There has been much controversy about the point of getting a college education. Some people think college is an unnecessary burden; others have an obsession about getting into college. As high school juniors, many of us have been struggling these past few years about whether to apply to college. I finally realized that though a college education may have some disadvantages, it is still an excellent choice for me to improve myself, not only because companies prefer a college diploma, but also because I can learn many other skills.
First, college is a time for us to transition before we enter society. College life is much different than high school life in that it is more similar to real society. It will be the first time for me to leave my parents, live alone, get along with students and faculty, and face problems more independently. Also, different clubs and organizations are offered in colleges, which have the similar structure as the organizations in the society. During these experiences, we can “[develop] mature interpersonal relationships,” noted on ProCon.com, a credible web site that examines controversial topics. Excellent social skills are also really important when we take a job. Bosses prefer employees who get along well with others and can easily talk with customers. Therefore, a college education can prepare us for future life. On the other hand, colleges provide a protective environment, which is safer than “the real world.” A college education can give us a sense of what society is like and still offer us safe activities.
Secondly, when looking for a job, we have to admit that many companies prefer people who have a college education. College can always provide us with vocational skills, which can make us high-skilled workers that suit the work place. More and more jobs require technical skills, and these jobs usually come with a higher wage. So people who have a college education tend to earn more. Though the education itself costs a lot of money, we have the ability to earn a higher income and afford that cost. Some may think college is unnecessary because they will not use the skills that are associated with their major. However, we not only learn the knowledge in colleges that companies appreciate, but also develop logical thinking skills. When we start to work, the logical thinking skills can help us organize events and foresee the development of our work.
Recognizing so many advantages, I have decided to attend a college. Thank you so much for reading my post. I hope my experience gives you some help!
College doesn’t really provide people with vocational skills. COllege provides you with “critical thinking skills”, general knowledge, and specialized knowledge. Put together, these allow you to function at a high level of responsibility, creativity, and reasoning.
I’d say that a lot of what’s taught at universities is vocational knowledge, e.g., engineering, health care, accounting…
I tend to define “critical thinking skills” as an ability to compare, contrast, and analyze different ideas and claims. In that respect, other than maybe classes in statistics where we learned how to conduct and interpret studies, I never felt like I was taught “critical thinking skills” at school. I had textbook theory indoctrinated into me in college. It wasn’t until I graduated and had time to choose what to learn rather than being told what to learn, along with seeing that much of the real world didn’t operate the way the textbooks said it should, that I was able to start comparing and evaluating different ideas, theories and viewpoints with any informed and disciplined intelligence.
So in other words, much of what I learned in school formed for basis for later critical thinking, but we never had the chance to really practice critical thinking.
You might be interested in this paper by the Pew Research Center which shows the advantages of a college degree in terms of salary, unemployment and poverty levels…
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/02/11/the-rising-cost-of-not-going-to-college/