The importance of attending college by Jayden

The importance of attending college by Jayden - April 2020 Scholarship Essay

A famous fable by Aseop called ‘The Crow and the Pitcher’ states “A Crow perishing with thirst saw a pitcher, and hoping to find water, flew to it with delight. When he reached it, he discovered to his grief that it contained so little water that he could not possibly get at it. He tried everything he could think of to reach the water, but all his efforts were in vain. At last he collected as many stones as he could carry and dropped them one by one into the pitcher, until he brought the water within his reach and thus saved his life.” The importance of this fable in this situation comes from the stones. Without having stones as tools, the crow wouldn't have been able get the water that he needed. Education allows for someone to have multiple ‘tools’ in their ‘toolbox’ to utilize for the future and achieve their goals. That is why, attending college is really important so one can utilize the knowledge and experience they gain for a successful future.
The importance of higher education is inherent, you are at a disadvantage if you don't because there is less opportunity. Higher education's importance is inherent to a majority of people because of the opportunity it brings. This is supported by Vista College in 2019 when they note, “Today, more Americans are seeing the significance of a college education and its role in providing better job opportunities and a comfortable lifestyle. In fact, about 84 percent of Americans claim that a higher education is very (47 percent) or extremely (37 percent) important to get ahead in life. Among these Americans, 66 percent of those who didn’t graduate from college say they wished they had, and 62 percent feel that going to college would have improved their present standard of living significantly.” In college you often gain experience and knowledge in a variety of different subjects pertaining to your major. This allows for flexibility in the workforce and job opportunities. Whereas a trade school only offers you experience in that specific trade. Not to mention that you are more likely to be hired by a corporation just by having a college degree or higher. According to Vista College in 2019 “As the Bureau of Labor Statistics stats reveal, people with some form of higher education earn more money and have a lower probability of unemployment.” and According to The US Department of Education, “By 2020, an estimated two-thirds of job openings will require postsecondary education or training.” The importance of college stems from the opportunity it brings for jobs which in turn contributes to a higher quality of life that you would not have otherwise had.
Due to the considerable difference in opportunity from someone who goes to college versus someone who does not, results in a large financial gap for the same reason. Failure to gain a college degree often results in hardship often including poverty and unemployment. According to The US Department of Education, “College graduates with a bachelor’s degree typically earn 66 percent more than those with only a high school diploma; and are also far less likely to face unemployment. Over the course of a lifetime, the average worker with a bachelor’s degree will earn approximately $1 million more than a worker without a postsecondary education.” The importance of higher education comes not only from the opportunity it brings, but the financial gain. As affirmed above, we see that those with a postsecondary education on average make upwards of 65% more than those without. Bringing less financial stress and a higher quality of life.
A college degree promotes opportunity and financial gain and then promotes a person's quality of life in many ways including fulfillment. As affirmed in the previous points not only do a majority of those who didn't go to college wish they had, but they also believe it would have positively impacted their quality of life. These impacts come from opportunity and financial gain, but there is something to be said about achieving a goal and feeling fulfilled rather than stressed and impoverished. Those that lead successful lives are more likely to be happy and have a sense of fulfillment. This success often comes from having little financial burden due to the opportunities you have, such as higher paying jobs that are salaried. College importance stems from the ultimate benefits that it brings. From a narrow perspective these are opportunity and financial gain, but when you change to a wider perspective we see that ultimately they positively impact our overall quality of life.
By attending college you are adding more ‘tools’ to your ‘toolbox’. This opens up new opportunities and ultimately benefits someone's overall quality of life. Much like the Crow in the above fable was able to utilize one of his tools being the stones and as a result was able to achieve his goal of getting the water which greatly benefitted his quality of life, but without those stones he would have faced hardship and uncertainty. It is for these reasons that attending college is important.

“The Importance of Higher Education in the 21st Century.” Vista College, 24 Mar. 2020, www.vistacollege.edu/blog/resources/higher-education-in-the-21st-century/.
“Fact Sheet: Focusing Higher Education on Student Success.” Fact Sheet: Focusing Higher Education on Student Success | U.S. Department of Education, 27 July 2015, www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-focusing-higher-education-student-success.