Higher education has been a subject under a lot of discussion by people regarding its worthiness. There are questions on whether higher education is worth the price. They say that higher education enable students to graduate and get jobs with high salaries (Graff & Birkenstein, 2009). I say that it is true and this is evidenced by the fact that many high-paying jobs require high levels of education. People with high-paying jobs include doctors, engineers, surgeons, radiologists, lawyers, pilots, and pharmacists. These jobs require acquiring a high level of education. I think that higher education is worth the price because the amount of money a person receives from the high-paying job is more than the money that was spent on the higher education.
They say that higher education does not only provide education to enable people earn a living, but it educates people on how to live (Graff et al, 2009). I agree that higher education teaches people how to live better lives. Higher education provides students with education on ethics and virtues. Ethics enable the students to learn how to behave in their daily lives, and how to carry out their activities in an ethical manner. Ethics promote fairness and a good social culture. Being ethical means that a person can act in a proper manner even in places where there are no rules. Higher education equips the students with tools that will guide them into proper living.
The students say that higher education is worth the price because it enables them to grow and develop socially through making new friends, learning about the different cultures presented by the diverse student body, and getting the opportunity to experiment with new ideas (Graff et al, 2009). I say that higher education creates a good opportunity for students to benefit from the diversity presented by the mix of cultures. The mixing of students from different backgrounds allows them to understand and appreciate other people. It is also an opportunity to learn the strengths of some cultures and get ideas on how to use this knowledge for the students to benefit. The diversity of cultures enables the students to develop open minds that allow them to spot the strengths and weaknesses of these cultures. Equipped with this knowledge, the students can make good decisions in their future endeavors. Higher education is worth the price because it enables the students to make friends from various cultures, therefore, acquiring new knowledge that helps them in their lives. It also promotes global peace and social-cultural interactions.
Most Americans say that higher education is too expensive and not worth the price. They say that the colleges take on many responsibilities and are not able to effectively accomplish these roles (Hacker & Dreifus, 2010). I say that higher education is expensive, but I think it is worth the price. Higher education provides people with the opportunity to learn and benefit from it. Failure of the students cannot be blamed on the colleges because the students are supposed to work hard and utilize the opportunities presented to them. The colleges provide opportunities such as vocational training and research to enable students to fully benefit from the higher education. The vocational training gives the students an opportunity to improve on their education. Research enables the students to learn more about the issue under study, and also to see the practical aspect of the knowledge they acquire in class.
They say that higher education is not worth the price because the colleges do not give students adequate time to learn, the students are instead bombarded with a lot of knowledge within a short time. A course that used to take four years to be studied is now taking only two years. The Americans say that the students are given a very short time to study plenty of materials (Addison, 2007). I say that it is true that the reduced period of study bombards the students with a lot of knowledge that needs to be acquired within the set timeline. Many students end up failing because they are not able to grasp all the knowledge within a short time. Another outcome is that the students cram the information for the sake of passing the exams, and then forget the information after doing the exams. The students pass their exams, but they do not preserve the knowledge they were supposed to acquire because they had only crammed it. Upon getting jobs, the students are not able to perform well because they forgot about the information they acquired in school. I say that higher education will be worth the price if students are given adequate time to acquire knowledge.
Some people say that there is no need for higher education because knowledge can be acquired from the workplace. I say that there is need to get higher education because brainwork is also involved at the workplace. An example is shown in the essay “Blue-Collar Brilliance” by Mike Rose. He says that his mother was a very competent waitress who was able to observe the customers and knew when they needed refills, when they were finishing up, and the status of their orders (Rose, 2009). I say that Mike’s mother was able to make these observations by using her brain. In the essay Mike says that he has studied the work of blue-collar workers and has come to know that they use intuition and knowledge about the business to work smart. I say that higher education is worth the price because it enables people to learn more about building a successful career by specializing in their areas of interest.
References
Graff G. & Birkenstein C. (2009). They Say/ I Say: The Moves That Matter in Persuasive Writing. New York: W. W. Norton & Company
Hacker A. & Dreifus C. (2010). Are Colleges Worth The Price of Admission? New York: W. W. Norton & Company
Addison L. (2007). Two Years Are Better Than Four. New York: W. W. Norton & Company
Rose M. (2009). Blue-Collar Brilliance. New York: W. W. Norton & Company
