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AshtinRose
2/18/2015
English1010
Mrs.Layton

DoesaCollegeDegreeEqualSuccess?
TopicIntroduction

Therewillalwaysbethedeepandchallengingquestionthatkeepsmanystudentsonthe

fenceaboutwhethertheyshouldattendcollegeandearnadegree.Everyoneknowsthehigher
thedegreethemoremoneyonemakes,thatwillalwaysbeasimplefact.However,doeshavinga
degreeautomaticallymeanthatapersonwillbemoresuccessfulthansomeoneelse?Many
peoplewouldarguethatadegreedoesfurthereducationandwillmakeanypersonsmarter,along
withabeingabletoearnabettercareer.But,ontheotherhand,therearereasonsthatmakethe
opposingsideseemunderstandable.Formanystudents,alongwithnumerousotherissues
involvingeducation,thereasonfornotattendingcollegemaybethesimplefactthattheydont
believetheyneedadegreeinordertobeskilledatajobandbesuccessful.
Everyonehasadifferentopiniononthetopicofintelligence.Therearethosewhobelieve
thatjobswhichrequirelesseducationalsorequirelessskillorintelligence.But,therearealso
opinionsonhowobtainingskillscaneasilybedonethroughdoingtheactualwork.Thereare
assumptionsthatflyaroundabouthowanyonecouldeasilyworkatafastfoodrestaurant,which
isverytrue.Anyonecouldcarryouttasksatasimpleminimumwagejob,butthatdoesntmean
thateveryonecansucceedatit.Havingajobanywhereisanachievement,however,ittakes

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certainskillsinanyfieldtobeagoodemployee.Inhisarticle,BlueCollarBrilliance,Mike
Rosedescribeshisideasonwhythosewitheasilyobtainedjobscanbejustassmartasthose
withcollegedegreesandhighpayingcareers.Ifwethinkthatwholecategoriesofpeople
identifiedbyclassoroccupationarenotthatbright,thenwereinforcesocialseparationsand
crippleourabilitytotalkacrossculturaldivides(254).Bythis,theauthorisexplaininghow
stereotypingpeoplesubconsciouslyaffectshowwetreatandviewoneanother.Forexample,all
ofthosewithajobatMcDonaldsarelessintelligentthananylawyerordoctor.Assumingthat
someonehasmoreskillthananotherbecauseofthelevelofintelligencethatisrequiredfortheir
career,doesntnecessarilymeanthatitisacorrectassumption.Stereotypingindividualsbased
ontheircareerchoicewillhaveamajorimpactonhowtheyviewthemselves,whichleadstoloss
ofbeliefinoneself.Individualsingeneralarelesslikelytosucceedatanythingtheydoifthey
dontbelievetheyhavetheabilitytodoso.Theamountofworkputintoajobmakesallthe
difference.
Ontheothersideofthings,whensearchingforemployees,highendcareerspayclose
attentiontothedegreeofthepersonwhoisapplyingforthejob.Inmostcases,iftheapplicant
doesnthaveahighenoughdegree,theemployerwontgivetheapplicationasecondglance.
Thisisfair,consideringthefactthatthejobmayneedtheparticularbrainswhicharetaughtin
school.Itisagiventhatsomeonewhoworkshardinschoolandgivesanenormousamountof
effortisverywelleducated.Receivingadegreeisimportantformanypeople,andmanycareer
options.Beingeducatedisextremelyspecial,butmaynotbeneededforfew,certainpeople.For
example,theculinaryfieldisaveryintenseandchefshavetobewelleducatedinfoodinorder
tobesuccessful.Mostcooksattendculinaryschool,whichiswheretheylearntheirskillsand

