Higher Education and its Impact on Success in Life
Higher education has been very prevalent in the society and individuals have been dedicating most of their resources to ensure that their children can achieve the best in life and be able to secure better positions in the society (Baum, Sandy, and Kathleen Payea 5). This rise in the number of graduates has led to a surge in the job market competition and with minimal opportunities created for the high number of graduates that are completing their studies of the institutions of higher learning. Regardless of these challenges, higher education remains relevant in the society and has been making the great contribution to positive outcomes among the graduates compared to the college students. The level of success for an individual is based on several factors that include the level of education, financial stability of the parents, the level of individual innovation and the efforts that the individual will invest towards their daily activities which include management in their finances. Higher education has been one of the major contributing factors to the success of the graduates and this has been based on the quality of life that they live and also the demand made by the employers regarding qualification and expertise (Nieuwenhuizen and Kroon 43).
Defining Success
Various definitions are used to explain success and they are based on the angle from which it is approached. Success can be defined as the achievement made to action during certain parameters or specified period (Fry, Richard 1). It focuses on the completion of an objective and achieving the set targets. Expansion of success focuses on increasing the scope and this can cover a huge project that is expected to be completed. It can also focus on a single event that is within the project. In this case, success will be measured based on the quality of the outcomes that have been made. A good example of this measure for success includes being accepted in a certain career rising through to the top management. Additionally, progress will have been attained through acceptance at the workplace and appreciated by the co-workers. Success can also be used to describe someone that has been able to achieve career, personal and financial goals. Through higher education, these definitions for success will be applicable since they are in one way or the other associated with the purposes of the students that visit these institutions seeking knowledge and skills for application in their future life and boosting their career. Every student that undertakes their education in the institution of higher learning has the opportunity to develop financially, secure better positions in the workplace, get promotions as they advance in their studies and achieve their economic goal of financial stability.
Arguments Against the Importance of College Education for Success
Various arguments have been generated based on the contribution of the college education to the success in life. Some argue that success in life is not based on the level of education but on the efforts that the persons will input in their daily activities. They cite various personalities that have been successful in life without having to undergo college education but had basic knowledge and made several innovations. Some of these personalities include Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg (Copeland 81). Others have developed various reasons that tend to argue that education is not a factor in the success of an individual. Learning online can provide a great deal of experience that cannot be gained in the class work. Through this learning it possible to learn more than what is just learnt in the class. Through this education, it can be possible to come up with a consulting firm that will be used to provide advice to people that wish to engage in various professions and start various business (Taylor, Paul, and Kim Parker 3). The ability to succeed in the consulting business will be based on learning from the success stories of other people and then advising others on the strategies and resources that they require to be successful. They also argue that it is possible to engage and invest in the real estate field and become successful in life. This field does not require high levels of education and it will only require an idea that will later be turned into an income generating activity. Brokerage is also argued to be one of the ventures that will assist a person in earning high incomes that will greatly improve the quality of life that the persons are living. They will act as a link between two or more business persons and will make their earnings based on the amount of money involved in the transaction. The argument also focuses on the loans that are obtained in the course of higher education and this could be too high for the student to repay after they complete their studies, this is seen as a liability before securing a job after completing the studies in the college. Repaying the loan could be a burden that consumes high amounts of income among the grandaunts and could affect the quality of life they live and the time taken to become successful in life (Baum, Sandy, and Kathleen Payea 12). The argument is also extended to indicate that it is possible to undergo the college education and later fail to secure a job regardless of the investment made. However, regardless of these arguments, the impact of higher education on success in life cannot be discredited and this makes it valuable.
The Impact of Higher Education on Success in Life
Higher education is one of the significant factors that are contributing to success in life and this can be attributed to many benefits that are accrued by all the individuals that go through it compared to those that undergo the diploma after the completion of their secondary school education. Graduates have higher levels of financial management and can make plans on how to use their finances regardless of the pay they receive (Fry, Richard 3). Based on the ability of the students to manage their finances, they can assist their parents and guardians in repaying the loans obtained for education. Further to this, the ability to make savings has been on the rise among the grandaunts from the institutions of higher learning and this has increased their ability to live better lives in which they can make contributions to the well-being of their families. The numbers of debt cases have been on the rise among the families where the heads had graduated from a college. This is based on their inability to secure better jobs that will contribute to their ability to pay their debts and also fed for their families. Higher education creates opportunities for well-paying jobs that increase their ability to repay the educational loans obtained in the course of their studies.
