Premium Essay

The Misguided Myth Of College Education

Submitted By
Words 1204
Pages 5
There is a misguided myth that many Americans believe that in order to be successful you must have a college degree. While a college education has affected our great American culture and economy, the idea that college is the “right” and “responsible” decision for those who are pursuing the American dream is outdated and borderline dangerous. Today, many opportunities are given to everyone to receive higher educations. But this does not mean that everyone should attend a four year college. Everyone was not created equally in their educational abilities, everyone should not be pressured to attend a four year college but should be encouraged to go to a community college, vocational school, or job experience instead of being looked down upon in …show more content…
Our economy depends on a workforce of people who have no degrees to manage jobs that everyone depends on. The people who work at restaurants, gas stations, truck drivers, mechanics, plumbers and cashiers are needed to keep our consumer society flowing smoothly. Imagine going to the grocery store with no one working there. You would arrive and there would be no grocery cart to get your goods in. Next, you would be searching for the products you need and nothing would be on the shelves because the truck delivery would not have dropped off the goods. After you find your limited goods, you go to check out and nobody's there to scan your groceries and you cannot purchase them. Some argue that technology will replace jobs that do not require college degrees. However, there are basic level jobs that cannot be replaced by robots like barbers, mechanics, and the entire service industry. The entire arts and entertainment industries with designers, stylists, and celebrities would be non existent without entry level positions. Although the increase of jobs in fields like education, science, and technology are in high demand, we cannot fill them with people who cannot make it through a four year degree (Bergeron). It is also true that college increases the value of a person's income. Lifetime earnings in careers that are supported the degree earned bring in a total premium of $570,000 for a bachelor's degree and $170,000 for an associate's degree. It’s not a secret that people who complete a college degree and use it in their career make more money than people who do not have a degree but the truth is 50% of college students can complete those degrees. The fact that people still cannot make it through a four year degree is not going to change even if the demand for industries does. The jobs need to be filled but they should be filled by the

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Knowledge

...The purpose of this essay is to describe and analyze the cultural myths and ideologies that surround the knowledge that is being distributed to public schools by examining a history text. A cultural myth refers to “the dominant ideologies of our time” (Chandler). For example, a group of people could have a belief in a myth while another group might believe otherwise. I will analyze a seventh grade history by using the method of semiotics. An examination of the history book shows that children are being deprived from a lot of historical information. In this paper I will argue that the educational system only centers it’s purpose of education and learning on the human capital ideology. This subject is important because like Joel Spring states in “The Knowledge Industry: for many young children these textbook are the only source of knowledge and the information that’s is being distributed to our children is not necessarily true or complete. As a result students are being restricted from learning how to be thoughtful and productive because teachers are being forced to teach according to a strict curriculum. The method of semiotics refers to the study of the way people make meaning. According to Daniel Chandler in “Semiotics For Beginners, a sign is a fundamental unit in the method of semiotics. A sign has two components, a signifier (the carrier of meaning) and a signified (the meaning that has been made). To describe the relationship between the signifier and the signified...

Words: 2699 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

America Needs More Imigrants

...Financial Chronicle, published in August 12, 1865—as the re-United States reels back from the divisiveness of the Civil War (Abbott 156) When my ancestors came to the U.S. in the 1800s to help build the transcontinental railroad (enabling intracontinental commerce on an unprecedented scale), it was very true that immigrants contributed to America’s economic prosperity. Does this remain true today? Today is a very different time than the aftermath of the Civil War. Or is it? Now, the U.S. is also reeling back from wars, albeit of very different sorts: the Cold War and the latest series of riots in the cities. The U.S. is turning inwards, wanting to rebuild its infrastructure and inner cities. Pre-eminence in various scientific areas and the education of its citizens, who are, by world standards, lagging educationally, are again prime national goals—much as they were following the Civil War. Skills and labor are needed. Although not as powerfully delineated as in a North-South segregation, the American population is still bitterly divided over many issues—one of which is immigration. Would immigration aggravate our problems, especially unemployment and social tension, or benefit us, as it did before and following the Civil War? Throughout the 1800s, conservative politicians were adamant that immigration would compromise political security; and native Californian miners, laborers, and farmers feared that the Chinese would drain America’s resources and take away jobs. The tragic results...

