Answer and Question

          Some people are blessed and born into wealth and financial security.  Already knowing which college they want to attend as soon as they hit high school.  Others are not so lucky and have to struggle along the way.  Not knowing if they will ever get the chance to even attend college.  My grandparents, my mother and father, my cousins and other family members never attended college.  Either because they didn't have the opportunity or the money to do so.  From my personal experience, when someone chooses to attend college it is a very big deal because it is not all that common.  So for me, having the opportunity to go to college is a dream that I thought would never come true.  Something I thought was simply out of my reach.  It is a shot at an experience that can help mold productive lives and open up doors that had always been closed before.  Even though it is not that common, people are not shy when it comes to wishing a college student the best.  Encouraging them to strive forward and find what they are looking for in life.  They go on and on, about how having a degree doing something enjoyable is priceless.  Simply because a lot of people get stuck doing jobs that they hate but have to do it for the money.

          College is a very big step for someone to take and it can change lives in a major way, weather it is for the better or for the worst.  Currently, a lot of the jobs that are available to someone who does not have some kind of degree is a job that does not pay very well.  On top of not being paid very much, they tend to get stuck with bad retirement plans, if they even get one at all.  They may not receive benefits like health insurance, monthly or yearly raises or even get  vacation days.  Majority of the jobs now, require some type of college degree and/or certain training to even be considered for the position.  With that being said, the days when almost anyone could obtain a higher paying job with only a high school diploma, are long behind us.  So for the youth of the country, the pressure to go to college is getting higher and higher as the days pass.  Even some adults who don’t already have established careers are feeling the pressure.  The workforce is changing rapidly and those with a college degree are taught how to adapt in different atmospheres.  So they may even have the fear of losing their job to someone with college experience.

          Not only can a college education teach people how to work in various environments and ways to get along with coworkers.  It can also teach useful leadership skills that can be utilized in any work situation.  So people who have gone to college will end up having more opportunities thrown their way and more choices to pick from.  When getting a quality education people figure out who they really are, what they want and what they are capable of accomplishing.  Everyone always points out the obvious outcomes of a college degree and all the good reasons to go.  Such as, it makes it easier to land a higher paying job.  It helps them figure out what they are skilled at and what career they would enjoy.  They will view themselves and the world around them in a more complex and unique way.  They will walk away with more self confidence and gain satisfaction in their lives.  They will be able to live comfortably and not have to worry about money on a month to month basis.  The list of benefits can go on and on.  All those things can be possible for someone who really commits and realizes that college is an investment toward their future.  It doesn't just affect the student but also strongly impacts their family and their children’s future.

          What people rarely talk about is the not so great but most important aspects of attending college.  Like having to work less hours to attend classes and to do homework, which makes the income lower and harder to sustain.  The loans that will need to be taken out in order to pay for school and other things, like gas and food.  The difficult, stressful and very time consuming work that needs to be done to make good grades and stay ahead of the game.  People who have not yet attended college and people who do not have family that went to college might have the wrong idea of what it really takes.  They may not realize how much time it truly requires.  The time spent in class, time spent driving to and from school, doing homework, studying for test and quizzes, doing projects and writing papers.  If someone really wants to get a college degree, they should be ready to apply tons of effort and be willing to make a life long commitment.  Not only a commitment to themselves to finish but also a commitment to the school and their teachers, to do the best that they possibly can.

          It can be intimidating looking in from the outside, especially if the student doesn't have anyone to support them along the way.  They may lack the guidance of family and friends to help boost their confidence in the decisions that they are making.  Without any guidance they aren't going to know if they are moving in the right direction an making the right choices.  That’s where the student advisers come into play, they know what needs to be done and the classes that need to be completed in order to achieve the career in mind.  Attitude is everything, a negative attitude along the way will result in a negative effect.  A positive outcome cannot be expected if the proper effort hasn't been put forth.  Richard L. Weaver ll is a college professor from Bowling Green State University and as he puts it,

“Education isn't this magical, mysterious miracle in which we, your teachers, do something mystical to you. Without your participation in the process, we can do nothing at all.  It is a two-way process.  It’s a little like taking a beautiful journey and keeping your eyes closed.  When someone asks you about the trip all you do is complain about the bumps and ruts along the way.  You have to open your eyes!”

Mr. Weaver has a very good point and puts it into a prospective that everyone can relate to.

          Some people feel as if kids fresh out of high school should attend college right away.  So they will not have the time to talk themselves out of going or just end up never going back.  The benefit of attending college right after high school is that everything is still fresh in the mind.  The knowledge they have will not have time to get lost along the way.  They won’t have to start in the lower classes and pay extra money to relearn the things that have been forgotten.  They will obtain a better paying job more quickly right out of college, rather then right out of high school with no experience.  Being in college they may find themselves more quickly and figure out what they want to achieve in life and the career they want to obtain.  On the other hand, some people think that kids straight out of high school don’t take college as seriously as they should.  That they want to attend the same college that their friends or boyfriends/girlfriends are going to and simply not making the decision based on good judgment.  They might just want to party and see college as an opportunity to get away from their parents.  They want to make their own choices because they think they are responsible adults.  In reality, they don’t always make the best decisions with the fate of their future in mind.

          Waiting to attend college can help people gain life experience and understand the ways of the world before taking the stride into college.  They can get a head start on saving money to pay for this large investment.  In order to achieve something, realistic goals need to be made an used as a guideline to help make that goal become reality.  Many different components need to be combined together to truly gain experience.  The students have to give it their full attention to really grasp the knowledge that college throws their way.  With a little light being shed on both the benefits and the down falls of attending college, some people just aren't cut out for it.  So in the end, the true value of a higher education solely depends on the individual and how much they are willing to put forth towards a better education and a more fulfilling life.






                                                       Works Cited

Bellavance, Thomas E.  "Measuring the Value of a College Education."  Vital 
          Speeches Of The Day.  Pocomoke High School.  Maryland.  11.  5.  1985.  
          Oral Presentation.  Points Of View Reference Center.  Web.  23  Oct.  2013   

Weaver ll, Richard L.  "Ten suggestions for making the most of a college education."  
         Vital Speeches Of The Day.  Bowling Green State University.  15.  10.  1994.  
         Oral Presentation.  Points Of View Reference Center.  Web.  23  Oct.  2013