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becomewhattheywanttobe.Famouschef,GiadaDeLaurentiis,attendedLeCordonBleu,a
wellknownculinaryschoolinParis.DeLaurentiisearnedadegreeincookingalongwith
workingfortwohugerestaurantsbeforebecomingtheamazingchefthatsheistoday
(Biography.com).Onthesideoftheculinaryworld,therearechefsattheageofeight,which
bringforthstunningandwonderfuldishes,withasmuchpoiseandamazementasprofessional
chefs,suchasDeLaurentiisdoingsowithoutearningadegree(Salon.com).Thereisskillin
everyone,andreceivinganeducationcanbeaveryimportantandhelpfulinmanycases,butit
alldependsontheindividualandcareerchoice.
Fromarelatableviewpoint,thereareanumberofindividualswhocouldverypossibly
beadvancedinareasotherthanacademics.Forexample,someonemayhaveaGPAof2.8,but
latermaygoontobeaprofessionalfootballplayer.Noteveryonecanexceedwellinschool,but
thatdoesntprovethattheywontsucceedelsewhere.GeraldGraffgivesagreatpointinhis
article,HiddenIntellectualism,byexplainingthatstudentswontexcelunlesstheyare
passionateaboutwhattheyaredoing.Ifstudentsaregivensubjectsthattheyarepassionateabout
tolearnandfurthertheireducationwith,itwillpushthemtoactuallywanttopushthemselves
foradegree,ratherthanfeelingliketheyhaveto.Whenastudentenjoyswhattheyarelearning
about,itisobviousthattheywillsucceedinfurtheringtheirknowledgeinthatparticulararea.
Graffintegrates,Studentsdoneedtoreadmodelsofintellectuallychallengingwritingand
Orwellisagreatoneiftheyaretobecomeintellectualsthemselves.Buttheywouldbemore
pronetotakeonintellectualidentitiesifweencouragedthemtodosoatfirstonsubjectsthat
interestthemratherthanonesthatinterestus(381).Giveastudentsomethingthattheyactually
lovetolearnabout,andtheywillsucceedinthatarea.However,ifweweretothrowastudent

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intolawschoolwithoutthemhavingthepassiontolearnaboutlaw,theywontlearneverything
neededtoknow,thereforenotbecomingasuccessfullawyer,butmakingthemoneyotherwise.
Thereareplentyofpeoplewhohaveapassionandskillforacareerchoice,whilenothavingthe
moneytoreceiveadegreeinthatfieldthisendsinobviousunhappiness,alongwiththewasteof
awonderfulworker.
Theeducationsystemisagrowinganddevelopingindustryconsideringtheamountof
studentsfeelingtheneedtoextendandgrowtheiramountofintelligence,butthereareanumber
ofstudentswhohaverejectedtheideaofcollegebecausetheybelievetheydontneedtolearn
moreinordertosucceedinthecareeroftheirchoice.Inmanycases,thisistrue.Thereareplenty
ofpeoplewhohaveneverearnedadegreeandtheyareverysuccessfulandhaveahighpaying
jobwithouttheeducationalexperienceofcollege.However,therearealsoproblemsthatoccur
whenthischoiceismade.Studentsbelievetheywillgettheirowncareerstartedandbecome
greatwithinafewyears,butendupneverachievingtheirgoals.Inordertobesuccessfulwithout
aneducation,strongdriveandambitionisnecessary.
So,doeshavingadegreecreateasimplepathwayforsuccess?Educationisatouchy
subject,andtherequirementforitisdifferentineveryareaofexpertise.Thereareverysmart
andsuccessfulpeoplewhohavewellpayingandprofessionalcareers,andtherearealsovery
intelligentandsuccessfulpeoplewhoworkaswaitersandwaitresses.Theworldasawhole
needstostopcategorizingpeopleaccordingtotheirareaofoccupation,andifnot,itcanvery
possiblybrainwashpeopletobelievetheyarentgoodenoughforanythingelse,iftheyare
workingabluecollarjob.Everyoneisintelligentandweallhavetheabilitytosucceed,butit
showsindifferentways.Itisimportanttokeepstereotypicalattitudesoutofthepicturewhen

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dealingwithcareersandoccupations,becausenobodyknowswhatspecialqualitiesanother
personcanpossess.
MajorDebatesandCommentary
Tomanypeople,attendingcollegeissignificantwhilelivingintodayssociety.Itisapparent
thatthereismorethanoneopiniononthetopicofcollegedegrees,andtheirimportance.These
days,intelligenceandsuccessiscloselylinkedtotheamountofeducationapersonhashad.In
relationtothis,domostindividualsbelievethathavingacollegedegreeimpliesautomatic
success?Itisafactthateducationcangivesomeonemoreknowledgeandskillswhenitcomes
tocareeroptions,butdoesthatmeanthatthosewhohaventearnedadegreearelessproneto
beingabletoliveahappyandsuccessfullifethanthosewhohave?Thistopiconeducation
createsmanydifferentviewingangles,buttakingadeeperlookintotheopinionsofafew
specificpeoplemayaidinfurtherunderstandingtheidea.
Ononesideoftheargument,thereisanumberofpeoplewhoareconvincedthat
receivingajobthattheyareparticularlygoodatandenjoy,doesntalwaysmeantheywillneeda
higheramountofeducation.Opinionssuchasthisarebasedontheideathatifapersongenerally
enjoyswhattheyaredoing,theycaneasilylearntheropesquickly,whiledoingjustasgoodofa
jobasthosewhoearnedaformaleducationinsideofaclassroom.Inhisarticle,BlueCollar
Brilliance,MikeRosegiveshisopiniononworkingwithoutearningacollegedegree.He
explainsthatthereareplentyofpeoplewhoareabletoexcelanextraordinaryamountwhile
workingjobsthatmaynotrequireadegree.Rosehimselfwrites,Ourculturaliconography
promotesthemuscledarm,sleevesrolledtightagainstbiceps,butnobrightnessbehindtheeye,
noimagethatlinkshandandbrain(247).Bythis,theauthorisexhibitingthattodayssociety

