The Varying Importance of College by Tyler

The Varying Importance of College by Tyler - April 2020 Scholarship Essay

As a kid, I believed that going through school was just preparation to attend college. This thought isn’t completely wrong but schooling is actually getting a person ready for the next step in their life. This step can be attending either a 4-year college or a 2-year community college and then earning a degree. Schooling is also reading people to have certain skills that will allow people to go out into the workforce immediately after high school. With this realization, I believe the importance of college varies depending on the person's plan, desires, and circumstances.
I want to become a teacher. Teaching is a profession that I have wanted to do ever since I helped in a summer class as a student-teacher. To become a teacher one needs their teaching degree/teaching license. The only way to obtain this license is by going to college and studying at that college for about 4 years. This desire of mine makes college for me extremely important. Finding the right and most affordable college will enhance my experience and my ability to teach. This is true for others depending on their field they want to go into. Healthcare workers right now are in high need due to the coronavirus. Doctors, physicians, nurses, etc needed to complete a college education. Thus making college to them very important. Circumstances such as finances or living can affect the importance of college. Luckily for me, my living and financial circumstances are good enough to allow me to pursue the career of my choice.
Although college may be important for me, for others that can be very different. I have some friends at school who have declared that they aren’t attending college. At first, this may seem crazy as to how are they ever going to get a job? Some people who aren’t attending college have a different plan in mind. One friend of mine, who is not going to college, wants to become an electrician. Electricians are in high demand and make good amounts of money. Going to college isn’t required to become an electrician. So my friend decided rather than paying money to go to college that he doesn’t need he decided he wanted to make money. He went on to get an apprenticeship with a local electrician. This apprenticeship will allow him to get money right away and once his apprenticeship is completed he will most likely have an opportunity to get a job. Going to college has very little importance to him as compared to me. This is just both of us choosing our career path and doing what makes the most sense for both of us. Sometimes people don’t value college because they aren’t able to afford it. Their living conditions and finances aren’t good enough to support going to college. Hopefully, that person has a plan to get themselves out of those circumstances. Rather than lose money and possible time they would rather go straight into the workforce either with an apprenticeship or working right away.
The question of how much importance college has to a person only has one wrong answer and that is not having any idea how much it means. This answer most likely means that the person doesn’t have a plan. They haven’t accessed their situation or found what they enjoy doing and correlate that to a career. Having no plan is the worst situation a person can be in. A college education's importance can only be measured by the individual through their circumstances and what they want to do with the rest of their life.