The Necessity Of Postsecondary Education Essay

In his Essay “Are too many people going to college,” first published in a 2008 issue of AEI, Charles Murray explores many insights onto the topic of furthering education as well as exploring various other options to pursue after high school. Who exactly would think that too many people are going to college? Well with more and more students flooding campuses at the end of every school year and less and less going into trade schools, a shift in the job market is just beginning to be seen on the horizon. Charles Murray’s essay “Are too many people going to college” shows that not only are there other avenues to pursue a potential life long career, but that much of the time pursuing these avenues may offer better results for some wanting to go to college.

On the contrary, people without a college education are unlikely to earn the life’s coaching skills and necessary knowledge to live a successful life. Mary E. William in her book Education: Opposing View Points argues, “What is a society like without civility, honesty, considerateness, and self-discipline? Without a population educated to civility, educated to be

In the essay “Are Too Many People Going to College,” writer Charles Murray explains that not everyone is in need of going to college for three main reasons: a liberal education should be gained in elementary and middle school, many people already have knowledge and skills necessary for a technical career, and many students are in college to “buy an admission ticket-the B.A.” (246) and ensure employers consider their resume. Murray does not argue anything against college itself but more against society and especially the education system. Murray also accuses guidance counselors and parents of “automatically encouraging young people to go to college straight out of high school being thoughtless about the best interests of young people” (249).

A college degree is a valuable asset that could ultimately lead to a productive life in society due to the received education, but people without a college degree do turn out more than adequate in regards to societal success. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the forecasted 30 fastest growing jobs between 2010 and 2020, five do not require a high school diploma, nine require a high school diploma, four require an associate 's degree, six require a bachelor 's degree, and six require graduate degrees to get the jobs (College). In an article called “College Education” by ProCon.org,

From the opening paragraph to the closing statement, Murray produces an argument that will hopefully lead the reader to begin developing a better way for people to achieve maximum satisfaction other than being forced to get a college education (PARAGRAPH 50).

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.

Perry also says, “If we continue to tell everyone to acquire a college degree, we lessen the pool of people who will do the jobs that keep our world running smoothly.” (681). This is true, if we did not have people working at fast food restaurants how would you eat on your way to work? If we did not have people working at gas stations, how would you get gas? Not everyone needs college. Not everyone needs a college degree. If you want to have a fun day out with your family and go bowling or skating, if there was nobody that worked their how would your family have fun? You would not be able to. The workers not going to college and getting degrees are providing an easy and fun life for the people getting degrees and going to college. Without them, there would be no gas stations, fast food restaurants, grocery stores, etc. People need to also realize, that maybe they do not have the money to go to college, or maybe they like what they are doing. There is also so much judging upon the people not attending college and it is ruthless. Who is to say others have a say so in whether or not you can discourage them?

In this article, Murray argues that many people go to college when it is not actually necessary for them to do so. He begins by explaining that obtaining a liberal education, while it is important to cultural participation, is not a good reason for everyone to go to college. Instead, he says that this education should occur much earlier, beginning in elementary school. Murray also believes that the in depth analysis of information that occurs college is too difficult for most people to enjoy, and many simply aren't academically capable. Even for those who are able, he claims that four years of college is much more than most professions actually need. He states that many people believe that getting a degree is the key to getting a

Another option offered by Minnesota high schools is a post-secondary enrollment option. This option is comprised of two programs offered to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors: the Post-Secondary Education Option (PSEO) and College in the Schools (CIS). These programs are administered by the Minnesota Department of Education and offer high school students to enroll in college courses while still attending high school. The PSEO program allows the students to attend a local college or university that has been approved to be offered to high school students. The College in the Schools option allows high school students to take the college level course from a certified high school teacher. In this option however the high school

The decision to obtain a higher education beyond high school is no longer a question of if, but when. This is the question that author Caroline Bird discusses in her article, “College is a Waste of Time and Money,” written in 1975. This text strives to convince students, parents, and advisors that obtaining a degree might not be in the best interest for those involved. Circling around the idea that college is a requirement and no longer an act of free will. Bird starts the article off strongly by building her credibility through her own personal research and other credible sources as well as appealing to readers through logical reasoning using numerous statistics, but fails to convince readers and discredits her ultimate goal through a disconnect in her use of analogies.

In his writing, “Are Too Many People Going to College”, he talks about how a student should have already learned what they needed to learn in college and how it might not be necessary for them to even go to college. An example in his writing that gives reason as to why college may be pointless was when he gave a hypothetical situation about a student deciding on whether to attend university or skip college and become an electrician. Murray portrays the student through his thought process and reasoning, showing that the student had looked up the wages of an electrician, if it had sensible job security and the cost of attending college. The authors use of a detailed description of the student’s endeavors and going through the thought process really lets the reader see the student’s viewpoint through their own eyes. Nonetheless in this example, going to college proved pointless because the student would have made more money becoming an electrician than getting a degree due to the soaring cost of tuition for

Although this is a persuasive piece, it seems as if the arguments are not explicitly stated, but greatly implied throughout the passage. If we dig down deep to find the main argument, Murray believes that too many people are in fact going to study at college. Within the introduction, Murray states that, “More people should be going to college, not fewer. Yes and no,” (Murray 223). Before he could get ahead of himself with answering his own question, he looks at the big picture overall. He examines the statistics of the financial situations regarding college as well as the competence of potential students (Murray 235).

Petra Pepellashi states that “Rhetoric most definitely contains the force to shake one to the bones to wake up and redefine and reconsider various aspects of one’s world.” She continues to explain that “it is an elective class taught in college, and it doesn’t necessarily point one toward defining oneself and the criteria by which one chooses to live” (540). A person who does not have a higher education will have to work harder and will most probably have to be satisfied with a lower paid position. He or she will end up living a lower quality lifestyle. It is therefore up to each individual to make the right choices when it comes to education. Daniel Bruno stated that “One more argument claims that because we live in a democracy, we must be well-educated” (253). Most Americans place high value on the basic principles on which our democratic society is based: “…of the people, by the people, and for the people…” A person that gets good education will become a more dependable worker, a better citizen, and a stronger consumer. A democracy depends upon a well-educated and informed citizenry, and society expects schools, universities, and colleges to perform this

related product testing and included in the “Effort” factor. When it comes to health related

In the essay “On ‘Real Education’,” author Robert T. Perry refutes the beliefs of Charles Murray, who in his book, writes that it is a waste of time trying to get everybody a college education, as some people do not have the academic abilities to endure it. Perry thinks that it will greatly damage the American society if we removed all of the students that Murray believes do not belong in college. He first gives reasons on why having more college graduates will benefit the American economy. He then goes on to say how educated people are more suitable to do certain jobs and live more enjoyable lives than people who do not go to college. Lastly, he gives solutions on how to get more Americans in college to have a chance at getting a degree. By his use of credible sources, appealing to logic, and effectively refuting the opposition, Perry successfully persuades his audience of young students and their parents that people are more successful and overall happy in their lives when they have a college degree. However, his lack of real life examples and background on his own education slightly weakens his argument.