College grandaunts have a higher demand in the job market. This is based on the quality of skills that they obtain from these institutions (Taylor, Paul, and Kim Parker 3). In the course of their training, students in the colleges undergo training that enables them to use the various technologies that are applied in most workplaces and this case, and they act as complements to technology rather than technology replacing their expertise. Further to this, college grandaunts are on demand based on the reduced amount of resources that will be used in training the employees since most of them have obtained intensive training and will only require minimal induction to the operations of the company that they will be offering their services.
The opportunities for growth among the households that have undergone through college education based on the quality training and the skills obtained from in the course of their studies. The salaries that are offered to the college grandaunts are higher compared to those that completed their secondary education and did not further their studies (Carnevale, et al. 1). In this case, the possibility of moving from the lower to the middle class is higher due to the increased financial muscle. Additionally, they can accumulate wealth based on the various savings schemes available and the increased opportunities for promotion in their jobs that increase their earnings. In this case, they can live better lives as they attain the ages of 25-32 that has been characterised by higher levels of poverty among the youths.
The quality of lives that the student from colleges lives is different from that of the students that those that have not undergone training at the institution of higher learning. This can be based on the nutrition and also the levels of drug abuse (Taylor, Paul, and Kim Parker 4). Training in colleges involves better living habits that include better nutrition and also prevention from various health conditions such as obesity and substance abuse. Having an awareness of the importance of consuming a balanced diet and the primary food constituents, it is possible to consume foods that provide better health outcomes rather than consuming the junky foods. Better health outcomes are also achieved by shunning away from drug and substance abuse. By understanding these impacts, these people can live better lives compared to those that do not have college training and will take any quantity of foods without minding its contents and the health impacts that such foods will have (Copeland, 83). This has led to the increase in the cases of obesity among the families that are not well educated. The incidences of drug abuse are also high in these families. These incidences are attributed to poor eating habits and loss of hope in life that makes them indulge in drug abuse. However, the cases of obesity and drug abuse are minimal among the families with college education since they have the opportunities for better jobs that will enable them to purchase nutritious foods. Additionally, they are more concerned about their growth and hence do not have an opportunity to get involved in drug abuse.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the college education has great contributions to the success in life and this attributed to the education on the quality living, financial management, investment plans, opportunities for employment and better education on quality living. Additionally, the college education is a lifetime investment in that failure to secure a job today provides a better opportunity for tomorrow and there are high chances of making quality private investments based on the education acquired from the college.
Works Cited
Baum, Sandy, and Kathleen Payea. Education Pays 2004. College Board, 2005, www.immagic.com/eLibrary/ARCHIVES/GENERAL/COLBRDUS/C040907B.pdf. https://www.immagic.com/eLibrary/ARCHIVES/GENERAL/COLBRDUS/C040907B.pdf
Carnevale, Anthony p, et al. Help Wanted: Projections of Job and Education Requirements Through 2018. Lumina Foundation, 1 June 2010. https://books.google.com/books?id=GKKV5ff3Ns0C"pg=PA90"dq=education+requirements"hl=en"sa=X"ved=0ahUKEwjGvYK8oPzaAhWPdd8KHVnKA-gQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage"q=education%20requirements"f=false
Copeland, M. S. "Education and Life, the Good Life, and Eternal Life." Lonergan Workshop, vol. 27, 2013, pp. 81-95.
Fry, Richard. A Record One-in-Five Households Now Owe Student Loan Debt. 26 Sept. 2012, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/09/26/a-record-one-in-five-households-now-owe-student-loan-debt/2/. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/09/26/a-record-one-in-five-households-now-owe-student-loan-debt/2/
Taylor, Paul, and Kim Parker. “The Rising Cost of Not Going to College.” Edited by Rich Morin, PEWSocialTrends, PEW Research Center, 11 Feb. 2014, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/02/11/the-rising-cost-of-not-going-to-college/. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/02/11/chapter-1-education-and-economic-outcomes-among-the-young/#college-graduates-in-the-labor-market
Nieuwenhuizen, C., and J. Kroon. "Identification of entrepreneurial success factors to determine the content of entrepreneurship subjects." South African Journal of Higher Education, vol. 16, no. 3, 2014, pp 43-47
