Commercialization Of Education By Henry Conard Analysis

It may come as no surprise to some that a quality education has the power to provide, for those who seek it, the opportunity of personal and professional transformation. It can be said that a society which encourages higher education is more likely to yield a population of individuals who are civic minded and purposeful as opposed to a society which does not. In an article entitled “What Can College Mean? – Lessons from the Bard Prison Institute, author Ellen Condiffe Lagemann supports the importance of a liberal arts education but also presents the case that quality education in the United States is not available to all.

In Charles Murray's article “Are Too Many People Going to College?” he argues that the route that has been set-up, whether knowingly or unknowingly, for individuals to achieve success in their life by obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree (B.A.) is obsolete in a modern world. He espouses six reasons for his position. In this essay, I’ll summarize Murray's position and then elucidate on his points while explaining my position on wach of his views. Lastly, I'll state my belief that getting a college degree is valuable even if it is not the source of my financial income.

A job requires skill and knowledge. Murray says, “ The increase in wealth in American society has increased the demand for all sorts of craftsmanship… work of specialized skills in stonework, masonry, glazing, painting, cabin making, machining, landscaping, and a dozen other crafts” (Murray 236). Murray says that college will not provide the skill set for these jobs. College is where. Murray wants these type of people with low academic ability to shoot for one job and not move from that occupation or move up the ladder. Sanford J. Ungar in “The New Liberal Arts” makes a counter argument saying “It is far wiser for students to prepare for change and the multiple careers they are likely to have than to search for a single job track that might one day become a dead end ” (Ungar 191). During the economic recession, many workers in the manufacturing industry were laid off without a guarantee that they would be rehired in the future or that their positions would still be available. Unfortunately some of these jobs will never come back because the positions have been modernized. Non-stop robotic arms have replaced humans in the assembly line, which have financially benefited the companies. The advancement in technology has brought the world to a state where skilled labor jobs are not needed as much as others such as jobs in computer information systems or computer networking. Ungar brings up Geoffery Grain, president of the Hart Research who says that the responsibility of higher education today is to prepare people “ for jobs that do not yet exist” (Ungar 191). Higher education will always be beneficial now or in the future, it will never be a

In the essay, “Are Too Many People Going To College?” author Charles Murray addresses the issue of the increasing demand of college degree from all individuals, regardless of their abilities and talents. “Today, if you do not get a B.A., many people assume it is because you are too dumb or too lazy”(Murray, 253). Murray puts a strong argument against this kind of growing culture among people. He believes that a B.A. degree is not a gateway to success as different people have different ability in various fields, making them unique. Murray also emphasis instilling the liberal arts education in the minds of young students of this country. Furthermore, he explains that the development in technology and an increase in the availability of online

To discuss the value of liberal education, there should be a mutual understanding that investing in college means to invest in oneself. Furthermore, while some consider this investment to be a critical stepping stone to success, others dismiss it, explaining that school simply cannot prepare someone for the “real world.” Sanford J. Ungar and Robert Reich explore both of these subjective values in their essays “The New Liberal Arts” and “College is a Ludicrous Waste of Money.” Ungar, the president of Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, discusses why a liberal education should be sought after; he does so by introducing common misconceptions about liberal arts and, using argumentative persuasion, proves their insignificance. On the other hand, Reich, the former secretary of labor, argues against the conventional belief of college being the only road to financial wellbeing; rather, he explains why a two-year education may better accommodate many college students, especially those in need of immediate work or those that simply cannot afford a four-year education. In all, although both Reich and Ungar generally discuss liberal education, their perspectives differ when it comes to its practicality in the current economy. Also, to express their different views about liberal arts, the authors use contrasting tones to present their ideas to different intended audiences.

In the article, “What’s College Good For?” , Bryan Caplan, an economics professor from George Mason University, argues that college is a waste of time and money. Caplan states that college teaches skills irrelevant to the job market, and that signaling is the main importance of a degree. Caplan further supports this by saying that students are not willing to work for their degrees, and that they either forget the material, or are unable to apply the material to the real world.