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doesntgiveenoughcredittothosewhosecareersmayseemeasy,becausereally,everyjob
requiresskill.However,aspecificpersonamaybringotherstostereotypetheoneworkingthe
bluecollarjob,eventhoughtheymaybeoneofthebestandhardestworkingemployees,along
withbeinghappyandlovingthejobtheywork.
Inagreement,GeraldGraffwritesinhisarticle,HiddenIntellectualism,abouthow
manyindividualsmaynotbeoutstandingwhenitcomestoacademicsandformaleducation,but
happentooutshineotherswhenitcomestodifferentaspectsoflife.Graffexplainsthatcolleges
shouldgivemorerecognitiontothosewithstreetsmarts,alongwiththosewhoexcel
academically.Hestates,Butthey[students]wouldbemorepronetotakeonintellectual
identitiesifweencouragedthemtodosoatfirstonsubjectsthatinterestthemratherthanthose
thatinterestus(381).Graffissimplymakingapointthattherearemanystudentswhoare
skilledelsewhere,andtheseskillsshouldnotbeoverlooked.Therearethousandsofpossibilities
ofstudentsnotattendingcollegeandfurtheringtheireducation,mainlybecausetheirheartsare
somewhereelse.Forexample,aboymightneverreceiveacollegedegree,butmightendup
beingtheleadingquarterbackintheNFL.Graffimpliesgreatlythatthereisasignificantamount
ofbrillianceandsuccesstobeearnedoutsideoftheclassroomaswellasinit.
Onthesamesideofthefence,RichardArumandJosipaRoksabringforthahuge
questionwiththeirnovel,AcademicallyAdrift.Itisajoytoseehowmanystudentsare
attendingcollege,buthowmucharetheyactuallylearningoncetheyenroll?Thetwoauthorsof
thebookgiveagenerallystraightforwardanswer,studentsarentlearningasmuchasthey
shouldbe,andsomemaynotevenbelearningatall.Thetwoprominentprofessorsofsociology
state,Withalargesampleofmorethan2,300students,weobservenostatisticallysignificant

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gainsincriticalthinking,complexreasoning,andwritingskillsforatleast45percentofthe
studentsinthestudy(36).Bythis,theauthorsareclarifyingthatmanystudentsgotocollege
andreceivedegrees,buttheymightnotevenfurthertheireducationatall,consideringallofthe
distractionsthatcollegelifecanbring.
Whilelookingattheopposingsideofthings,acompellingideaemergesofcollege
makingtheaverageindividualmoreintelligentandprosperousallaround.Inhisarticle,"The
NewLiberalArts",SanfordUngarinformsabouttheimportanceofeducationandhowreceiving
itinanyformmakespeoplebetter,wiser,andaltogethermorecharacterizedandwellrounded
individuals.HebringsforwardanumberofmisconceptionsthatAmericansperceiveabout
receivingaliberalartsdegreeintodaysworld.Ungarstates,Theycometotermswith
complexityanddiversity,andotherwisedevisemeanstosolveproblemsratherthanjust
complainingaboutthem.Theydeveloppatternsthathelpthemunderstandhowtokeeplearning
fortherestoftheirdays(196).Bythis,theauthorisexplainingthatcareerorienteddegreesare
important,however,receivingadegreeintheliberalartscanhelpastudentevenmorein
carryingonwitheverydayissuesinlife.Hebelieveswholeheartedlythatfurtheringeducation
canmakeanyonewiserandconsiderablybetterindividuals.
KathleenPorterwriteanotherarticlethatshinesgreatlyonthetopic,TheValueofa
CollegeDegree.Porterexplainsthatalongwithcollegeeducationmakingtheaverage
individualsmarter,italsohasasubstantialamountofvalue.Alongsidethebenefitofbeingable
toreceiveahigherpayingjobwithadegree,statisticsshowthateveneducatedwomendedicate
moretimetotheirfamiliesandlovedones.Theauthorexpressesaquotefromanoutsidesource,

