Zane Rhyne

Mrs. Layton

English 1010

February 22nd, 2019

Does one need to attend college to succeed in life?

Topic Introduction

For most people, college is a no-brainer; college graduates are traditionally more skilled

and respected in their fields - in the words of Francis Bacon, “knowledge is power,” whether that

be the power to influence or succeed. Indeed, those with more educational experience typically

excel in tasks and have the privilege of getting better jobs than those that never obtained a

college degree; many with big aspirations even go on to flourish in other higher education

studies and obtain a Master’s degree or a PhD; others just use college as a mere stepping stone

on their way to law and medical school. However, some people go to college with the sole

intention of living a more self-fulfilling and meaningful life; they major in the Liberal Arts to

obtain a more optimistic outlook on life and leave it at that.

Unfortunately, there aren’t as many students achieving greatness after college as we’d

like. Knowledge is only power when put into practice; many who graduate from college cease

continuation on the higher education path, instead ending their education with college - for most,

this works out for them, but for others, it’s still not enough to get them a decent job. For

example, many who go to college to major in the Liberal Arts often fail to acquire a skill set that

lands them a good job due to their major’s self-fulfilling nature.

But what about those who don’t go to college at all? How do they fare in the career

world? Well, some people do just fine; plumbers and electricians, for example, don’t need to get

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college degrees to become certified in their fields. Rather, they attend technical colleges, taking

1-year classes that prepare them well enough for their desired job. Both plumbers and

electricians are blue-collar jobs and are able to make around $90 an hour, so there’s no needed

debate over the usefulness of technical college or the livelihood of certain blue-collar careers.

But how did blue-collar workers fare in the past?

In the early 1900’s, there were fewer than 1,000 colleges in the US, of which only

160,000 students were enrolled. It was fairly typical for only a single child in a family to attend

college at first, often due to the expense of the measure. Nowadays, a significant portion of high

school students go to college, despite their exponentially rising tuition costs, the rising dropout

rates, and the fact that a 4-year college degree no longer guarantees you a decent job in the career

you’re interested in. It would seem that many students go to college not because they want to,

but because of the societal pressure in doing so or because they lack direction, simply going to

college as a last resort in an attempt to either carry on family tradition or because they have no

other higher-education plans. In 2006, there were more than 4,140 colleges, universities and

technical schools combined, with approximately 17.4 million students continually enrolled. We

should expect that with such a large number of people going to college, there’d be much

satisfaction and success attained. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case; with student loan debt going

through the roof and the stress that places on a student and their family, it’s no wonder why some

people are opting out of college and choosing instead to try their luck in the blue-collar industry.

Why are so many students going to college under the pretense that it will lead to success

and overall happiness when there is a 57% national average completion rate? The factors that

lead a student to choose a private college over a public college are often based on pressures that

are not motivating enough to finish college and don’t prove to bring the student success.

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 In a similar vein, how do community colleges fare in comparison to regular colleges or

universities? Are four years really better than two, and what differences and benefits do

community colleges offer in comparison to, say, for-profit colleges?

The illusion that college will lead to career or life success also ties in with what you put

into college and how dedicated a student is - the same applies with how a student uses their

resources when they decide to not attend college. As stated above, knowledge is only power

when put into practice, and the institution is not always at fault when considering dropout and

unemployment rates. This brings us back to our main inquiry: all things considered, does one

need to attend college to succeed in life?

Major Debates and Commentary

One could argue that success can only be obtained by proper use of one’s resources.

College, for example, could be one resource, and their majors are huge motivators in their future

career choices. If one is unable to go to college, they could utilize other resources, such as

obtaining a job in the blue-collar fields. Who promotes each of these choices, though, and what

are their benefits and downsides?

No topic has just two argumentative viewpoints; considering this fact, what are the major

(and minor) views based around the topic of college and its usefulness?

