Introduction
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” This quote is from a speech delivered by Nelson Mandela on June 23, 1990, at Madison Park High School in Boston (Oxford Reference). Consequently, most individuals have grown up learning the value of education. Education is learning new information and concepts to apply them to everyday life. A solid job increased social mobility, and other improved life outcomes have often been attributed to the value of education. Conversely, there has been a longstanding argument that education wastes time and money. There is a widespread perception among today’s youth that they are forced to attend courses that they find uninteresting and ultimately useless since everyone has different interests, aspirations, and job ambitions. In reality, most people overlook that education is more than simply classroom learning; it can be acquired via practical encounters beyond the classroom, making it essential throughout one’s life.
Discussion
A fundamental value of education is that it improves an individual’s professional and personal attributes, thus opening doors for many opportunities in life. In “Why go to college?” Daniel Sutter acknowledges that even if there is little evidence of meaningful learning in college, bachelor’s degrees open doors to employment opportunities (1). Stutter argues that human capital and signaling theory provide economic explanations for the value of education. The first view asserts that education and training increase productivity in the workplace. For the human capital argument to work, businesses must benefit from what students learn in college. Economics and other high-paying disciplines must provide graduates with the marketable abilities that employers need. According to the latter, graduates can indicate to prospective employers that they are intelligent, diligent, and conformist thanks to their college education (Stutter 1). Stutter is correct because if organizations were to hire anybody without considering their education level and specialization, the result would be a disaster. A plumber could walk into a hospital to present his papers and be hired to care for patients in ICU. The number of deaths due to human error that would be recorded in that unit on his first day of work would be unprecedented.
Education improves upward mobility by allowing people to be accepted or rejected based on their actual merits rather than their presumed or assigned ones. The highest-paying jobs also tend to be the most important to society and the most rigorous tests of a person’s competence and dedication. Higher social and economic benefits must accompany these professions to motivate people to devote the time and resources for training and to draw the best-qualified people. A child’s life course may be transformed by the opportunities presented to them through school. John Friedman backs this claim with data from research he and his colleagues did, which found that 20 years later, learners who had been randomly allocated to higher-quality classes earned almost $320,000 more throughout their careers (1). Undoubtedly, this explains why, in the long run, most people with bachelor’s degrees tend to do far better financially than those with just a high school diploma. Friedman’s study proves that the value of education increases over time as a person advances their educational level.
The benefits of education extend well beyond monetary ones. The right to an education is a fundamental human right. It is among the most effective means of combating poverty and promoting other positive social outcomes, including better health, more gender parity, and lasting stability and peace. Moreover, I t is the single most crucial component in promoting equality and broadening participation because of the substantial and stable financial rewards it generates. Again, Friedman’s research lends credence to this argument by showing that kids who get higher-quality education grow up to be happier, healthier, more civically involved, and less likely to perpetrate crime than their less-educated counterparts (1). Educational and non-cognitive competencies, such as perseverance and collaboration, are taught in schools and are becoming increasingly important for fostering social empowerment. Children from more socially adept areas have a significantly higher chance of breaking the cycle of poverty into adulthood, and the connections kids develop at school may be a powerful catalyst for this.
However, as noted earlier, arguments that education is unimportant in today’s society are gaining traction. In “For Wasting Time and Money,” Bryan Caplan argues that he doubts the intellectual and social value of schooling for three reasons. Firstly, it is inevitable that everyone will graduate. Secondly, much of what is taught in school is useless after someone graduates. Thirdly, information people do not often use quickly fades from memory (Caplan 1). Caplan’s article makes the clearest argument for the necessity of a college degree. Inadvertently, he defends the significance of higher education since the article originates from a book published via this system. Without formal schooling, Caplan would lack the cognitive skills necessary to make strong arguments against the system that has shaped him into the person he is today. His ability to compare public and private schools using data in a manner that someone without an economic background could not do is a prime example.
Similarly, an article by Valerie Strauss suggests that most Americans cannot pinpoint education’s exact value or purpose. Strauss cites a poll that showed that Americans could not agree on whether schools should focus on academic preparation, preparing children for the workplace, or preparing them to be informed citizens to engage in American civic life (1). By illustrating these findings, the article implies that there is no true answer to the value of education. However, this assumption is incorrect since education helps improve individuals’ professional and personal lives. The poll questions regarding the purpose of school fall between these two areas.
Conclusion
The purpose of schooling is to equip students with the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed in the real world and make meaningful contributions to their communities as adults. Though there are many other kinds of education, conventional schooling largely determines how education performance is assessed. Those with high-quality education and work experience are more likely to be hired and paid more than those who are less educated. Most importantly, individuals with at least a high school diploma are more likely to be employed than those without. This is the reality of society, and those who argue against the importance of education spent years in schools to be who they are.
Works Cited
Caplan, Bryan. “For Wasting Time and Money.” New York Times, 2022, p. 8(L). Gale General OneFile, Web.
Friedman, John N. “For Social Mobility.” New York Times, 2022, p. 4(L). Gale General OneFile, Web.
Oxford Reference. (2017). Nelson Mandela 1918–2013 South African statesman. Web.‌
Strauss, Valerie. “Why do kids go to school? Americans are divided on the answer, a new poll shows.” Washingtonpost.com, 2016. Gale General OneFile, Web.
Sutter, Daniel. “WHY GO TO COLLEGE?” States News Service, 2019. Gale General OneFile, Web.