Jordan Carlson
English 2010
Professor Larsen
June 26, 2012
Position/Proposal
Education is the Key to Success
Section One: School Enhances Creative Ability
“Don’t watch the clock”, I have to consciously repeat under my breath. “It will make the
time go by even slower, if that is actually possible.” My eyes wander to the window as I think to
myself; there are so many things I could be doing rather that sitting here. School has never been
somthing that gets my adrenalin rushing, and once that bell rings I am always the first to leave.
My youth was spent dreading the fact that I had to return to the prison type structure day in and
day out. I anticipated finished high school and promised to myself that I would never return.
People asked how I would make money, the answer was simple: invent something useful. After
all in America it seems that many tycoons have made it with equal or less education than I. Larry
H. Miller, for example, did not graduate college
and he
was one of the most successful people in Utah.
In my
juvenile state, I thought that was a normal way
for
someone to achieve riches. To my younger self,
school
was to an inventor what a guillotine was to a
French
revolutionist. It decapitated the imagination and
it scared
one into conforming to the status quo.
My previous argument made as an
adolescent was not totally out of touch with some big thinkers in the world today. In the words of
Peter Theil, co founder of PayPal and a libertarian philanthropist who offers money to students
not to attend school.
I did not realize how wrong-- how screwed up the education system is. Mark
Zuckerberg from Facebook didn't complete Harvard. Steve Jobs dropped out of
Reed College. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard. When you do something
entrepreneurial, the credentials are not what really matters. What matters is
having the right idea at the right time, the right place (Theil)
It is easy for some people such as Peter Theil to make such a comment, but it might come
off slightly hypocritical as he was a Stanford Law graduate. Although a great idea is necessary
there is a lot more that goes on behind the scenes. Ideas do not pay for themselves. If we
examine the early beginning from Mark Zuckerberg, who Theil uses in his argument, in creating
the social phenomenon known as Facebook, it did not just pop into his head. The idea itself came
while he was attending school, and his earliest funding was from his roommate Eduardo Saverin.
Section 2: School Enhances Networking
Looking beyond a secular education, school is a place to come together to meet new
people and share ideas. One of the most beneficial parts to post secondary education is
networking. Being surrounded by students and teachers who have similar minds with similar
ambitions is a great way to meet
people that can assist in your future
endeavors. It is reasonable to state
that even though Zuckerberg did not
complete his schooling in Harvard, he did benefit from going there. Social networking would not
be what it is today, had Zuckerberg refused to attend college. It might be argued that if you build
places for networking purposes alone, is not that just a different form of advanced schooling. An
organization where like minds can get together and discuss ideas that are interesting to them.
Section 3: School Increases Opportunities of Employment
Many Universities today are so expensive that those who attend don’t get to see the
benefits. It is such a costly experience, that they leave with massive amounts of debt. Caroline
Bird who spent time traveling and speaking at colleges made an observation that is explained in
her research.
The majority of our nine million college students are not in school because
the want to be or because they want to learn. They are there because it has
become the thing to do or because college is a pleasant place to be; because it’s
the only way they can get parents or taxpayers to
support them without getting a job they don’t like;
because mother wanted them to go, or some
other reason entirely irrelevant to the course of
studies for which college is supposedly organized
(Bird).
Caroline is talking about the students that do not take
advantage of the great opportunities that school provides.
Although school may not provide an enhancement of life to a small group of, often times a
degree alone opens more doors to job employment.
The Unites States Bureau of Labor published a study on the average wages between
students who obtained a bachelors degree, compared to those students who only finished high
school. High school graduates face a 9 percent-unemployment burden and a weekly median
income of six hundred and thirty eight dollars; while a bachelor’s degree has a 5 percent
unemployment average and a one thousand and fifty three dollar median income (Bureau of
Labor). The statistics alone make perfect sense. If you attend college you will have better job
opportunities, and you are more likely to achieve a higher income from the employment received.
People will argue that education will not outweigh the cost of debt attained while
completing all of the schooling. It may be thought of as a government ploy to build income that
will eventually erode like the housing crisis.
We have a bubble in education, like we had a bubble in housing in the last decade.
