Introduction
Every year millions of teenagers graduate from high school and join college. College education is almost certainly important to a person for many reasons. This perhaps explains why most counselors and parents encourage students to join college, despite the financial implications. It is worth noting that those high school students who do not join campus and instead join the military or take up jobs still do well in life. Different people have different interests, choices and abilities, which explains why people succeed even without going through college. This arguably makes not going to college a viable option. Nonetheless, going through college broadens one’s opportunities of success and happiness in life. This essay explores the importance of college education to learners and the society at large.
More Opportunities
Evidently, times are increasingly changing. In the past, students graduating from high school would get well-paying jobs and make a good life. However, as more people acquire college education and the job market becomes more competitive and demanding, people who have a college degree have better prospects of securing lucrative job opportunities (College View n.d; Schlack 2011). As such, it can be rightfully argued that a college degree opens a world of opportunities. People who do not have college education have limited job and growth opportunities in the current knowledge-based economy. Moreover, people with a higher education degree have better prospects of earning promotions in their places of work than their high school counterparts. According to CUNY (2013), “there are now more employed college graduates than there are employed high school graduates and high school dropouts put together”. This underscores the fact that while high school graduates succeed in life, their college counterparts have an edge over them as far as employment is concerned. Employers believe that college graduates have been exposed knowledge and can manage and perform tasks responsibly.
A Well-rounded Individual
When a student goes through higher education, they learn a whole lot of things in life. They have access to books and experts where they learn essential life skills. According to CUNY (2013), the learning process in higher education makes college graduates better decision- makers. People with higher education are therefore likely to make better economic, social and political decision for the betterment of their lives. This may be attributed to the fact that life in college entails an array of challenges and interaction with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Interacting with diverse cultures is especially important in the current world which is technically a ‘global village’. During college education, students benefit from professors who mentor and prepare them for life. By the time one is graduating from college, therefore, they have grown not only academically, but also socially and have better chances in life than those who never went through college (Selingo 2013). College makes students well-rounded because it provides with them an opportunity to gain other experiences in addition to their academic courses.
Gaining Essential Life Skills
In college, students gain critical thinking besides the normal technical skills. This makes such learners able to analyze situations and research phenomena to arrive at sound decisions and judgments. There is no doubt that the ability to make rational decisions is essential in life and can be the line between a happy and miserable life. What is more, in college students gain communication, problem solving and planning skills all of which are central to a happy life. The college learners gain these skills through reading, research and experts such as scholars and counselors. Planning their time to attend to all the activities, undertaking their assignments and coping with the tumultuous college life also confers the with students essential skills that come in handy in life. Such skills and experiences are better learnt in a college setting because the environment is convenient for that.
Networking and Social Connections
As already mentioned, college students have an opportunity to interact with a wide range of people. These interactions often lead to long lasting or even lifelong friendships, social networking and connections. Such personal connections are important for several reasons. For example, making connections bolsters one’s chances of getting good jobs and mutual friends. This is so especially in the wake of globalizations where you do not have to work in your country. There are many examples of people who were called to take up a job opportunity by their college friends from a foreign country or district. Such networking may not be possible for someone who never went to college (College View n.d). The interactions also enable the college students to understand and co-exist with other cultures and learn foreign languages, all of which broaden their opportunities for success.
Conclusion
Works Cited
View, n.d Web. 9 October 2013.
CUNY. The Importance of a College Degree: Latest Findings. CUNYBAG.edu., 10 May 2013.
Web. 9 October 2013.
Schlack, Lawrence, B. Not Going to College is a Viable Option. Education, 17 Feb. 2011.
Web. 9 October 2013.
Selingo, Jeff. On Students' Paths to College, Some Detours Are Desirable. Chronicle, 26 Nov.
2013. Web. 9 October 2013.
