Blog Post #6: Revising

Is college good enough?

Now that I have discussed a couple common questions people have about college and the decision to attend I’m going to discuss a question I feel is becoming a topic of debate more and more lately and that would be “is college good enough?” I am actually going to speak on both sides of the question because I personally believe that there is no clear answer to the question and that there are good arguments for each side.

            First off I am going to argue the fact that I think that college is ‘good enough’. I say this because I feel there are many benefits from attending college both academically and also in nonacademic skills you gain. People attend college for all kinds of different reasons whether it is truly to get and education, or to live the ‘college life’, or simply because they have nothing else to do with their life at the moment. I think that every single one of the people who attend will get out of college what they put into it and to me that is where college’s true value lies. If you’re the person who just wants to live the ‘college life’ and party every night then most likely your going to flunk out or drop out because you came in with no intensions to learn and grow. While on the other hand you have the student who attends because they want to truly become more educated and be able to better their future life, these students I believe will benefit fully from college in every aspect of it. Those are just two more common examples I see as a student but there are many others in between. In Kelsey Lucier’s article 10 reasons to get a college degree she makes points such as you simply will make more money in your lifetime, and that the ability to face adversity will be with you forever. To me both of these points would be all I need to know to say yes, college is good enough!

            As I said I understand both sides of the argument and I think that the argument for college being good enough is rather simple. I mean we live in a society where wealth defines social status and it ultimately determines our life if you really think about it. So why wouldn’t you want to earn more money? A college degree has the potential to earn you hundreds of thousands or even millions more money in your lifetime. Who wouldn’t want that right? Take notice I said it had the potential to earn you more, it is not guaranteed to do so and I think that is where my other argument begins.

           

            I think that the side of he argument that says college really isn’t good enough has many very interesting ideas and make points that I believe many students should consider before attending a university. One of those points is made by Jack Vincent in his article Why your college degree isn’t enough when he says “First off, a degree no longer sets you apart from the pack. Today, high school students are pretty much expected to go to college. Boomers are going back to college.  Plus, there is plethora of specialized technical colleges.  So, there are millions of other people with degrees looking for jobs just like you.  While the realization of the importance of obtaining a degree is wonderful, this shift in thinking took college graduates from the front of the line and placed them right in the middle.  This eliminated the competitive edge that a degree once provided.” To me his argument is pretty eye opening and a little bit scary to think that the degree we’ve been told will open up so many opportunities may have lost its value in some cases. Another major argument for why college is not good enough is stated by Jack later on in the article. “Then, there is college degree dilemma, experience.  It’s hard to land a job without experience, but you can’t get experience until you land a job.  In today’s job market, experience trumps a degree every time.  So much so, that there is a push to keep seniors and boomers in positions past traditional retirement age in many industries.  This is due to the fear of losing knowledge and experience that recent graduates and young professionals do not have.  Even in industries that are intertwined with rapid technological, legal, and medical advancement, experience is the door opener and closer.” I feel like this is the best argument of all for this side of the question. I mean ultimately we all go to college to get that great job but what happens when you don’t get hired due to lack of experience. Then is that degree enough still? Those four years spent in school could have been spent in the field of work and given you some substantial experience. At this point does college actually work against you?

            If you ask me there are many arguments for both sides but one thing I think is true no matter what is the bad habits formed by students due to having to spend so many years in school whether it was elementary or graduate school. Probably the main thing schooling does to someone is skews their view of authority and how to use it if they gain it. This problem is best summed up by John Coleman in The bad habits you learn in school when he says “We think we're leaders if we're the "boss," and if we're not the boss, we should simply do as we're told. In reality, even the most senior people in organizations can't rely solely on hierarchy, particularly given the much needed talents, experiences, and intelligence of the others who surround them.” This mindset is something we develop inadvertently through all the years of schooling but the effect it can have on us in the work place is tremendous. John Coleman also speaks on the fact that through school we are taught that there is always a definite answer and were trained to find that sure answer but in reality many times there is no such thing as a ‘definite’ answer. This hinders our ability to improvise in a tough situation and it has the potential to cost people a job if they don’t realize this problem in themselves.

            All of this brings me to the end of my post. I feel that for different people college can do different things and ultimately what you do with your degree is what matters. Your personal goals and drive to achieve them is what will bring you success in life, not a piece of paper saying you passed college courses. Having a degree will never hurt you but it is also not ever guaranteed to help you.