AccordingtoElchananCohnandTerryGeske(1992),
t
hereisthetendencyformorehighly

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educatedwomentospendmoretimewiththeirchildrenthesewomentendtousethistimeto
betterpreparetheirchildrenforthefuture(KathleenPorter).Fromthis,sheisexplainingthat
highereducatedindividualshaveabetteroutlookonlifeandpaymoreattentiontothefuture.
Portercontinuesontospieltheideaofeducationgivingpeopleamorepositiveandambitious
viewonmosteventsthatgettossedtheirway.
Alongwiththissideoftheissue,therearenumerousopinionsonhowhavingadegree
willinevitablygetanyoneahigherpayingandaltogetherbettercareerthatissuitablefortheir
lifeandcircumstances.Inherarticle,ForMillionsOfMillennials:SomeCollege,NoDegree,
LotsOfDebt,SelenaSimmonsDuffinanalyzesmanyofthewaysthatnothavingadegreebut
stilldealingwithstudentloanscanhaveanegativeimpactonhundredsoflives.Shefurther
explainshowreceivinganeducationisimportant,butfinishingisevenmoreimportant.Students
whogothroughacoupleyearsofschoolingwithoutearningadegreetoshowit,willstillhave
thethousandsofdollarsinstudentloandebtalongwiththeintelligenceearned,butnotahigh
payingcareerthattheydeservetopaythedebtoff.Theauthorquotesthesubjectofthearticle,
NoelleJohnson,andsays,Iknowthathavingmydegreeisdefinitelygoingmakethedifference.
...It'sgoingtodoeverythingforus(Johnson).SimmonsDuffintossesinthethoughtsof
Johnsontomakeherpointstrongerhavingadegreecannotonlyfurthersomeoneslevelof
smarts,butitcanultimatelymakeapersonslifeforthem.
Inconclusion,thereisanextremelywiderangeofideasandopinionsregardingthistopic.Given
thepointsofmanydifferentsources,wecangatheropinionsandfactsthatshowhowmany
peoplehaveextremelevelsofbrilliancethatmaybeplacedelsewhere,anddontnecessarily
receivecreditfortheirgreatminds.Ontheoppositesideofthefence,itisveryeasytorequire

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thatcollegeismeaningfultomanypeoplethesedays,anditgivesabundantopportunitiesin
everydaylife.Bothsidesoftheissuepossessgreatpoints,intheend,doesacollegedegree
necessarilymeanaricherformofsuccess?
AreasofFurtherInquiry
Themainquestionwearefacedwithis,doesfurtheringyoureducationandearningadegree
makeyouanallaroundmoresuccessfulindividual?However,haveallofthequestionsand
concernsonthistopicbeenansweredorevenmerelylookedinto?Wevetouchedbaseonmany
differentopinionsandideasofanumberofindividuals.Asawhole,wevebeenshownthegood
sideofreceivingacollegedegree,andwehavealsobeenshowntheprosofnotreceivinga
collegedegreeatall.Thereareseveralpiecesofimportancethatmayhavebeenoverlookedin
discussingcollegedegrees.
Goingtoauniversityandreceivingadegreeisbeneficialandcanpaveapathwayinlife
formanystudents.However,howfarhavesomegottenwithoutadegree?Twentyyearold,
GeorgiaO'Keefe,illuminateshowwellsheisliving,andhowacollegedegreewouldnthave
beenabletogethertowheresheisnow.Growingup,OKeefeexplainsthatshewatchedher
parentsworklongnightsandnumeroushourstogetwhattheywanted,andsheknewitwouldnt
beawalkinthepark.Sherunsherowntrainingandsocialmediamanagementbusiness,LookC.
O'Keefestates,IvewonYoungEntrepreneurawardsandthisyearIwastheoverallwinnerin
theFSBBedfordshireBusinessAwardsnotbadfora20yearold(Express.co.uk).Bythis,she
revealstheamountsuccessshehasaccomplishedwithoutearningacollegedegree.OKeefes
pointisthatitisevidentthatanyonehastheabilitytobesuccessfulwithoutacertificate,but
motivationandhardworkarethekeyingredientstogetthemwheretheywanttobe.