Words: 2935 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

Tolkien's Christianity

...Tolkien’s Christian Connections By Candace Browning I. Introduction II. Truth thru Myth III. Providence IV. Hope and Faith V. Pity and Mercy VI. Similarities to the Bible A. Various B. Creation and the Fall C. Christ D. The Virgin Mary VII. Conclusion I. Introduction For thousands of years, humanity has turned to the Bible to answer questions of how and why we are here. At the dawn of a new millenium, popular culture has shifted away from ancient stories like those in the Bible. Thankfully, more recent tales influenced by the Gospels have emerged to fulfill this craven desire. J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is one such book. It offers a mythological explanation of the apparent chaos, pain, disappointment, horror and violence of the world in terms of the struggle between good and evil. Taking this into consideration, a closer look at the The Lord of the Rings reveals grim and glorious lessons that can be learned. The works of Tolkien have been almost universally embraced by literate Christians who have long recognized the richness and beauty of Tolkien’s Middle-earth as well as the profound influence of his Christian faith upon the shape of his imaginary world. On the other hand, it may be read and enjoyed without reference to any theology whatsoever. It succeeds mainly as an exciting tale, but a full appreciation of Tolkien’s accomplishment requires some sense of what lies behind the book. It...

Words: 5568 - Pages: 23

Premium Essay

Human Resources

...4. Zero-hours contracts and jobseeker benefits 5. Coalition Government review of zero-hours contracts 6. Coalition Government consultations 7. Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 8. Draft Regulations 9. Opposition proposals prior to the 2015 General Election 10. Scottish Affairs Committee report 11. Comment www.parliament.uk/commons-library | intranet.parliament.uk/commons-library | papers@parliament.uk | @commonslibrary Number 06553, 10 November 2015 Contents Summary 3 1. Introduction 4 2. 2.1 The prevalence of zero-hours contracts Number of people employed Estimates from the Labour Force Survey Estimates from other sources Prevalence by business size and sector Health and social care sector Further and higher education sector Characteristics of people on employed on zero-hours contracts 5 5 5 6 6 7 8 8 2.2 2.3 3. 3.1 The legal implications of zero-hours contracts Zero-hours contracts and employment status The reality of the agreement 10 10 11 4. Zero-hours contracts and jobseeker benefits 13 5. Coalition Government review of zero-hours contracts 14 6. 6.1 6.2 Coalition Government consultations Consultation outcome: banning exclusivity clauses Consultation on banning exclusivity clauses 16 16 17 7. Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 18 8. Draft Regulations 19 9. 9.1 9.2 9.3 Opposition proposals prior to the 2015 General Election The Pickavance Report Private Members’ Bill Labour Party Manifesto 2015 20 20 21 21 10...

Words: 9450 - Pages: 38

Premium Essay

Is Affirmative Action Really Reverse Racism

...generally pointed out by affirmative action exponents. These are racism, poverty, diversity, and the problem of underrepresentation. Supporters point out that many blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans live in substandard housing, go to substandard schools, and live in crime ridden neighborhoods. They also claim that they are targets of daily racism, hindering their chances for advancement. Proponents point to small numbers of these minorities in certain desirable jobs (i.e. CEOs of corporations and high elected office) as evidence of underrepresentation of minorities and a need for diversity both in the workplace and in higher education. There are a number of different levels of affirmative action, including quotas, preferences, and outreach, in lessening order of severity. Quotas, also called “set asides”, deal with having a definite amount of jobs or college spots reserved for a particular group. For example, if a university admits 1000 students every year and sets aside 150 seats that are open to blacks only, this is considered a quota. A perfect illustration of a quota would be the 1977 Supreme Court case Bakke v Regents of the University of California, in which the court ruled that these quotas could not be used by the system but that race could be considered a plus in admissions to the medical school. This brings us to preferences. Preferences are when persons from certain groups (usually groups that have been underrepresented or disadvantaged) are given a ‘boost' in admissions...