The popular opinion is that college is one of the best investments that one can make in

their life - it will give them life skills and give them the competitive edge necessary to get the job

they want. Some colleges also offer internships so that students can get experience for the job

they want while still in college, earning a little money in the process. Not only that, they could

argue that college is a great place to socialize and make friends and gain connections.

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 Family tradition also often plays a large role in college selection and attendance; children

will often attend their parent’s alma mater for a number if reasons: because they wish to follow

in the same footsteps, they know what to expect, or because they only have the financial capacity

to attend the alma mater of their parents.

College is a huge financial decision, and requires an immense amount of thought,

especially when it comes to the decision of whether or not one wants to take out a loan.

Unfortunately, students can make disastrous decisions when the chance of going to their dream

college is at stake. Robin Wilson details this in his essay “A Lifetime of Student Debt? Not

Likely.” Many students will take out huge loans to go to their dream collage; oftentimes this is

because they are financially inept and don’t understand the long-lasting effects of taking out

loans, or because aggressive recruiters convince them to. While college can be affordable when

paired with scholarships, some don’t have the opportunities to receive said scholarships, often

because they didn’t do well enough in high school to be eligible recipients.

Debt isn’t always crushing, however - students studying for high-end white-collar jobs

often pay off their student loans quickly due to their higher pay.

Some people go to college to get a job afterwards - they’ll work to get a Bachelor’s

degree that will surely give them a job suited to their major and skills. Unfortunately, it isn’t that

easy. According to Charles Murray in his essay “Are Too Many People Going to College,” about

a third of students hoping to gain a B.A. “leave [college] without one.” He continues that a B.A.

is not just hard to obtain, it’s “a symbol of first-class citizenship,” and the inability to earn a B.A.

means you are “too dumb or too lazy.” Murray says that employers will often fully disregard

those without a B.A., despite the fact that a B.A. consists of knowledge useless to their major and

career.

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 Despite the flaws associated with college, there are also several great things about it.

Depending on your goals in college, you may choose to either focus on career skills or Liberal

Arts. Focusing on career learning will help when choosing a desirable and suitable job later on,

and studying the Liberal Arts will strengthen one’s own view of the world and help in

appreciating life’s various marvels.

Even so, it makes sense why some people would want to avoid four years of expensive

college attendance that may or may not land them a job after their hard work. Instead, some turn

to a different solution: the community college.

Community colleges appeal to many due to their lenient acceptance requirements and the

fact that they are typically far more affordable than a typical college. They also provide similar

educational plans to that of typical colleges and universities, but instead condense the learning

into two years rather than four. Simply put, the community college accepts people from all

backgrounds to a place “that unconditionally allows its students to just begin,” says Liz Addison

in her essay “Two Years are Better Than Four.”

However, students shouldn’t have to settle for community colleges if they are not eligible

for the full college experience. Murray argues that college education should be available to

everyone and not just the intellectually elite. This sentiment is also shared by Andrew Hacker

and Claudia Dreifus, who stated in their essay “Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission?”

that all Americans should be persuaded to attend college as all are capable of completing college

work.

Despite the claims that everyone is capable of going to college, some people just simply

don’t want to. Murray himself says that even some people that have the capability of absorbing a

college education “have no interest in doing so.” So where do these people go instead?

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 Some consider the blue-collar fields places where big dreams go to die: the final resting

place of once-great ambitions. Mike Rose disagrees, though. In his observational essay “Blue-

Collar Brilliance,” he details the bright minds behind those that work within the blue-collar

fields. According to Rose, most blue-collar workers haven’t even finished high school. This fact

doesn’t mean those that work within the blue-collar fields are thoughtless drones, though.

Despite their lack of formal education, Rose explains that tasks and work associated with these

fields does, in fact, require some brainpower. He says that they use both “body and brain” to

accomplish tasks, and that their seemingly “routine tasks” require an intense amount of

knowledge of the materials and tools on hand. Math is still used quite often in measurements and

with tools, and problem-solving is an essential part of everyday work in the blue-collar

environment.

Certain blue-collar jobs are actually quite financially rewarding, such as plumbing or

being an electrician as briefly mentioned in the introduction to this review, despite them

requiring only basic foundations in math and science.

The term “blue-collar” carries a stigma, however; one of the first things one imagines

upon hearing the term is the food industry - often, these thoughts conjure up images of poorly-

staffed workspaces, filled with teenagers that have been worked into the ground. Many consider

these jobs as a poor substitute for a “proper” job. While these perceptions may not appear

harmful at first, the real harm comes when the populace starts generalizing the whole of blue-

collar careers as poorly-staffed, poorly-paid, and poorly-run businesses. This is most definitely

not the case. Blue-collar careers support many facets of society, such as the food industry,

construction, and repair. A great deal of intelligence and skill is required in many of these fields -

in fact, practically every job requires skill and intelligence. Unfortunately, intelligence is all too

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often solely associated “with formal education” according to Rose, and this sentiment is a

possible source of the stigma surrounding blue-collar jobs, as it fuels the belief that work

“requiring less schooling requires less intelligence.”

One can thrive in the blue-collar fields, but there will probably always be those that look

down upon those employed in those positions. Rather than consider these employees a “lower

tier” of worker, we should be considering them another essential part of a well-functioning

society.

Doctors, lawyers, and other highly-categorized white-collar careers will always be

needed, just as much as plumbers, repairmen, food industry, and other blue-collar workers will

always be needed. There’s a reason we have multiple college options, and even options for those

that decide not to attend college, or finish school in any regard. Each chosen path leads to

different opportunities concerning employment and can allow anyone to succeed in their chosen

field. However, success should not be classified solely by someone’s financial income; rather, it

should be classified by how well someone thrives in their work environment and how much they

contribute to the world around them.

Areas of Further Inquiry

The topic of whether or not college is a worthwhile use of one’s time is obviously quite a

controversial one; it would appear that there are both positives and negatives of attending college

versus not attending college. Some would argue that college is a priority that will lead to a

quality career or a possible high salary position, while others argue that the student loan debt and

pointlessness of certain classes are not worth the trouble. Again, some people choose to not go to

college at all, opting to instead work in a blue-collar field. The arguments supporting this path

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may say that one gets to avoid a college education while still getting a job, while naysayers will

say that blue-collar jobs are unbeneficial and a waste of one’s educational and career potential.

Others will compromise, though, and go to a technical school rather than receive a full four-year

college education. This is beneficial for those that want to continue their education and extend

their skills a little more while avoiding the hassles that universities and colleges present (student

loan debt, unguaranteed job after graduation, the amount of time and effort that must be placed

into the courses, etc.).

These points are just the tip of the iceberg, though, and only describe a few of many

viewpoints and opinions. While there are an innumerable facets that could be presented in

regards to this discussion, mentioning only the biggest contenders may prove more beneficial

than listing every possible viewpoint. Furthermore, as most of these influential contenders have

already been listed, one could argue that the discussion could be put on hold as other facets are

sought out.

Sir Ken Robinson brings up excellent points when discussing the modern school system

in his essay “Changing Education Paradigms”. He speaks on the current school model and the

effects it has on the minds of students; specifically, he says that the way schools categorize

students and classes is all based around standardization rather than the students’ academic

ability. On the topic of academic ability, he argues that students are often sorted into two groups:

“academic” and “non-academic,” the academic being those that excel in school while the non-

academic are those that do not do well. The problem with this model, Robinson argues, is that

brilliant students that don’t do well in school believe they are simply unintelligent (a good

example of a student like this would be Albert Einstein), while, in reality, they have been

“judged against this particular view of the mind.” These notions negatively affect how many

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students look at college and a future career - Robinson even states that kids don’t believe college

will lead to jobs because it’s not even a guarantee anymore.

