Turn The Tides By Thomas Friedman

A high school diploma is no longer enough to ensure success in the globalized world we live in. Low skill jobs made available by a high school education are, as time goes by, more and more likely to be automated or sent overseas. Even college degrees sometimes fail to secure their holders a solid career. Technology keeps advancing, and as it pushes forward, many workers look to education to stay relevant. Thomas Friedman, New York Times journalist and author of “The World Is Flat”, says "...its not only what you know but how you learn that will set you apart. Because what you know today will be out of date sooner than you think" (309). Friedman acknowledges that in today’s ever-changing world, you must continually learn new things, and as

“What’s the key to success in the United States?”(Steinberg,2010), author Jacques Steinberg starts off his article “Plan B: Skip College” with a powerful question that has been asked by many Americans. Majority of Americans first thoughts would be higher education. The ideology that obtaining a degree is the best and sometimes only way to be successful in the American economy. This has been instilled in numerous children growing up. Steinberg states “perhaps no more than half of who began a four-year bachelor's degree program in the fall of 2006 will get that degree within six years according to the department of education”(Steinberg,2010). Students who tend to not excel in high school often take longer, or at times finish a higher education at all. These

Since the first GI Bill was passed after World War II universities have been steadily increasing. Currently there are more than 4000 college like institutions in the United States. Public policy has been making higher education more reachable for example by creating federal student loan programs so everyone has a chance to attend college. But recently we have seen the cost of a four year degree drastically increase because Americans are seeing college as an obligation. “On “Real Education”” Robert T. Perry argues that we need more university and community college graduates. “Is College for Everyone” Pharinet is

Marty Nemko, in the article, “We Send Too Many Students To College,” acknowledges that colleges have become obscenely expensive and that it is possible to be successful without going to college. Arguing that too many students are sent to college without realizing that it is not imperative, Nemko targets parents in his claims that colleges focus on educating in the cheapest way possible and most importantly, that the advantage of past college graduates in the job market is declining. One of his main reasons is that even though the average college graduate makes more money, hundreds of thousands of students in the bottom half of their high school class do not succeed in higher education. Nemko’s article is the most persuasive article on whether college education still has value as he argues that college is not beneficial to everyone through demonstrations of hyperbole, and figurative language.

Grounds B1: A summary of President Barack Obama’s speech presented by Christopher Hass, “President Obama on Higher Education and Reforming Student Loans,” published in April 2009 by My.BarackObama.com, “There are few things as fundamental to the American Dream or as essential for America 's success as a good education.  This has never been more true than it is today.  At a time when our children are competing with kids in China and India, the best job qualification you can have is a college degree or advanced training.  If you do have that kind of education, then you 're well prepared for the future -- because half of the fastest growing jobs in America require a Bachelor 's degree or more.  And if you don 't have a college degree, you 're more than twice as likely to be unemployed as somebody who does.  So the stakes could not be higher for young people like Stephanie.”

In her Newsweek article “On the Coming Burst of the College Bubble” Megan McArdle, a Washington, D.C. journalist focuses on the concerns of the crippling financial struggles that college students continue to face. In this intricate article McArdle captures the essence of this crisis. Critical in her reading is recognizing that for some, the school system works, yielding decent jobs and an effective rate of return on investment; for the vast majority, however, too many college graduates are suffocating under a mountain of accumulated debt, with very limited opportunities for employment and no acquired skill. Why then do the vast numbers attend college? Many people believe that one must get a college education in order to gain the benefits that were assumed would go along with it: “an education that would last a lifetime, a better job, and

Every child dreams about what they want to be when they grow up: every kindergarten class is full of hopeful teachers, nurses, chefs, and astronauts, desperately waiting for the day that they can go out into the real world and be whoever they want to be. However, as these children become teenagers and then young adults, these dreams seem to drift farther and farther away, clouded by pressures of college costs and student debt; and these students’ hopes are cut off just as the whole world should be opening to them. Every country relies on its next generation to take the place of the current one, and to make the country grow and thrive in the future. Educating the next generation of doctors, lawyers,

The unattainable “American Dream” seems to be becoming even more of a fantasy as the rising costs of collegiate education deter many from pursuing higher education. Student loan debt is now creeping to an average of $30,000 and there appears to be no end to this rising number. Lower income families find themselves unable to send their children to college without a major financial impact. These kids who are hoping to get a degree of their own, to help support themselves and those they love, struggle to make ends meet as they pay off their loans. College expenses are far too expensive for students because scholarships lag behind tuition fees, the middle class struggles to receive the financial aid it needs, and universities in general believe that they can raise the price of tuition due to the increasing amount of government aid to education