Words: 6948 - Pages: 28

Free Essay

Women in Science

...History of Women in Science Women have continually played a part in scientific endeavor, even prior to invention of the term ‘scientist’. Nevertheless, in Western culture, science and femininity lacked unity and the masculine painting of science revealed not only that more males did science, but that science itself was seen as an integrally masculine venture. The notion that mathematics and science were unsuitable or ‘hard’ for women, and even ‘at odds’ with real femininity, can be trailed back to the beginning of modern science and the commencement of the Royal Society in the seventeenth century. Then ‘femininity’ became the exact opposite of the new, masculine, experimental science of Newton and his colleagues who needed to break from the passive, reflective analytical style of outdated ‘natural philosophy’, the former word for science. (Schiebinger, 1996). This divide that detached women from the new experimental science, was made a lot wider by the Nature’s tradition being embodied in female form only. The masculine scientists made ‘mother nature’ their goal of research, and branded her as a female muse who could trick them, but if trained would also permit them to ‘enter her secrets’. This entire trap cast femininity as the inactive, topic of investigation and the male as the virile, enthusiastic investigator; a dualism that just increased the difference between science and femininity (Jordanova, 1991). Regardless of this, there existed women scientists— botanists, mathematicians...

Words: 5185 - Pages: 21

Premium Essay

Affirmative Action in the United States

...In the United States, affirmative action refers to equal opportunity employment measures that Federal contractors and subcontractors are legally required to adopt. These measures are intended to prevent discrimination against employees or applicants for employment, on the basis of "color, religion, sex, or national origin".[1][2] Examples of affirmative action offered by the United States Department of Labor include outreach campaigns, targeted recruitment, employee and management development, and employee support programs.[2] The impetus towards affirmative action is to redress the disadvantages[3][4][5][6][7] associated with overt historical discrimination.[8] Further impetus is a desire to ensure public institutions, such as universities, hospitals and police forces, are more representative of the populations they serve.[9] Affirmative action is a subject of controversy. Some policies adopted as affirmative action, such as racial quotas or gender quotas for collegiate admission, have been criticized as a form of reverse discrimination, and such implementation of affirmative action has been ruled unconstitutional by the majority opinion of Gratz v. Bollinger. Affirmative action as a practice was upheld by the court's decision in Grutter v. Bollinger.[10] Affirmative action in the United States began as a tool to address the persisting inequalities for African Americans in the 1960s. This specific term was first used to describe US government policy in 1961. Directed to all...

Words: 6321 - Pages: 26

Premium Essay

Njnj

...SPOTLIGHT ON LEADERSHIP: THE NEXT GENERATION Spotlight ARTWORK Gus Powell, Still Life: Raspberry, from the series Lunch Pictures, 1999—2007 A HBR.ORG Tamara J. Erickson (tammy@ tammyerickson.com) is the author of a trilogy of books on generations in the workforce and has written several articles for HBR, including “It’s Time to Retire Retirement” (March 2004), which won a McKinsey Award. A member of the Boomer generation, she is based in Boston. The Leaders We Need Now Generation X will produce executives who bring a distinctive sense of realism to the modern corporation. by Tamara J. Erickson A NEW COHORT of leaders is poised to take senior executive roles and is bringing with it a whole new mind-set. Baby Boomers have been firmly in charge for the past few decades, and as a rule they have been willing to operate by a well-understood set of corporate practices and policies related to compensation, hierarchy, and expectations for the way work “works.” Generation Xers, born from 1961 through 1981, have different ideas. They’re more apt to reject status-quo definitions of success and seek their own paths. The differences can be traced to the times during which each group came of age and formed its attitudes toward work and society. Although it’s impossible to draw neat boundaries along generational lines and unproductive to overgeneralize, we are each, in part, a product of our time. The formative years of Xers looked very different from those of Boomers. For...

