Reflective Essay: Why I Give Back To School

In this day and age, an increasing amount of employers are requiring a higher level of education in order to hire people. Having a degree allows adults to have multiple choices of when, where, and how they work. Because of this, college graduates have new and improved employment opportunities. In a recent study of young americans, 58% of college graduates and people with some college or associate's degree expressed being "very satisfied" with their jobs, compared to only 50% of high school graduates and a drastic 40% of people without a high school diploma. For many people, working at a job you are fond of is crucial for living a quality life. Having a degree aids in increasing the amount of choices when selecting a career path you will enjoy. Because of this, college graduates have lower poverty rates than ever before. The 2008 poverty rate for bachelor's degree holders was 4%,

Cofounder and executive chairman of LinkedIn Reid Hoffman calls for the broadened acceptance of alternative routes to higher education. He states, “there are an expanding number of ways to acquire specific skills and knowledge faster and less expensively than one can manage through a traditional four-year degree program” (Hoffman 1). Siemens and similar manufacturers have kickstarted programs that use real life experience in factories and other entry level jobs to build advanced skills in recent high school graduates. The employees are given the opportunity to earn their way up within the company, eliminating the need for a diploma. Although these programs exist, the underlying issue is most employers’ outlook; to employers, a four year bachelor’s degree signals a multitude of positive attributes: commitment, proficiency in at least one subject area, and self-sufficiency. However, the completion of a training program demonstrates these same qualities and is a more fiscally responsible route to preparedness for a job. Furthermore, expendable courses taken to fulfill the mandatory amount of credit hours for graduation waste time and money. School administrations impose such standards to ensure a sizeable profit, and students in turn are being forced to hand over the majority of their savings for knowledge not relevant to their

In Goldie Blumenstyk, “Can a 20- Minute Test Tell Employers What a College Degree Cannot?” , she discusses the idea of employers administering a test to new employees to see if they are eligible for the job they are applying to. Blumenstyk looks at both sides of the argument to decide if “simple tests that employers can use to measure whether college graduates and others are really ready for the jobs they apply for” (Blumenstyk). Employers are relying on a bachelor's degree to decide whether a person is eligible for the job they are applying to, but a bachelor's doesn’t communicate all the skills required for a specific job. The administered screening can measure other skills needed in a job like critical thinking skills.

One thing a college degree provides is a valuable job, right? Or maybe not. Due to the introduction of people analytics— a method of hiring which replaces human intuition and bias with computerized tests and database searches— employers are now able to look past someones origin of education. Employers are now realizing that a college degree is just a piece of paper and does not fully represent a persons intelligence or capabilities. If this is not convincing enough, take a look at some of the most successful people in the world; for example, Bill Gates, one of the wealthiest people in the world and a college dropout. The new people analytics method being applied in the workforce is happening thanks to programs like Knack, which give statistical analysis based off of several factors including, how a person solves problems and the sequence of their actions. In Don Peck’s article, “They’re Watching You at Work,” Peck argues, without

Being seated in 9th-grade honors is an opportunity I need to be worthy of in this essay by making clear of my strengths, my fighting weaknesses, and bringing about a more desirable person in me. I wished to be forced to my limits in an honors class.

In today’s society as we know it, having a college education has become one of the most important factors when applying for a job. Jobs have begun to raise the bar for their employee’s education. Now, most employers hiring are expecting for the applicants to have an Associate’s degree. With that being said, many employers prefer hiring individuals who have obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher… but is college for everyone?

With a college degree in the business field, I know I would be able to get very far in a career. The business area requires public speaking skills, knowledge on numerous topics, as well as having a professional appearance. The classes and clubs I am apart of in high school are teaching me these skills that I can take with me throughout the rest of my life. In the real world, a majority of jobs available (related to business or not), require the abilities I have become familiar with in my classes. In FBLA, we practice role-plays set up to mimic interviews and presentations, which is preparing me for job interviews.