(INTRO) During the recent Presidential Address in January, Barack Obama introduced a groundbreaking new idea; free community college. Upon approval, the proposal would provide all students in the United States who maintain a 2.5 GPA, go to school at least part-time, and make steady progress toward degree completion with free education (Community College Week, par. 16). As the world powers continue to improve education systems, the United States is undoubtedly falling more and more behind, and many believe that this program would be a good beginning to closing the educational gap with other nations. There is no debate that free college would change the educational “game” by allowing millions of students to access free college annually; however, many politicians doubt that the available resources (especially economically) are adequate to cover such a plan. (THESIS) America’s College Promise is merely a proposal designed to spark the conversation over higher education structure; the program is frankly impractical, as the detail and necessary

Marleen Clapp, a doctorate holder in higher education administration from Boston believes “In many aspects, a four-year college degree has essentially replaced the high school diploma as the necessary preparation for a career in the modern information economy. Higher-order skills, including critical- and creative-thinking abilities, are often required to compete globally” (Driscoll, Clapp). In this day in age, a high school diploma can only get an individual so far. The importance of college in the United States has been continually growing. While the importance of getting a higher education has grown, college tuition prices have risen as well.

The job market is evolving, causing college to be essential to anyone that wants to pursue a job. In a 2012 speech, President Barack Obama said that “right now, the unemployment rate for Americans with a college degree or more is about half the national average” (Lemann). This shows that even with a college degree, the job market is changing, causing many students to be unemployed.Yet at the same time, people that have a college education are better off than those without one. Moreover, the current job market is becoming more information based, which requires more literacy, math skills and critical thinking. Since the United States is not fully prepared with an education system that only requires kindergarten through 12th grade, the United States must outsource jobs overseas to have necessary tasks be completed. This not only takes

Since the day we were born, we were taught that going to college was something we were expected to achieve. Having a degree is considered, to be a vital success in our culture. But decades later the rising of tuition for higher education has been growing at almost twice the rate, and also for the high unemployment for the recent graduates; so is college a necessity or a luxury? According to Bernie Sander a former Congressman and Senator from Vermont agreed, that there should be access to free college, like the one we already have in our public schools, across the United States, from kindergarten to twelfth grade. It was never like this, but it took a movement and pressure from the progressives, until it was accomplished, in the beginning of the 1890, where it became a reality all across the nation.” By 1940, half of all young people were graduating from high school. As of 2013, that number was 81 percent. But that achievement is no longer enough. A college degree is the new high school diploma (Sander).” Many of us believe that it natural to be in debt, after we graduate college, thinking that there some imaginary job, expecting us with open arms. Let us not, talk about the one who found their dream career, by knowing someone or sheer luck, but the ones who are struggling with the debt, that they cannot pay off and forcing them to still live with their parents, and working dead-end jobs getting payed minimum wage. Knowing that they have a degree

The United States today is a paradox, where corporations prosper despite the dire economic state of the rest of the country (Reich, 519-520). This paradox continues to remain true, despite any individual effort a person may make. As Robert Reich, a political economist and professor at Berkeley concludes, this is because the workforce is shifting from the manufacturing industry to service jobs and mostly, jobs that require college degrees(519-521). Presently in the U.S., one 's competitive position in the world economy is starting to depend one’s function, and in this environment, the rich prosper (Reich, 519-520). In response to this situation, many now view a college degree as a key to success, and are seeking out higher education.

As years pass by, the world we know is becoming flat. Thomas L. Friedman the author of the book The World is Flat explains the flat world as, “Countries from around the world can now compete for global knowledge work as never before—and that America had better get ready for this challenge” (7). Essentially meaning that anyone from any place can compete against Americans for American jobs. This lead to America losing its edge. A solution to address this issue is to give free college.

Two decades ago people rarely questioned the value of a college education, at that time, college education was a shortcut to the top class of the population. However, there are many and more young students who preparing to graduate from high school, question about whether or not they should pursue a higher education at a university or go to the job market. It’s easy to see why. Tuition costs of college education seems to always be on the rise. Attending college can be a very difficult financial struggle for students who live in a middle class family. Americans have started borrowing more money than ever for higher education. Many students have to bear the high amount of student loans after graduation. Based on those facts, many people are questioning