Having a College Education, Essay Example

The importance of having a college education may be analyzed in terms of the effects of such an education. According to the social and economic structure of contemporary society, education is one of the key means by which an individual is able to develop and reach one’s potential. Furthermore, college education contributes to the growth of an individual, as the opportunity is given to empower oneself through knowledge. In the following essay, we shall examine the effects of a college education in terms of how education allows for the possibility of individual fulfillment within society.

One of the primary effects of education is that it allows one to become qualified to work in certain sectors of the economy that would be foreclosed to those lacking a college education. For example, many jobs require a minimum level of completed education in order to apply for the position. In other cases, the completed education demonstrates that a job applicant has the necessary skills to perform in his or her vocation. In other words, the importance of a college education is that it demonstrates the competence of the job applicant. Thus, the immediate effect of a college education is that it opens various possibilities in the employment world.

One of the most significant parts of present-day American society is the economic system. To the extent that America functions according to a capitalist approach to economics, competition is emphasized as one of the founding aspects of society. In this regard, a college education is a means by which the graduate gains a competitive advantage in both the work place and job market. For example, when hiring, employers will consider the various merits and drawbacks of the applicants. In this regard, the effect of a college education is that it demonstrates that the applicant has completed a higher level of education, which evinces the seriousness, commitment and intelligence of the applicant. Various authors have noted such an importance of college education, particularly in the business world. Michael Useem observes that: “The importance of earning a college degree for entry into business is reconfirmed by the educational profile of the 505 surveyed managers. Nearly 9 out of 10 had graduated from college, signifying that without a college credential one’s prospects for advancement in the corporate hierarchy are very limited.” (Useem, 166) Thus, as Useem observes, not only is an effect of college education the potential for gaining access to the business world, but moreover, the possibility of ascending the vocational ladder is tied to this very same education.

This is not to say that college education is only relevant to the attainment of professional goals. One of the positive effects of college education can be considered to be the personal growth that arises from the didactic experience. Harry Silberman writes that education “may contribute to the growth of students’ personal qualities along many dimensions.” (Silberman, 311) Thus, there is a noted individual dimension to education that is one of its positive effects. From a personal perspective, the college education provides the student with access to knowledge, the ability to perform various tasks, and a confidence to achieve various goals. Furthermore, college education provides the student with the opportunity to encounter fellow students, peers and professors. Thus, an effect of college education is that it grants the individual the possibility of experiencing an invigorating environment. While every individual who attends college will appropriate these experiences in his or her own unique way, it is precisely this individual growth that manifests itself throughout the experience of higher education.

The effects of embarking on a college education may thus be summarized as producing positive repercussions on both a social and individual level. According to the structure of the contemporary economy, education allows for possibilities in the work place, while also granting the opportunity for subsequent career advancement. On an individual level, a college education has the effects of producing growth in the individual’s personality, through the exposure to knowledge and members of the academic community, while also fostering a sense of achievement.

Works Cited

Silberman, Harry F. (1982). Education and Work. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Useem, Michael. (1989). Liberal Education and the Corporation: The Hiring and Advancement of College Graduates. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter.