idea? idea? v.2.0

response: a welcome and a challenge

“Is higher education in America today worth it?” Well, I think one has to consider the "it." Does this refer to the money spent on education, or does it refer to one's own notion of success in life? I'm going to go at this issue by looking at the latter of these questions, because I think a library card will get you far greater access to knowledge for your dollar than a college education will.

For many, graduating from an institution of higher learning does not serve as an end, but as a mean or accomplishment en route to broader happiness in life. This notion is especially true in America, where wealth is closely (though falsely) associated with success, and college grads have a higher income than non-college graduates on average.

Affiliation with a college or university also provides the superficial notion of success when others congratulate or are in awe of the institution the individual attends or attended. Thus, we have thousands of station wagons (no offense Steve, my mom drives one) with school decals on their back windows and countless sweatshirts sporting college and university names. As America's economy became the powerhouse it now is, following WWII and more people began seeking higher education; the very American notion of capitalism became associated with finding a good job (via college). In this way, it seems college became the "American" thing to do, or at least, a portion of the "American Dream."

With higher education holding such a revered status in American society, Kanye West's depiction of "the dropout" comes as a very counter-culture idea. Maybe it's marketing, or maybe Kanye truly feels that higher education holds little correlation to success, but either way – Mr. West's proclamation revokes a traditional symbol of American success.

My own personal feelings on whether college is “worth it” depend upon who you are, not what you know.
a.) Just as those who go to the finest schools in the world but can not commit themselves to a field will not build successful careers, those who are able to find a job they truly love will succeed in it, no matter what school they go to. This does mean, however, that one must have a degree of financial stability to begin with (i.e. mommy and daddy), as most people are not going to be able to work a job, afford housing and schooling without some monetary backing.
b.) If you believe that financial success is an aspect of "it," then yes, for 99,999 out of 100,000 people, college is worth it.

In conclusion, I think this question will be more answerable in twenty years when I've finished my schooling. But from what I can reason at this early stage, college is not necessary for financial success and even less important for gaining knowledge... but for the rest of us who aren't Kanye West or Malcolm in the Middle and still believe financial stability is necessary for success (which is ultimately content), college is a rather nice safety blanket.

posted by Michael D. @ 23:17