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Thebenefitsofadegreeareobvious,agoodjobandgreatmoney.Wevecoveredthe
basics,alongwiththeopinionsthatadegreecangetanyonemuchmorethanjustasteadycareer,
butwhatelsecanapersongetoutofit?Manypeoplewillstandbyanddefendtheseideas,with
beliefsthatadegreecanbenefitanyonemorethanwegenerallythink.Deeperthoughtsarise
whenitcomestothis,andwemightoverlookthemuchmoremeaningfulvaluebehindacollege
degree,suchashowfinishingschoolandearningadegreecanbringforthhealthierlifechoices
andheightenedselfesteem.Alifestyleandcareerblog,BrazenLife,writesanarticle,
Why
YourCollegeDegreeHasMor
eValueThanYouThink,supportingtheseveryattributesof
collegegraduates.Theauthorspellsout,Whenyouputgreateremphasisontakingcareofyour
mindwithadditionalschooling,younaturallyputgreateremphasisontakingcareofyourbody,
too.It'strulyassimpleaswhenyouknowbetter,youdobetter(HuffingtonPost).Bythis,there
isanobviouspointbeingmadethatfurtheringeducationgivesstudentsawiserwayoflookingat
things,whichpushesthemtoultimatelymakehealthierlifedecisions.Theblogpostalso
mentions,There'sjustsomethingaboutacollegegradthatmakesherstandalittlebitstraighter
andalittlebittaller.Itlikelyhastodowiththeboosttoone'sselfesteemandconfidencethat
comeswithmakingitthroughahighereducationprogram(HuffingtonPost).Theauthoralso
makesitplainthatthemostprestigiousaccomplishmentsleadtomoreselfconfidence,andmore
pridewithinoneself.
Inclosingthismajortopicanddebate,hopefullyitismoreeasilyunderstoodandlooked
uponinasimplermanner.Tosomepeople,earningacollegedegreemightnotbethemost
importantthingtobecomingsuccessful,anditmaynotincreasethelevelofintelligencethatan
individualpossesses.Anyonecaneasilybesuccessfuliftheypushthemselvestodoso.While

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othershavetheopinionofcollegedegreesbeingtheirpassporttosuccess.Whetherastudent
choosestograduatecollegeandfurthertheireducation,itisapparentthateveryonehasspecial
skillsandintelligenceintheirowndifferentways.Successdependssolelyontheindividual.

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WorksCited
Arum,Richard
and
Roksa,Josipa
,
AcademicallyAdrift:LimitedLearningonCollegeCampuses

(UniversityofChicagoPress,January2011)

"GiadaDeLaurentiisBiography."
Biography.com
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2015.
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http://www.biography.com/people/giadadelaurentiis20685915#careerbeginnings
>.
Graff,Gerald."HiddenIntellectualism"
TheySay/ISay
.2nded.NewYorkCity:W.W.Norton.
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"KidsCutThemselvesFarLessthanAdults:InsideMasterChefJunior,theBestCooking
ShowonTelevision."
Salon.comRSS
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Life,Brazen."WhyYourCollegeDegreeHasMoreValueThanYouThink."
TheHuffington

Post
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<
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brazenlife/whyyourcollegedeg

reeh_b_3000592.html
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O'Keefe,Georgia."HowtoBeSuccessfulWithoutaDegree."
Express
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<
http://www.express.co.uk/lifestyle/life/497048/Besuccessfulwithoutuniversity
>.

Porter,Kathleen."TheValueofaCollegeDegree.ERICDigest."
TheValueofaCollege
Degree.ERICDigest.
Web.17Feb.2015.
<
http://www.ericdigests.org/20033/value.htm
>.

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Rose,Mike."BlueCollarBrilliance"
TheySay/ISay
.2nded.NewYorkCity:W.W.

Norton.Print.

SanfordJ.Ungar."TheNewLiberalArts"
TheySay/ISay
.2nded.NewYorkCity:W.W.
Norton.Print.
SimmonsDuffin,Selena."ForMillionsOfMillennials:SomeCollege,NoDegree,LotsOf
Debt."
NPR
.NPR.Web.17Feb.2015.

<
http://www.npr.org/2014/11/19/362802610/formillionsofmillennialssomeco

llegenodegreelotsofdebt
>.