In “Are Too Many People Going to College?”, the author, Charles Murray explains the advantages of a liberal arts undergraduate degree, diminishes the importance of a college B.A., and claims that more people should consider providing goods and services rather than pursuing more advanced careers. He begins by outlining the importance of “core knowledge” being taught at a younger age in order to provide students with “cultural literacy” in American history and literature. After addressing a basis of education, he continues to discuss the importance of a liberal arts education over a “brick-and-mortar campus”. In the final part of his writing he connects the previous information to belittle the importance of a four year college degree

In Charles Murray’s article “Are Too Many People Going to College”, Murray agrees with John Stuart Mill who told students at the University of St. Andrews in 1867 that the object of attending college is not to make skilled lawyers, doctors etc., but make competent and cultured human beings. If a four-year degree is considered a pre-requisite to being a competent and well-rounded adult, why would we limit the number of people attending college – we should encourage more, not less to take this path. Our society sees a college degree as a form of a guarantee to a high paying job and there are peer pressures related to the class division seen between those who hold a B.A. and those who do not. As the wealth in our country has grown, the ability

Academia is “the environment or community concerned with the pursuit of research, education, and scholarship,” or, in other terms, college. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in October 2013, “65.9 percent of 2013 high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities”. This is the majority of high school graduates of the year 2013 in the United States, which is about 2.0 million young adults. But the real question is whether or not college is beneficial. Many people argue that college is a one time experience, and that it is worth the time and money required to complete it. However, college isn’t beneficial to all people's needs, and it is a waste of time and money that will never be returned.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” (qtd. in Quotes About Education” n.p.) “ Times have changed, higher education such as college is what most people need in order to have a successful career. Those who acquire higher education after high school tend to have a more successful career than those who do not acquire a higher education.

With an increasing number of students choosing to go to college, the debate whether there are too many people going to college is becoming more fervent. In the article “Are Too Many People Going to College”, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Charles Murray shares some thoughts from different perspectives. By saying too many people are going to college, he means people should not wait until college to learn the core curriculum. That is to say, most core curriculum should be learned starting from elementary school to K-8 grades. Furthermore, high schools should have more courses like humanities and social sciences. If people are able to make free choices, then choosing to go to professional fields or cheaper learning institutions are choices worth considering.

The value of an education is what can guide one into humanity and employment. To take away such a right defeats the privilege and overall value of receiving an education. For those, “who specialize in specific careers will lack critical thinking skills and the ability to write, analyze, and synthesize information.“ (Cook). And to show declination and recession towards humanity will only spiral into an economic downturn.

Throughout the years, America has always debated whether education is needed- if it helps people succeed or not. The argument in the past was always over high school education, which is now mandatory. That decision has helped the US rise economically and industrially. Today, the US is in the middle of the same debate- this time, over college. Some, like David Leonhardt, a columnist for the business section of The New York Times, think a college education creates success in any job. Others, such as Christopher Beha, an author and assistant editor of Harper’s Magazine, believe that some college “education” (like that of for-profit schools) is a waste of time, and can even be harmful to students. Each stance on this argument has truth to it,

Many people are confused on why to invest time and money of attending college. A reason for obtaining a higher education is that a college degree can possibly earn a much higher salary than the majority of the people who have a high school diploma. College can be expensive and time consuming for the most of the people that do not have enough money and spare time to go to college. Stephen Rose, a research professor at the Georgetown University, wrote an article on “The Value of a College Degree” to explain if a college degree can be valuable to people to have. Eleni Karageorge, an author on the United States Department of Labor, wrote an article “Is A College Degree Still Worth It?” to give some details on job occupations that compares with employees having a bachelor’s degree or a high school diploma on how much they annually make on their job. Finally, Paul E. Barton, a consultant and a writer for topics related on education, wrote an article “How Many College Graduates Does the U.S. Labor Force Really Need?” on giving details on how valuable to have a college degree in the near future are needed when certain occupations are on high demand with a requirement on having a least a bachelor’s degree. We need to know why going to college is so important for anyone who wants to have professional occupations.

A debate on whether education is still the driving factor to success in the 21st century has been blooming for some time now which has many of us asking, “Is education still necessary for one to succeed nowadays?” This issue of whether education still holds that value of being the primary aspect of achieving success is of particular interest because it could mean that it could potentially create depreciation in the demand for education in the future, and money spent on acquiring an education could be used to pursue entrepreneurial ventures.