I believe in the value of education and I believe that it is the key to success. I come from a family of educated parents. My dad is a banker and my mom is a dentist. My parents have successful careers and I enjoy their work ethics. I am motivated to excel in education and have a prosperous career like my parents. I have a firsthand experience in the value of education because of my parents’ success. As such, I would like to walk in their footsteps by following the education curriculum in preparation for a future career. As I stated in my first essay, education has the power to transform a person from nothing to something. Today I am a student and tomorrow I might the most renowned engineer or scientist because I followed the right channel. My parents have laid a foundation that captivates me to work harder and create my own legacy via my accomplishments. I would also like my children to be proud of me in a way that they can reference me as a pillar to their success.
Education has the power to nurture skills and empower the community. Ben Carson is one great individual that I consider as my mentor. Having come from a humble background, Carson started off with a poor grade until the mother intervened. From a C student, he is now a successful neurosurgeon. Likewise, I would like to gain knowledge and skills that will help me in my future. Besides, I would also like to empower or give back to the community by mentoring young children about the value of education. With this note, I aim at exposing my belief system to other schools of thoughts as a way to nurture my critical thinking ability, research, and personal growth. Criticism or contrary opinions help in personal enlightenment and understanding people.
While I was doing an internet search for the value of education, found a website article published by the Spencer Foundation, a non-governmental organization aimed at investigating ways of improving education around the world. The article stipulates that education is valued because it contributes to the political, civic, and community life (spencer.org). In addition, education enhances social justice by opening people to cultural and artistic excellence. The article claims that education contributes to human flourishing and further questions the relationship between political and public understanding of the value and purpose of education (spencer.org). I found the source important in supporting my belief system because it opened up my mind to more purposes of education that I missed out in my first essay.
To open my thought process by integrating other people’s opinions, I did an internet search using Google. To narrow down the scope of my research, I used the terms “college is overrated.” When carrying out an internet search, it is recommendable to use keywords because they help to narrow down databases because there are tons of information of Google and other online databases. I chose these sources over others because they both challenge and support my belief system. The articles are also very easy to understand yet very informative. The first article justifies why college is overrated. I retrieved it from Proquest but the article is from the US Major Dailies. This source was published by the Washington Post under genre of news but stored under the publication subject as “General Interest Periodicals—United States.” This article by Sarah Kaufman stipulates that college is not the only means of making ends meet. According to the Kaufman, some professionals claim that college is a bad investment (1). One particular individual against college education is James Altucher, a hedge fund manager who argues that there are other ways of getting a job and learning the aspects of critical thinking. He argues that college is overrated because people end up with credit card debts and that after college the jobs available are not worth it (Kaufman). Kaufman further uses the examples of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Microsoft and Apple founders respectively who were college dropouts but who have excelled in life (Kaufman 3). Basically, the author argues that the money used for college education could have been used as capital for business investment since college is not the only way to a bright future. This article is contrary to my belief on the value of education. I believe that through education, I have numerous opportunities of being successful and rich in knowledge. However, the article teaches me about the power of free choice. It is good for people to pursue a passion so long as they are motivated to do so. Otherwise, it’s better to go through college education as a preparation for what lies ahead.
Likewise, I retrieved another article from Proquest by following the criteria above. The article falls under the genre and subject title of the first article but a different publisher. This article by Ross Werland was published by Tribune Interactive, LLC under Chicage Tribune: Chicago iii as the publication title. The article argues both the importance of education and the aspect of college being overrated. Werland presents an argument that it is unwise and expensive to send children straight to college after high school especially if they do not have the slightest idea of what they would want later in life. As a result, the article argues that it would be better to pause college education, pursue a passion or an employment opportunity. During employment the interaction with people opens up one’s mind and helps them to make more informed decisions about the career they would like to pursue (Werland). The article further gives an example with Harvard University. The University does not have a problem with giving students a year off. In fact, according to Dan Drummond, a senior admissions officer, students who defer education ultimately come back while more focused and mature as compared to other students (Werland 3). The article resonates with my point of view in that students who defer their studies realize the value of education and return to school. The article has also opened my mind to new insights with respect to pursuing an activity like employment during the transition period from high school to college.
In efforts to carry out a research on the value of education, I first need to develop a research question. For instance, does college education guarantee a future successful career? A research question is important because it gives the guideline and the scope of a research paper. The second aspect is to have to test the hypothesis of the study. I could argue that education is important because it opens a door for career progress and personal enrichment. For the purpose of the primary data, I interviewed my seven friends and five family members. My sample was composed of 12 individuals who argued the college education is important as a key to future prosperity and career growth. The only limitation of the study was lack of time to carry out a formal survey. However, the results affirmed my belief in the value of education.
I noticed conflicting information about the value of education. Some claim that college is overrated and there other means of getting a job while others completely value education. In some instances, the research supported both for and against college education. Based on my research findings, the article “This article won’t change your mind” by Julie Beck related to my topic of discussion. According to Beck, there is room for debate in science (1). Likewise, there is room for debate in every aspect of life. It is in human nature to have both supporting and rebuking opinions on all matters irrespective of the importance of an issue. I deeply value the importance of education, while someone else argues that it’s overrated. However, I do encourage such positive criticism because it helps to promote an open-minded society.
The research has added to my initial belief system by showing me that there are still other ways of excelling in education by taking a break after high school to decide the next stage in life instead of joining college with a career plan or ambition. All in all, my belief in the value of education stills holds on and will remain unchanged. I did find interesting counterarguments that at one point almost altered my belief system. In summation, one of the most important lessons I have gained from this research is tolerance. Human beings should tolerate each other no matter the differences in thoughts, color, and race, and political or religious affiliation.
Works Cited
Beck, Julie. “Americans Believe In Science, Just Not Its Findings." The Atlantic Jan 2015: 1-3.
Kaufman, Sarah. "Is College Overrated?; Some Families Turn Away From Higher Education In
Favor Of Real-Life Lessons." The Washington Post ; Washington, D.C. [Washington, D.C] 2010: 1-5. Print.
"Purposes And Values Of Education | Spencer." Spencer.org. N.p., 2018. Web. 6 Feb. 2018.
Werland, Ross. "The Route To Success Doesn't Always Wind Through A College Campus
Cutting Class." Chicago Tribune ; Chicago, Ill. 2000: 1-8. Print.