Everybody believed you had to have a house. They'd pay whatever it took. Today,
everybody believes that we need to go to college, and people will pay whatever it
takes…“We now have $1 trillion in student debt in the U.S. That trillion dollars-wanna describe it cynically? You can say it's paid for $1 trillion of lies about how
good education is (Theil).
It can hardly be called lies when you are able to see the evidence such as the facts pointed
out by the Bureau of Labor. The odds of greater career success are obtained with even a
specialized type of education. The professional degree was the most desirable statistical average,
with a 2.4 percent unemployment rate and a median income was sixteen hundred and sixty five
dollars weekly (Bureau of Labor). This job availability and income definitely would outweigh
the debt incurred from schooling at this level of education.
Section 4: Security from Education
The odds of becoming a billionaire are slim, but it is not out of sight for the average
person to live a comfortable life. This life is made more available by attending a college or
vocational school. These schools, in conjunction with life planning, will provide a more secure
future. Although there are some flaws that exist with education, the good far out weigh the bad.
Good educations can open doors that other wise would seem locked. It is comparable to the
Aesop fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper. In this fable the ant works hard all summer long to
build shelter. The ants also store up food for the long winter while the grasshopper has fun and
did little to prepare. Once winter comes the ants are able to survive on the food that was stored
up, and our poor friend the grasshopper dies in what I am sure would be medically diagnosed as
exposure and malnutrition.
In our time we have seen the effects of winter, The Great Recession of 2009. A large part
of the population was put to the test of survival as the economy dwindled. Unemployment shot
through the roof and people began to struggle to make ends meat. As the recession began to slow
and companies began to hire, employers were looking to hire those who had prepared like the
ants. People with college degrees, even though often underemployed, were able to find work.
While the grasshoppers, those without degrees or further schooling, were left in the cold to fend
for them selves.
Section 5: Poposal
It pleases me that I have grown and do not feel the same as my younger self about further
education. I have seen the ancient ant and grasshopper fable come to life, and feel one cannot
afford to do otherwise. Setting the pace for the future is important, so others will not be caught
unprepared unable to get a profitable job. A large responsibility falls on the parents to lead their
children in the right direction, and to try to set good examples with their own choices.
The best way to help motivate your children to love learning and education is to love it
yourself. It is by observing your child’s interests and desires you can help mold them in early
development to enjoy learning. If your child always chooses to play with blocks, then teaching
them about geometry may be a good idea. From a young age it could be effective to connect
learning with what they do everyday.
It would also be beneficial for parents to
have clear communication with their children as
they begin to go through school. Talk about what
they love and what they want to become, while
helping them to understand what they need to do
to achieve those dream. Help them to take control of their own future. Dalton Miller-Jones, Ph.D.
states, "We want them to be responsible for their successes and failures, show them how
engaging learning is, and that the motivations for learning should be the child's intrinsic interests,
not an external reward”. It is largely the parent’s responsibility to help the child become a
successful learner, by fostering a love of education from early development.
There also needs to be cooperation between the parents and the school where the child is
attending. Looking back at my school experience, I would have benefited greatly if I had the
chance to meet with a counselor on a regular basis. If we are to encourage our children to take
control of their education, we need to place them in a situation where they can see the progress
they are making. Having children meet more regularly with counselors and discussing future
goals would be another resource to help steer the child the right direction. The school official
could also hold the child accountable for the actions needed to achieve a higher education. By
expressing an interest in a child’s future, we will not only help motivate them achieve their goals,
but we will also build up a more successful society.
Education is a major advantage, an advantage that is worth exploiting. In our time there is
little excuse not to attend higher schooling. There are various scholarships and government
programs to help anyone who is willing to put in the effort to succeed. However, the success can
lie in the hands of our parents leading the children of today into the right direction. Education is
a great tool, but unless it is exercised by an individual it is worthless.
Bibliography
Schumpeter. “The higher-education bubble More on Peter Thiel”. The Economist,
Economist.com. Apr 13th 2011. Web. 25 June 2012
Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Education pays”. March 23, 2012. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Web
14 June 2012
Jones, Dalton Miller. PBS. “The parents Role”. PBS.com. Web. 26 June 2012
Alexis Grant. “6 Ways to Network While You're in College”. USNews.com. 28 September
2011. Web, 24 June 2012
Bird, Caroline. “College is a Waste of Time and Money”.Grossmont.edu. May 1975. Web. 25
June 2012