Linda Lee The Case Against College

Going directly to college after high school can be completely beneficial to one’s life. It is what the government encourages while in high school and can easily be accomplished. By attending college at a young age you can live the infamous college life that so many adults speak of as “the best four years of my life”. These four years can be achieved and should be enjoyed. As a young student, one can have the stamina to attend class with hours on end. As a current college student, I see many adults coming back to college because they have been part of the group that has tried to succeed while only having a high school diploma. The truth of the matter is those high school students that realize that a four-year degree in college can secure a place in life that is acceptable for them will be the ones to succeed; furthermore, these students are the future of America.

For decades, students have been told that college is the next step after high school graduation. Society reiterates this by glorifying individuals that have completed a degree and looking down upon those who do not have one. The problem is that many students have not acquired the necessary tools nor have the motivation to be successful while pursuing post-high school education. Some argue that college provides the foundation of liberal studies that will improve career opportunities. Charles Murray disagrees in his essay, "Are Too Many People Going to College." He states, "Most people should be getting the basics of a liberal education. But for most students, the place to provide those basics are elementary and middle school." (Graff, 238) This raises the question, is a four-year education the best option for all students. College provides many benefits that would be difficult to find elsewhere, such as, writing skills or cultural growth, but college is not meant for everyone. A college education does not guarantee a prosperous career, instead, gaining work experience or completing a trade school is a more intelligent option for the majority of potential students.

Despite what the current belief about higher education might convey, not everyone has to attend college. Larry Cuban attests to the rendering mantra of everyone needs to go to college in his blog post, “Why Everyone Shouldn't Go To College”, reposted by The Washington Post. Surely Cuban does not agree with common and popular belief that everyone needs to attend college in order to be successful in life. Cuban leaves the reader with the uncertain questions of, what could they do instead going to college, will they make a stable living, does higher education mean they’ll not be as successful as a person who doesn’t? Cuban does not address the different options that a person can attend other than college or the benefits of actually attending college.

Caroline Bird writes the statement in her 1975 article “The Case Against College (Bird 15-18)” that not every high school graduate is ready to attend college. It is 2010 and this article is still valid today. Some of the college students I have been around were not mature enough for obedience school let alone college. A few of the points she makes in the article are: College has never worked its magic for everyone. Does it make you a better person? Are colleges responsible for your children? Are my children living in a country club? I will use some of my own experiences as an example of college life, as well as examples from my daughter’s college experience, along with my nephews as well. All to find the answer to the big question: Are

The debate on whether or not students should attend college after achieving a high school degree is one that many would like to consider two-sided; Debra Humphreys says that “going to college is clearly better than not going,” but Claire Potter mentions the opposite side, quoting an unnamed professor who says that “the vast majority of people who end up in our community college system don’t belong in college at all.” I would argue that the issue is not two-sided, and that there are more complexities to the issue than are always printed in media; to say that all college students should go to college or that all should not attempt to place a variety of different cases into a single group. Perhaps a better option is to say that college (in

I believe everyone should not go to college. Not everyone should go to college. Most jobs do not need a college degree to be hired. The more work experience you have the more you will earn. Many students are forced to go to college, many just want to stay home and work. When students go to college, they go to have a career. When students graduate from college they get a job. Robert Reich, chancellor’s professor of public policy at UC-Berkeley, wrote an article about why college isn’t for everyone. Reich stated, " Last year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 46 percent of recent college graduates were in jobs that don’t even require a college degree.” This means that students do not choose what to study. They study because they just want to continue school. Getting a bachelor 's degree in anything can help but most jobs or careers are looking for work experience of any kind. College does not give you work experience.

