years from now. That article stated thirty percent of students will work in jobs that do not exist yet and sixty percent graduate in majors different from those in which they began. Being a college student, I know that’s a fact. People change their majors multiple times throughout their college duration for various reasons. One of those reasons would be due to the fact that people think they wanted to pursue a career but had no idea of what all intelled and realized it wasn’t for them. Many people want to know, does a degree vary in importance based on your field of study? There are various statistics that gives responses to this question; one being How Much Is a College Degree Worth? Depends On Your Major. I believe all degrees are important. While pursuing a career, you learn many things. With most majors, students are allotted the opportunity to intern in their field to get an idea of the type of work that is to be done.

All in all, if you ask me, college is a priority. Knowledge is key! It’s up to the individual to decide whether or not they want to do what it takes to obtain their goal! I am here to succeed in the field of Elementary Education/Collaborative Teaching and that’s what I’m adamant about.

 

Labels:

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2011/06/06/110606crat_atlarge_menand

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bobby-fong/dont-miss-the-college-for_1_b_1677766.html

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/05/27/136613490/how-much-is-a-college-degree-worth-depends-on-your-major

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/11/137093258/professor-value-of-college-extends-beyond-paycheck