Module 11 - Choices and Decisions - Karla Erdman, writer

Module 11 - Choices and Decisions

3/29/2014

Choosing a college and area of study are hard decisions for high school seniors to make.

Read the article "The Intangible Value of a College Degree."
Post a response to the article focusing on whether or not a college degree is needed by everyone. Regardless of you answer, back up your ideas with specifics.

You need to respond to two (2) peers' posts.

Mrs. Erdman link

3/29/2014 07:44:39 am

Unfortunately, our society has deemed it necessary that in order to compete in the global business arena, students need to have post-secondary educations. No longer is it viable for people to find a job, to learn on the job, and to be able to move up the ladder.
When I graduated high school, I worked in a diner for a year before securing a position as a bank teller. At age 19, I was told that the reason I was given the job was because I was the most persistent--I called every other day asking for an update about my application. During my 7 year banking career, I was able to move from a teller up to the head teller and eventually to the assistant branch manager. I did all of this without a college education.
It was not until almost 20 years after my high school graduation in which I stepped foot into a college classroom. That is how long it took for our society to change direction.
While I chose to stay in the more "white" collared profession which requires post-secondary education--I still believe that college is not for everyone. My father runs a successful business without anything past a high school diploma.

Cole

4/3/2014 02:24:15 pm

Hey Mrs. Erdman :)
I agree that it is unfortunate that our society today requires people to have a degree to do something because there can be many reasons for someone not to go to college. I didn't know that you didn't go right into college after high school. I enjoyed your anecdote. I, myself, would find it very hard to go into college after almost 20 years of being out of school, considering that you go so high up in the bank. Although, like your employer said, you are persistent. More power to ya! I know many people who have successful businesses without a college degree, which just proves that you don't need to go to college to be successful, although I'll be on my way to obtaining one in August.

Devin Blattner

4/4/2014 09:13:39 am

Mrs. Erdman,
Like you, my father also did not attend college but has a very successful job and makes a large sum of money. I feel like it was normal to not go to college during those generations but in my generation, I feel like college is a must if you want to have a very successful job.

Alyson Picione

4/4/2014 12:05:32 pm

When my parents were teenagers, there were so many oppotunities for them after high school that did not require a college degree. They also did not fully understand how to go about getting the money for college so entering the work force was their best option. Obviously times have changed. Now a days you have to have a college diploma or specialized job training to find a job. It's so hard to get out there and find a job without anything and you make so much less money without one. I agree that college isn't for everyone, so where does this standard leave people who aren't into 4 more years of schooling?

Brian Burke

4/1/2014 06:04:00 am

College has been something I've been interested in since I was in elementary school. Life provides countless possibilities as to what to do after high school. None of my immediate family members have had the first hand all 4 year college experience. I want to be able to experience college and further my education for many reasons. Not only do degrees provide opportunities for higher paying jobs, they also provides people with goals. Goals to me are very important. I believe that a person needs to be pushed or motivated to achieve maximum success. Success to one person can be totally different to another. Success does not need a degree. Different people occupy society and it is essential to have a variety of people fill the vast amounts of jobs needed to be done. So from my personal view point, a degree from college is necessary tool for myself, but it is not needed for everyone.

Alyssa Saggio

4/3/2014 07:03:42 am

Hi Brian, I would have to agree with your statement that college is a "necessary tool for myself" and I would also agree that it isn't for everyone. One aspect you mentioned that I didn't really think about was your point about goals. I think you are completely right in saying that goals are completely necessary to achieve maximum success. It seems as though each of our blog posts revolve around all of us stating that we would like to attend college. This is because each of us have things in life we want to be or accomplish. Although people may go to college with an undecided major, many more teenagers feel inclined to apply and go out into the world with a set idea of what they want to do. Good connection!

Alyssa Saggio

4/1/2014 06:36:14 am

Wile I would say that college degrees are of great use and extremely beneficial in several positions, I do not feel as though they are essential in living a successful life. Even though they maybe helpful for students and adults. Several members of my family are very successful men and women without college degrees. For example, two of my aunts are high end managers in office environments. Another one of my aunts works for a law firm. Personally, I have never not considered college. I've always seen myself going into a university to get a degree. Maybe it's just the modern generation and the work force trying to better its employees because times are changing. I know that when I'm older, the best chance I have at finding a job will include me receiving a Bachelor's degree (minimum). Due to the circumstances, I know me and many of my peers are concerned with the work force and how it seems that no one is hiring unless in certain positions such as the medical field. This could be a reason that so many teenagers want to continue their education. Students often worry about the economy and wonder if they will have enough money to support themselves was an adult. I know I do! While I would say that college is completely essential for me to become a successful woman in the workforce, I do not think every person must graduate from a university or college.

Devin Blattner

4/1/2014 09:11:20 am

These days, college seems like an essential for our generation in order to get a "professional job". In our parents generation it was never like that in order to get a good job. For example my dad never went to college and he is still very successful in his career and makes a lot of money. Although my dad was successful without college, there was never a thought in my mind about not attending college. For my specific career path that I've chosen, I have to earn a Master's Degree and then do specialty training. Although I believe that going to college will most definitely increase your chances of getting a successful job, it is not fully necessary to have a decent lifestyle.

