What’s the True Value of a College Education – Sophie Schneblin

photo by: Sophie Schneblin

Does a College Degree always Equal Success?

I believe that all people are equal in all ways, and that we all have purpose. I think that everyone will hit tough times and that impacts us, but we shouldn’t discriminate based on financial standings or race. Often times people make assumptions that with no college degree you won’t get very far in life. Though only 6.7% of the world actually hold a college degree. Lots of people we think of as intelligent scholars actually don’t have there degrees, for many different reasons. For example, Steve Jobs, the creator of Apple, had to drop out due to financial issues. TV star, author, and entrepreneur, Rachel Ray, didn’t attend college or culinary school, but does have a net worth of $60 million. Talking to people who may not be financially stable, with there views if very interesting because their view is very raw, they see how bad the world can really be. I talked to many different people, of different social standings to get many different perspective.

photo by: Sophie Schneblin

Pros

I talked to an employee of the University of Illinois Institute for genomic biology.'She felt very strongly that people should go to college, not only because it gave her more education, but it gave her new experiences that she really enjoyed. College is one of the first opportunities for adolescents to get a small taste of the ‘real world.’ Listen

(Insert clip here, “I work at the IGB, Institute for genomic biology, and I support the outreach communication externalation teams. A college degree is never going to close a door for you, it’s always going to keep them open. As someone who just wanted to join the work force straight out of high school, I’m so glad I went to college at the insistence of my parents. Because I enjoyed college a lot more than the standard academic schooling required by law.” )

photo by: Sophie Schneblin

Cons

However, I also talked to a man who didn’t have a permanent address and most days, is begging to survive. He expressed a very different view. He thinks that you don’t need a degree to succeed. He said that he had success without a degree-but something went wrong. He told me,'”I don’t even think you need a college degree. I’ve had better jobs than a lot people who’ve had college degrees.”

photo by: Sophie Schneblin

Not so appealing

Today more and more people are going to college, but tuition and other fees are rising, causing more student loans. This all makes college look less appealing.

photo by: Sophie Schneblin

Is it valuable?

I think college has a great value to everyone. College means something different to everyone … leaving home, family, and being on your own for the first time. You get new opportunities everywhere you turn. So, does a college degree always equal success? Maybe, maybe not. I’ve learned that it may not matter whether you get a degree or not. What’s important is the process and the journey that gets you from point A to point B. The value is what you make of it.

Reflection

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I have learned so many new things this week. I have always written stories by myself and not really shared them with anyone. Dr. Collins have taught me how to navigate different programs that I can now use for resources. I have learned how to properly use Adobe, take a professional interview, and learn that I can do more than I probably think I can. I will defiantly use everything I learned again.