In your opinion, what is the purpose of an education? by Oluwatobi

In your opinion, what is the purpose of an education? by Oluwatobi - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

Just like success, education is different for everyone. People learn at all different levels. When we’re young, we don’t really appreciate going to school, spending time with teachers, or taking tests that we believe will not benefit us in the future. Often times we choose exactly what we want to keep in and what goes out the other ear. Even though most of this describes me and pretty much anyone who has ever been a teenager, I’ve come to see the beauty in education.

To me, the purpose of an education is to get people to love to learn new things about the world and themselves, even if we don’t want to in the first place. It’s also about becoming socially and intellectually aware so you can have the choice to be anything you want. Many people may disagree with me and say it’s about preparing someone for the workforce, but in reality, people only go into a certain job because they had the passion to endure long hours of work to learn what they needed to because they wanted to. Without education, we wouldn’t know what it’s like to look forward to anything because we wouldn’t have learned about the mysteries of a good book, a great place, or the odd satisfaction we get when we solve a challenging problem by ourselves. I’ve also seen too many people lose chances because they do not pursue and education or fail to use the opportunities they had when they were younger.

Unfortunately, it seems that we have lost sight of what an education is for. Presently, inflated grades and class ranks only encourage competition instead of fostering the love of learning. Also, not many people care about getting an education anymore. It seems like there is no more middle ground, it’s just torn between either the smartest or the not smart. The cost of getting an education in America has skyrocketed, and people don’t see the worth in going any further because of the looming shadow of debt waiting with open arms.

Even though it seems hard to get a good education, loving to learn and being aware of aware of the world around you doesn’t have to start at a high school age or even at a traditional learning environment. I believe you can love to learn not just by school, but by the experiences that make life interesting and worth living. However, being educated and living an interesting life are inextricably intertwined, so loving to learn new things and becoming aware of your surroundings should be on the top of your list.