Cole

4/1/2014 09:27:58 am

This is a very difficult topic to get a full, 100% opinion about. It's no doubt that having a college diploma will make you more money and open more career opportunities in life, but at such an expensive cost. Because there are so many jobs now a days that do not require a college degree and still make very good money, it makes it very difficult to choose whether it is worth it or not. I'm not entirely sure where I stand on the matter, but I'm leaning towards yes. Even though it can be extremely expensive, it can be worth it, especially if your starting salary is $100,000+ a year, and if theres thousands of those job opportunities. Also, being alone at college is kind of like training wheels for the real world. It gets you prepared for when you graduate college and have no choice but to be on your own in a world where you will encounter problems. If you just go out on your own right after college, you may have more difficulty overcoming problems than a college student who has had to deal with these types of problems before.

Alyssa Saggio

4/3/2014 07:12:48 am

Cole, your blog post also made me think in ways that I hadn't considered while writing my response to the article. Through your mentioning of expensive costs and other financial needs, it made me think of something I don't think anyone mentioned. I thought about how many teenagers or even adults have never had the full opportunity to experience college. I feel as though this takes on a whole new side of things. All of us who have posted thus far know that we have college to consider as an option. However, there are hundreds of thousands of people around the world who would not see eye to eye with us. College can't be for everyone because not everyone can afford it. I'm not just speaking people in America such as single parents without jobs who cannot provide for their own kids. But take Africa for example and think about the developing countries and the people living in the slums. They do not even have clean drinking water everyday, so why would they be thinking on advancing their education at such a high cost? I highly doubt that applying to a university has ever crossed their mind. In addition, I'm sure many of them don't know what college is.

Aly

4/4/2014 12:08:40 pm

I didn't think of anything about the college experience than getting an education to get a good job, but you brought up a good point in saying that college gives you a taste of independence before you really have to go out on your own. For the first time, we alone will be making the decisions that affect our future. That is a hidden benefit of college that most people overlook.

Kasey Gallagher

4/4/2014 04:28:21 pm

I really agree with what you said about college preparing us for the real world. I think its exciting but also really scary that we'll be on our own next year! I didn't really realize how alone we are at college until the other day when my dad told me I would be supporting myself financially through college, aside from loans and all that. I'm really hoping that college can be like you said, training wheels for everything that comes after!

Kasey Gallagher

4/1/2014 10:14:56 am

I don't believe that someone has to go to college and earn a degree to be happy with their life. Everyone has a different idea of where they want to end up in life, and for some people, college isn't necessary to accomplish their goals. While earning a degree can give you a competitive edge and the opportunity to make more money, some people don't determine the value of their life by, or find their happiness in how much money they make or what kind of things they own. I think its possible for someone to go to college and earn a degree and love the life they live, but I also believe that you can live a full life without one. Neither of my parents have college degrees, but my family live just as happily and comfortably as other families I know where both parents have a degree of some sort. Although I have them to influence me, the path I have personally chosen is to go to college for 6 years and earn a doctorate of pharmacy. There's no denying the fact that I'll have the opportunity to find a job where I can make a large amount of money, but I believe there's more to life than your professional and job related successes. I believe the value of life comes from living and enjoying everything you do. I hope to find a job doing something I love and it just so happens that a college degree might get me there.

Kasey Gallagher

4/1/2014 10:16:19 am

Family lives*

Devin Blattner

4/4/2014 09:18:54 am

Kas,
Your post is very positive and inspirational. I loved when you said that Everyone has a different idea of where they want to end up in life and for some people, college isn't necessary to accomplish their goals, because that is very true. Although people don't have to go to college to achieve their life goals, I feel as though the majority of our generation is going to college which means the people who don't attend college will have to compete with the college graduates for a potential job which wouldn't benefit them.

Tori McCaslin

4/1/2014 11:21:18 am

Most people believe that the only way to get a good, quality paying job is to go to college and earn a degree. That thought is actually very true on some levels. Many high end jobs only hire people who have a quality education. Looking back to when our parents and grandparents were growing up, you didn't need to go to college to get a job after high school. My dad didn't attend college and now he is doing very well in his career right now. I am very excited to go to college and there was never a time when I didn't want to attend a college. I don't think that people need to go to college to live a quality life. If someone finds a job that they enjoy doing and it makes them happy then that's great. What I plan to be when I'm older requires a masters degree but that's just based on what I want to do. Not everyone needs to attend college to be happy.

Cole

4/3/2014 02:12:01 pm

I agree that you don't need to go to college to live a great life. My dad didn't go to college either and he too is doing very well in his career. It's weird that 30 years ago, you could get a lot of jobs without a college degree, but now, they prefer people with degrees. It's a shame that this is the way society is now a days. They don't consider reasons why one may not have gone to college. I also can't wait to go to college, although I didn't always want to go to college.

Kasey Gallagher

4/4/2014 11:28:10 am

I agree that people don't need to go to college to have a quality life and to be happy. Some people don't do well academically but they have other skills that allow them to make a lot of money without a degree.

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Module 11 - Choices and Decisions

Mrs. Erdman

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