Whether or not everyone should go to college has been a strongly debated topic as of late. There are those who believe college is necessary in order to survive in America, in terms of jobs, future living, and general life knowledge. Then, there are others who believe that college is merely an extracurricular for those who want to expand their opportunities or further explore their own lives. Despite the countless varying arguments either for or against the belief that everyone should go to college, there still exists a constant struggle for those deciding whether or not to pursue higher education. Two very strong arguments of this debate are “Is College For Everyone?” , by Pharinet, which argues against the belief that all Americans should

In Linda Lees "The case against college", she argues that going to college may not always be the right move for every high school gradatuate. She explains that, "only 27 percent of Americans have a bachelors degree or higher". This does leave a staggering amount of room for people that have had success without degrees, such as bill gates or the average hard worker entrepreneur. She uses a personal anecdote from her own experience of why college isn’t for everyone. Lee explains that her son got into a pretty good school, and enrolled because all his friends were going and it should be fun, but he wasn’t ready, he elected to miss classes and was there for all play and no work, while Lee was paying one thousand dollars a week for her son’s education.

For you to get at least a good job you will need a high school diploma or a College diploma from a very prestigious school. Some of our main ideas in life is to always prosper in life and do the best thats possible even if it means taking some risks. Taking risks shows that you have a lot of determination, ambition, in

In the debate about whether college is worth attending, many argue that college is worth it but others argue that college is not worth it. Those who argue that college is worth it contend to say that college graduates make more money, college allows students to explore career options, and not going to college will cost people more money in the future but on the other hand, those who argue that college is not worth it contend to say that college graduates are employed in jobs that do not require degrees, students who do not graduate waste their own money and the governments money, and student debt can cause another financial crisis for students who are already struggling with financial aid. While it is true that college does cause many problems already, college is worth attending and worth all the problems at the end of the road.

As a senior in high school, questions regarding college and my plans for the years following graduation are asked to me on a day-to-day basis. College is definitely the most important thing I am focused on this year, and although a college degree is highly valued in the job field today, many argue that not everyone should attend college due to the fact that it brings a new level of responsibility that many cannot handle, many careers now do not require a four-year degree, and because students no longer have the desire to learn.

High schools need to begin providing access to the array of different things there are out there besides college. Welders go to trade schools and most make more than $50,000 a year (Author). Linda says that her hair colorist makes $300,000 a year without a degree (Lee 1). That is equivalent to what many doctor’s make! Many people can even become nurses or EMTs without a degree.

Should everyone go to college? In this article, written by authors Stephanie Owen and Isabelle Sawhill, they discuss some of the reasons why the isn’t a need for everyone to go to college. They explain how the rate of return on education is not evenly distributed amongst all degree fields, for a four-year degree, and how the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and medical) fields have a more substantial rate over return, as compared to the other degree programs, for the students who choose careers in those fields. In this article, they also discuss the importance of deciding what college institution to seek out when pursuing a degree, and how attending a non-specialized institution could, in some instances, de-value the degree. In the closing statements of the article they describe alternative solutions for students, explaining how without a four-year degree students can still obtain a career and make decent salaries through vocational oriented, or career specific technical training. After reading this article written by Stephanie Owen and Isabelle Sawhill, I agree with their standpoint about should everyone go to college; however, in criticism of the article, I feel there should have been more emphasis on the alternative methods of achieving education through different programs and institutions.

Many students have to go to college because it’s the only way to get into a well-paying job. Ellis wrote “college degree is still your best bet for getting a job and decent pay”. Many students have to put themselves through a financial burden just so they can receive a decent job. However going to college is a choice that people don’t have to make. There are many career opportunities one can take without going to college.

Over the years is has become common knowledge that a college degree will get you further than just a high school diploma will. Thirty years ago, there used to be a plethora of labor jobs that accepted those with just a high school diploma so that those that wanted to go to college to get a better job could and get a good paying job and have a good career. Currently the job market has gotten so flooded that employers can ask for higher qualifications when they are not in desperate need of employees. Hence college degrees have become more popular, so the bar has gotten even higher for what used to be considered a trade or entry level job. What used to require an associate’s degree