Words: 2835 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Myths

...BRAIN POWER Myth #1 Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power Myth #2 Some People Are Left-Brained, Others Are Right-Brained Myth #3 Extrasensory Perception (ESP) Is a Well-Established Scientific Phenomenon Myth #4 Visual Perceptions Are Accompanied by Tiny Emissions from the Eyes Myth #5 Subliminal Messages Can Persuade People to Purchase Products 2 FROM WOMB TO TOMB Myth #6 Playing Mozart’s Music to Infants Boosts Their Intelligence Myth #7 Adolescence Is Inevitably a Time of Psychological Turmoil Myth #8 Most People Experience a Midlife Crisis in | 8 Their 40s or Early 50s Myth #9 Old Age Is Typically Associated with Increased Dissatisfaction and Senility Myth #10 When Dying, People Pass through a Universal Series of Psychological Stages 3 A REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST Myth #11 Human Memory Works like a Tape Recorder or Video Camera, and Accurate Events We’ve Experienced Myth #12 Hypnosis Is Useful for Retrieving Memories of Forgotten Events Myth #13 Individuals Commonly Repress the Memories of Traumatic Experiences Myth #14 Most People with Amnesia Forget All Details of Their Earlier Lives 4 TEACHING OLD DOGS NEW TRICKS Myth #15 Intelligence (IQ) Tests Are Biased against Certain Groups of People My th #16 If You’re Unsure of Your Answer When Taking a Test, It’s Best to Stick with Your Initial Hunch Myth #17 The Defining Feature of Dyslexia Is Reversing Letters Myth #18 Students Learn Best When Teaching Styles Are Matched to Their Learning Styles 5 ALTERED STATES Myth #19 Hypnosis...

Words: 130018 - Pages: 521

Premium Essay

Abortion

...SHOULD ABORTION BE LEGAL? By MARY W. DOUGLAS FINAL PAPER PHL-103INFORMAL LOGIC ANTHONY BIDUCK-INSTRUCTOR SEPTEMBER 8, 2013 Final Paper DouglasM1 Thesis The definition of abortion is the induced termination of a pregnancy followed by the death of the embryo or fetus. The paper is presented on the moral issues of Abortion. Should abortion be legal? As today’s society becomes more open-minded to an issue normally handled behind closed doors being performed by persons with no medical degree whatsoever, the choice should be left to the individual whether or not to have an abortion. Abortion is an eight letter word that has become a label that society applies to the procedure in which a pregnancy is purposely ended for many reasons. Let us examine the subject of legalizing abortion. Argument Abortion has been a very controversial topic for many years. With women’s rights to vote, the right to burn their bras if they wanted to, and the right to eliminate a developing fetus from a woman’s body has become a great debate. Abortion is a subject that questions the morals of an individual and their decision as to whether to have one or not. Moral philosophy has always investigated the rules and principles...

Words: 2933 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Organization Behaviour

...be traced to the times during which each group came of age and formed its attitudes toward work and society. Although it’s impossible to draw neat boundaries along generational lines and unproductive to overgeneralize, we are each, in part, a product of our time. The formative years of Xers looked very different from those of Boomers. For one thing, Baby Boomers grew up in a world that was fundamentally too small for them. The infrastructure couldn’t expand fast enough to accommodate the sudden growth of this cohort. Boomers went to high school in Quonset huts behind the actual schools because there weren’t enough rooms to hold them all. They’ve competed for everything throughout their lives—from spots on high school sports teams to college admissions, jobs, and promotions. Winning, for Boomers, is...

Words: 2804 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Age Related Discrimination in Healthcare

...Age Related Healthcare Discrimination (Ageism) in Healthcare Student Name Professor Name DHA-865 July 14, 2013 | Age Related Healthcare Discrimination (Ageism) in Healthcare While the “Greatest Generation” is a title often given to those Americans who lived and died during the era of the Great Depression and World War II, their offspring, the “Baby Boom” generation, significantly shaped and improved the American landscape as well if for no greater reason than the sheer number of people who make up this population (Steinhorn, 2006). Today, based predominantly on that very same reason, the baby boomer population is now making a very different, yet equally as profound impact on American society. More specifically, this impact is being made on the healthcare system of the US, and the discriminatory practice of “ageism” that older patients currently face. The purpose of this paper is to explore, analyze, and evaluate both the practice of age discrimination in healthcare and the federal policy issues and efforts that are involved with it. The work begins by providing background information on the current demographics of the aging American population and forecasts for the impact this will likely have on the healthcare industry in the near future. It then transitions into a discussion on what ageism is, where its historical roots come from, and where it fits into the federal Fair Labor Act. A review of the literature is then presented, documenting the discrimination...

