Who needs a college education? Some kids think there is nothing to be gained from college. They don’t need a college degree to earn enough money to get by. I have friends who think that way. They are pleased with their decision. College is about more than the job you might get with your degree. The learning in college isn’t all about your career. It’s also about offering people diverse experiences and helping them become critical thinkers.
College education is not about knowing all the answers; it’s about learning how to ask the right questions. It is valuable to wonder about the world. The more you learn in life or in school, the more you realize how much you don’t know. I n the passage selection from Ronald Barnett, The Idea of Higher Education, Ronald states that “A higher education experience is not complete unless the student realises that, no matter how much effort is put in, or how much library research, there are no final answers.” This to me is not necessarily an argument pro or against higher secondary education. Instead what I think that he is trying to say is that learning is not something to finish. Think Copernicus – the mathematician/astronomer who figured out that the Sun is the center of the universe – not the Earth. If he had accepted the thinking of his time, we still would think that the Sun “rises” and goes around the Earth each day.
Don’t humans know everything by now? Really, what’s left to discover anyway.
In the second passage Martha Nussbaum talks about how the U.S. has a “liberal arts” model of learning. I would definitely agree with this after my first semester of college. At UNE exploratory courses are required to graduate. These basically mean that you have to go out of your selected path and try something new. It is a good idea in the sense that
someone will probably stumble upon something that they really enjoy and pursue it. When you try something new you are more likely to be challenged. And as Ronald Barnett said in his passage it is good to be challenged. Challenges provide us with the chance to analyze what we chose to do at the time and improve upon our choices. Every child who studies violin may not be a concert violinist, but the study teaches an appreciation of music. In the student who takes a painting class may not be the next Monet, but might grow to understand a variety of ways to express ideas. The world is diverse and amazing.
My view on the way that school and higher education have evolved is that it is mandatory for some people to get a higher secondary education. However, it is not true to say that everyone needs a degree to be successful in life. For me, I would like to work in the realm of search and rescue. So I definitely will be able to get more involved faster having graduated with a medical degree. For my friends up in North Conway who are in trade school, that form of learning is much more beneficial for them. They will be out of school and working in their selected carrer much faster than it would be if they had gone back to school for a secondary education. It would not be beneficial for them to go to college because they would be working and spending money on something that they don’t really need. College is not the only way to learn. If their path teaches them a variety of experiences and makes them think and rethink assumptions, then they will also be informed.
In a perfect world people see that no matter what path you take, the goal is to learn and appreciate and understand. Everyone is different and ideally will find their own form of learning and keep pushing forward and strive for success. I also think that my learning career has matched up with Martha Nussbaum’s writing. I never thought about why kids take a variety of topics in elementary and high school. Some topics just don’t seem important when you are young. I am very glad that I have had the opportunity to explore other fields of study. Who knows, maybe if I am open to new ideas my search and rescue path will help me find my way.
