{"id":32,"date":"2016-12-01T16:43:51","date_gmt":"2016-12-01T16:43:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/kennedyenglish1a\/?p=32"},"modified":"2016-12-06T02:02:18","modified_gmt":"2016-12-06T02:02:18","slug":"do-we-actually-need-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.scu.edu\/kennedyenglish1a\/2016\/12\/01\/do-we-actually-need-college\/","title":{"rendered":"Do We Actually Need College?"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the moment we are born, it seems as if we are on a predetermined path towards college. You go from elementary school to middle school to high school to college and then…<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Source:

Source: Pixabay<\/p><\/div>\n

you and your brain full of knowledge are ready to face the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

For years, college has been presented as the prerequisite for a successful career. Sure, going to college gives you a quality education and teaches valuable skills, but <\/b>it is certainly not the only way to achieve these things. Because of this, I find it increasingly difficult to side with the masses in their claim that college is necessary to receive an education and prepare\u00a0for the work force.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jobs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Take blue-collar and service jobs, for example. We often assume that these jobs are only physically demanding, but as Mike Rose points out in his article “Blue Collar Brilliance<\/a>,” they are cognitively<\/em> demanding too. In her work as a waitress, Rose’s mother\u00a0\u201cdevised memory strategies so she could remember who ordered what\u201d and \u201cbecame adept at reading social cues and managing feelings,\u201d both of which exercise the mind,<\/em> not the body (Rose).<\/span><\/p>\n

Sure, she wasn\u2019t learning calculus or physics, but Rose’s mother was learning how to interact with others, manage supply and demand and refine her skills to achieve maximum success. Basically, she was learning all the skills that employers value. In a way, the diner and her work acted as school and teacher, providing a work-relevant education.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sports\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Like blue-collar and service jobs, sports are often seen as using only the body and never the mind, and are therefore classified as anti-intellectual. But, if we really sit down and think about it, the professional world is quite similar to the athletic world.\u00a0For example, sports teach their\u00a0players to work in a team, to meet demands under pressure and to problem solve in a split second. All these skills constitute the foundational skills of a successful employee.<\/span><\/p>\n

You might be thinking that these two types of education would hardly be sufficient for someone trying to become a doctor or an engineer. And you would be right. BUT,<\/strong> even though jobs and athletics don’t teach the relevant scientific and mathematical information, they do teach skills that are applicable to most, if not all careers.<\/p>\n

Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perhaps the most obvious alternative to a college education is technology. The evolution of technology has truly revolutionized education throughout the years.<\/p>\n