A Look into The Purpose Of College When thinking about the purpose of college, most people tend to lean towards either job-driven or life-driven. In the article “What’s The Purpose Of College?”, Brandon Busteed looks deeper into the meaning of the purpose of college. Instead of looking at college as solely preparation for a good job, we can also look at it as a way to prepare a person for a successful life through broad education. After reading this article, I agree with the author that the purpose of college is equally preparing students for jobs while also assisting them in ways to thrive throughout their life to be successful with a purpose. Summary In “What’s The Purpose Of College?” Brandon Busteed argues that the purpose of college …show more content…
In the article, the author states, “Make no mistake, many of us see the purpose of college as both a job-driven and a life-driven purpose. But our dialogue is horribly stuck in the muck of an either/or debate on these two fronts” (Busteed, 2019, para. 2). Throughout my experience of learning about the purpose of college, I have been given a wide array of answers to why people should or shouldn’t attend. I think the purpose of college should be both to expand your knowledge in whatever you are pursuing and to gain helpful life skills to be more successful in life. He continues to state in the article that, “College is about both preparing people for a job (and helping them advance their careers and earnings) and to thrive in their overall lives” (Busteed, 2019, para. 3). Most people tend to hear college and view dollar signs, but that shouldn’t always be an issue. The number of people who don’t explore options in receiving financial help miss many opportunities, especially if college is something they feel they need to do to expand their employment options to be happy in their …show more content…
Technical schools that teach trades and certain jobs that require a short amount of training with certifications are also options. In my opinion, certain people succeed in many different ways; one person who does well in textbook-based classes may not do well in technical classes that are more hands on. I think both options are helpful ways to get a good job though. They are both work-driven, just achieved differently. I also agree with the article that students who learn how to be reflective can be more successful in jobs, as the author states, “And it tells us that a classically liberal arts element of college (teaching students how to be reflective) is powerfully linked to their job success” (Busteed, 2019, para. 4). I believe this is more likely to be taught throughout the course of college opposed to work experience
In Kwame Anthony Appiah’s article, “What Is the Point of College?”, he discusses the division of college into two main purposes that both intertwines and clashes with each other. The first is to provide students the practical knowledge and skills that can be applied in the “real world”, once they graduate and enter the workforce. It caters to the students’ wants and expectations in the hopes that it’s steep price tag will be justified. The second is to expand the minds of the students and have them think out of the box. It encourages them to challenge their own ideologies and be open to that of others.
People go to college to get a good paying job, have job security, and get a degree. Well at least that’s what it should be about. That’s what Charles Murray believes in his essay “Are Too Many People Going to College.” Murray counters the argument of Sanford Ungar who believes colleges should have a more liberal approach towards its classes and have students actually learn a broad range of real life skills instead of just going into a career just because it pays well. In Ungar’s essay he explains the misperception that Americans have on obtaining a liberal-arts degree and how they believe it doesn’t translate well to the real world.
College graduates have better job security and more job opportunities, which means they are more likely to have stable employment and earn a higher salary. Additionally, the quote highlights the importance of investing in education to reap rewards later in life. Therefore, attending college is an essential step in achieving success in the workforce and securing a better
We tend to believe that in order to live happy we must go to college and getting a head start. Yes, I can agree with the fact that college helps us by becoming more advanced and having a little more experience than most. Most jobs today don’t really need experience in order to be successful. For example, Steve Job, he dropped out of college and was still able to become a successful person. Job, had passion and creativity.
In his essay “Colleges Prepare People for Life,” Freeman Hrabowski talks about what college means in turns of preparing people for life. Freeman also talked about what students should look at in choosing the right college for them, and who to go to if they need help deciding. The biggest reason why college prepares people for life because, having a college degree can help maintain a job. The job market today, now requires candidates to have a college degree. It is difficult today, compared to fifty years ago to get a high-skilled job without of attending college and earning a degree.
Have you ever felt pressured to go to college before knowing what you wanted to do when you are older? Many believe that college can be essential to one's future success depending on their career path; others believe that college is the only way to be successful in life. College is important to one's future success depending on one's career path. Not every successful profession requires a degree from a typical 4-year college, and for someone in this situation, going to college would be a waste of time and money for them. In Robert Reich’s article, “Why Collage Isn’t (And Shouldn’t Have to Be) For Everyone” he writes that a typical 4-year college is not the right choice for everyone.
the goal of a student going to college is to learn more and set them up later in life with a well paying job This may be true to some extent but students at Gallup-Purdue University
“3 Reasons College Still Matters” by Andrew Delbanco 3) “Surely, every American college ought to defend this waning possibility, whatever we call it. And an American college is only true to itself when it opens its doors to all - the rich, the middle, and the poor - who have the capacity to embrace the precious chance to think and reflect before life engulfs them. If we are all serious about democracy, that means everyone.” 4) In this part of the writing Andrew Delbanco tries to persuade his audience by using the pattern of logic that agrees with the overall argument but also considers another striking point of view to strengthen the argument (While these arguments are convincing, they must also consider…).
Throughout the essay, Charles Murray stresses the idea that college is the wonderland of finding oneself and to find the career that one would want to follow for the rest of their lives. “College is seen as the open sesame to a good job and a desirable way for adolescents to transition to adulthood. Neither reason is as persuasive as it first appears.” Murray, C (2008) Practically spoken, this is not normally the case. College is a fair amount of work, much more work than one would normally acquire through any course of a high school or secondary school setting.
For many people, college is an important key for their future. Some people go to college for the job opportunities and the new windows it can open. Others go just for the education and experience. A good education is beneficial from many different viewpoints; in truth, it is a possibility that one's adult life could be much harder than people care to think. One can have better wealth, is less likely to be unemployed, and a much higher chance of being closer to your family.
To me, college is about gaining as much knowledge and equipping you with the skills you need so that you can go into the world ready to make an impact immediately. Unfortunately, paying for college is not possible for my family.
“Is College the best option why or why not discusses the controversial issue of whether college is important or not. On one hand, while some argue that college is very important. Stephanie Owens and Isabel Sawhill writers of article “Should Everyone Go to College” asserts that we may be doing a disservice by telling all young people that college is the best option. Owens feels that college may be of service to some people, but not the best option for everyone.
It is easy to think college is not worth the cost to become better, but getting educated makes people better, and happier in the future and sometimes even in better health (Leonhardt 25 ). Becoming a better and happier person is good for everyone. Even former President Obama says “‘Education helps us be better people. It helps us be better citizens. You came to college to learn about the world and to engage with new ideas and to discover the things you 're passionate about -- and maybe have a little fun’”
Louis Menand, a college professor and author of the article “Live and Learn: Why We Have College,” presents three different theories that about higher education. These theories are some competing ideas about what a college education is and its uses. The author claims that the reasons for attending college are meritocratic, democratic, and vocational. Menand discusses the debate about how over generations the importance of going to school for students has changed. Also, the article mentions whether students are actually learning anything.
Recent studies on adults who didn’t attend college show that ”Two-thirds of those who do not end up enrolling college believed during high school that college was in their futures, but realities like the high price of college often impeded this goal”(Rebecca Klein). In other words tuition costs, low GPAs, and the fear of college being to difficult, petrifies high school seniors into not even applying for colleges. Therefore colleges would benefit those scared to apply by lowering tuition costs and/or lowering standards. Regardless of your excuses to not go to college, you should want to better yourself and in doing that find college alternatives. In order to have a higher paying job, have your dream career, and have more job opportunities ,you should attend a college that you would benefit from.