Importance of Education by Andrew

Importance of Education by Andrew - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

Education today is a hotly debated topic throughout the US. Arguments range from the importance of education on entering the modern day work force to the rising costs of a 4-year degree and the effect of excessive student loans on a graduates’ success. My personals believe is that education is vital to the success of an individual; not necessarily for the basic math, science, or literary skills learned, although they too are important, but instead because of the institution of schools and universities themselves. Then of course there is always education outside of the structure of schools and universities.

Education comes at different levels as an individual grows and learns. Starting in elementary school a person rises through the ranks until 12th grade because it is state mandated. After high school graduation we all have the option of going to college to pursue a degree. I believe the importance of education changes as one crosses from one stage to the next. All the way through high school graduation an individual is a student because he or she is required to be. There is no choice involved and in fact in most cases there is legal action for deciding to not attend school. At that level of education I believe there are two important factors. The first important factor is the education itself, the math, science, reading and writing. All four of those basic skills are required to achieve anything in the world and I believe that being a student in all four subjects through high school graduation can play a vital role in the success of an individual in the world. The second important lesson has more to do with character than strength of mind. Because education in the K-12 levels is mandatory, kids are forced to learn how to play by other people’s rules. In elementary school these rules may be as simple as being required to sleep during nap time whereas high schools rules more accurately represent rules which an individual will have to follow in the real world, rules which should be common sense by that age but for some are not. These grade levels also serve to teach kids motivation. Very few kids enjoy being forced to stay in high school through 12th grade but, because life isn’t fair, they are forced to endure and push through to meet their goal of graduation so they can be free. In life, and in the workforce both these lessons are invaluable and will always be referenced as common sense.

The next level of structured education is invaluable because it is completely self-driven. Students are no longer required to attend school at the university level and therefore all the determination must come from within. The knowledge an individual can gain from university level education is more invaluable than ever as he or she gets to experience different parts of the work force they might be interested in pursuing. A university education also requires a student to look toward the future and plan carefully as to avoid excessive student loans. I believe that completing a degree at a university is only partially about what a student decides to major in and partially about learning how to learn, so to speak.

Outside of the structured education sphere I believe that pursuing education for one’s own personal reasons is very important. The country is lacking professionals in medical, science, and engineering fields and I feel that is largely because the majority of people don’t continue to learn outside of school. There are a large number of people who believe that what they learn in school will be sufficient to carry them through their careers; this is not the case for any profession. In any profession it is important to lead your field and always pursue new knowledge, without the drive for knowledge no industry will have leaders and the country will fall behind all other countries in the world.