While having a degree in the practical field that one applies a job to may not be essential, higher education prepares one with life skills that boost one’s job performance, leading to success. In the article, Cappelli indicates that employers report that one’s college major is not that important: “ …top on the list is internships, followed by other work experience, college major…” (Cappelli, 2015, pg 1) From this, it is clear that Cappelli believes that having internships and work experience is enough to get one a job. Nonetheless a college major is more than a certificate, many life skills one learns at college will prepare them with qualities that make them job- ready. Money management would be learnt as one have a set amount of money each

Many jobs recently are requiring people to have at least a bachelor’s degree to even consider someone for a position. Now jobs are beginning to want people who have a master’s degree instead; for example “between 1973 and 2008, the share of jobs in the U.S. economy which required postsecondary education increased from 28 percent to 59 percent. According to our projections, the future promises more of the same. The share of postsecondary jobs will increase from 59 to 63 percent over the next decade” (Carnevale, pg 1). With that being said it seems more important know than ever for people to have a college

As the competition to get a decent job is increasing, it is close to impossible to obtain a high paying job without at least a bachelor's degree. Many jobs that only used to want their workers to have a high school diploma now require some college education due to their extremely complicated nature.

For starters it is known that most blue collar jobs do not require any sort of college degree. For example a construction worker does not go to college he or she usually learns on the job. Blue collar workers generally develop a good deal of “street smarts” throughout their years at a job or just from living in a specific environment. Most blue collar workers do not do well in school and tend to dropout to pursue something else. Street smarts are usually considered unimportant to schools. “Nor do we consider one of the major reasons why schools and colleges overlook the intellectual potential of street smarts: the fact that we

In present day, it is expected that after high school students continue their education to college. Therefore, it is no surprise to say that most students follow the pedigree, making a bachelor’s degree dilute to the value of a high school diploma. Yes, it is great that you obtained a bachelor’s degree, but it doesn’t differentiate you from the other hundred people who apply for the job position. Now, advanced degrees like masters and doctorates are what count. Not only does it [bachelor’s degree] not give you a better chance at an entry-level job, but also, the majority of college graduates are swimming in a pool of debt. So in the end, after all those years of studying, the dollars in debt and the chance of not even getting a job in

Collegiate institutions in the United States are increasing their student pool immensely each year as more and more students are taking the step into higher education. Students are beginning to realize the importance that a college degree holds in their future. In his book College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be, Andrew Delbanco emphasizes what college holds for an attendee, and what the attendee should intake, but also justifies the purpose of college concisely through elaborate explanations regarding his reasoning. Higher education in the United States is becoming the means through which individuals are attaining the “minimum qualification for entry into the skilled labor market” (Delbanco, 25), which is otherwise known as a Bachelor’s Degree. But to successfully graduate with a Bachelor’s degree, one must be admitted to college. More than often, however, college applicants cannot get into the school that they desire to step forth into. Certain aspects of their application do not surpass the qualifications that are held by the school, such as standardized test scores. Standardized test scores should not decide the next step for dedicated students, and should not limit their potential as successful individuals, hence should not restrain the student from attaining a Bachelor’s degree. It has been clearly recognized that individuals with a BA degree can far surpass those with solely a high school diploma, “...and there is abundant evidence that people with a college degree

Ryan parada My goal in Come Back Kids before I left in 2014 was to finish high school. My plan originally was to have graduated by the time I was 20 years old, and had even excelled in college by now. At the time I didn’t have any strategies in place which caused me to lose focus and leave CBK. I suppose if I had strategies, I would have already completed school .

Many people in the United States view college as being an excellent use of time and money. College is an opportunity to further your education and get the job of your dreams. Many employers will hire someone with a Bachelor’s degree over those with just a high school diploma because, college teaches many important skills giving these students the advantage. Mikahail Zinshteyn from HechingerReport reported that college graduates with a Bachelor’s degree scored higher on a literacy test than those without a degree. The study also showed that college graduates that earned a Bachelor’s degree got the top score on the literacy test three times more often than those with just a high school diploma