Another issue that students face in school is they are discouraged from “copying” and

“looking”, actions that are considered cheating, despite these actions being labelled

“collaboration” in work environments and places outside of school. It’s no wonder, then, why

some students don’t look forward to college after being restricted during their school years.

David Foster Wallace, on the other hand, in his commencement address, explains how

college benefits a student. His main focus was on the Liberal Arts, a subject that many go to

college to study. He argues that the benefits of college outweigh its troubles, and that a Liberal

Arts course can change your life by teaching you how to think differently. Because it’s difficult

to maintain the thought processes of staying continually aware of the world around you, Wallace

claims that their education would prove to truly be “the job of a lifetime.”

While Wallace’s address may seem out-of-place, it’s truly not - it shows a different facet

of the argument, one that shows how one could use a particular college education. Similarly,

Robinson’s essay simply shows how and why some students view college as an obstacle.

College should be considered a simple fork in the road. One can take it to try and find

their way, or take the other path to seek a different route. If the path doesn’t lead to a desired or

preferable outcome, it is simple enough to backtrack and take the other route. College shouldn’t

be mandatory; instead, it should be (and already technically is) an optional route. One doesn’t

need to go to college to be successful, but it will help if one wants to continue their education

and further their career opportunities.

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 Works Cited

Addison, Liz. “Two Years Are Better than Four.” NY Times, 26 Sept. 2007,

essay.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/26/two-years-are-better-than-four/.

Birkenstein, C, and Durst, R. (Eds.) “They Say / I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic

Writing (2nd ed., pp. 179-189). New York: W. W. Norton & Company

Cooper, Preston. “College Completion Rates Are Still Disappointing.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine,

19 Dec. 2017, www.forbes.com/sites/prestoncooper2/2017/12/19/college-completion-

rates-are-still-disappointing/#34ae598e263a.

Hacker, A., & Dreifus, C. (2012). Are Colleges Worth the Price of Admission? In Graff, G.,

Murray, Charles. “Are Too Many People Going to College?” AEI, American Enterprise Institute,

8 Sept. 2008, www.aei.org/publication/are-too-many-people-going-to-college-2/.

Robinson, Ken. “Changing Education Paradigms.” RSA Animate | Changing Education

Paradigms, 16 June 2008, www.thersa.org/globalassets/pdfs/blogs/rsa-lecture-ken-

robinson-transcript.pdf.

Rose, Mike. “Blue-Collar Brilliance.” The American Scholar: Blue-Collar Brilliance - Mike

Rose, The American Scholar, 1 June 2009, theamericanscholar.org/blue-collar-

brilliance/#.XAsWDGhKguU.

Wallace, David Foster. “This Is Water by David Foster Wallace (Full Transcript and Audio).”

Farnam Street, 18 May 2018, fs.blog/2012/04/david-foster-wallace-this-is-water/.

Wilson, Robin. “A Lifetime of Student Debt? Not Likely.” The Chronicle of Higher Education,

The Chronicle of Higher Education, 22 May 2009, www.chronicle.com/article/A-

Lifetime-of-Student-Debt-/44374.

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“History of Higher Education in the United States.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Nov.

2018,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_higher_education_in_the_United_States#Twentieth_ce

ntury.

“Number of U.S. Colleges and Universities and Degrees Awarded, 2005.” Infoplease,

Infoplease, 5 Feb. 2019, www.infoplease.com/us/higher-education/number-us-colleges-

and-universities-and-degrees-awarded-2005.

“Undergraduate Enrollment.” National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a

Part of the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics,

nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cha.asp.

“Unemployment Rate 2.1 Percent for College Grads, 4.3 Percent for High School Grads in April

2018.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 10 May 2018,

www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/unemployment-rate-2-1-percent-for-college-grads-4-3-

percent-for-high-school-grads-in-april-2018.htm?view_full.

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