Words: 7214 - Pages: 29

Premium Essay

Feminism

...Foundation Course 1 Human Rights, Gender & Environment Understanding Patriarchy Suranjita Ray• Subordination of women to men is prevalent in large parts of the world. We come across experiences where women are not only treated as subordinate to men but are also subject to discriminations, humiliations, exploitations, oppressions, control and violence. Women experience discrimination and unequal treatment in terms of basic right to food, health care, education, employment, control over productive resources, decision-making and livelihood not because of their biological differences or sex, which is natural but because of their gender differences which is a social construct. “Sex is considered a fact - one is born with either male or female genitalia. Gender is considered a social construction - it grants meaning to the fact of sex. Conversely, it could be said that only after specific meanings came to be attached to the sexes, did sex differences become pertinent” (Geetha, 2002: 10). Gender based discriminations and exploitations are widespread and the socio-culturally defined characteristics, aptitudes, abilities, desires, personality traits, roles, responsibilities and behavioral patterns of men and women contribute to the inequalities and hierarchies in society. Gender differences are man made and they get legitimised in a patriarchal society. This paper attempts to link the theoretical dimensions of patriarchy with its empirical experiences to engage in the ongoing...

Words: 9801 - Pages: 40

Premium Essay

Sex Education

...| * Home * MyNCSL * Help & Member Services * Contact Us | Login | Create Account | | | |   | | * About Us * ------------------------------------------------- Mission & Governance * ------------------------------------------------- Member Services * ------------------------------------------------- Executive Committee * ------------------------------------------------- Legislative Staff Coord. Cmte. * ------------------------------------------------- Standing Committees * ------------------------------------------------- NCSL Foundation * Legislatures & Elections * ------------------------------------------------- News/Contacts/Overview * ------------------------------------------------- Organization/Procedure/Facilities * ------------------------------------------------- Legislator/Staff Information * ------------------------------------------------- Elections & Campaigns * ------------------------------------------------- Redistricting * ------------------------------------------------- Ethics * ------------------------------------------------- Legislative Leaders * ------------------------------------------------- Women's Legislative Network * ------------------------------------------------- International Programs * ------------------------------------------------- Trust for Representative Democracy * ------------------------------------------------- Legislators...

Words: 17330 - Pages: 70

Free Essay

Religion 222

...REL 222 GUIDE According to Thompson, why did the Greek poet Hesiod see farming as having religious significance? (36) God is integrated into nature, thus caring for it is important. Farming is the way humans can justly occupy a place in the divine (that is natural) order and its god’s intention that this place be fraught with work toil and risk. A key message in Hesiod’s poetry is that only farmers dependent on seasons, soil, and water can hope to attain piety or show proper respect to these divinities. Farming is the way human beings justly occupy a place in the divine (that is natural) order, and it is the gods’ intention that this place be fraught with work , toil, and risk, Warfare, violence, and trickery, in contrast, are unjust in Hesiod’s poetry because they short-circuit the gods’ intended route to material rewards. According to Thompson, what value did Thomas Jefferson see in Agriculture for America’s future? Jefferson believed that the small farmers would make the most “valuable citizens” because of their investment into the land and thus their country, he believed that agriculture was way for citizens to make long term and stable decisions that also promoted patriotism. Hamilton: believed that the future of the new republic lay in trade and industrial development. Jefferson favored the strategy of filling the heart of N.American continent with freehold farmers and delaying the creation of an indigenous industrial plant as long as possible. It was...

Words: 6009 - Pages: 25