Argumentative Essay: College degree is not just a paper

“What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the human soul -Joseph Addison” Every person is challenged in the race of life. Many have succeeded and finished the race, but what really is at the end of every obstacle course? Just as clothing is a person’s first impression, so as college degree is to a person’s success. In the world we live in, it is inevitable that college education degree is the basis of survival, assurance and success. Let’s say for instance, would you send your child to school if the teachers have no learning about the subject? Would you send your ill grandmother to a hospital with uncertified doctors who are not confident with the prescriptions and diagnosis they are giving? Would you entrust the financial stability of your company to an accountant who has not attained his college degree? Well, most of you would not. That piece of paper, that degree will hone you who will you be in the next ten years, in the next twenty years, in the remaining years of your lifetime. That piece of paper will guarantee one’s success. College degree is an important role in the success of a person. However come to think of it, what really is success? Success is defined by an individual. Success can be defined as the financial stability of a person, his happiness, or perhaps self- fulfillment. In whatever case it may be defined, attaining college degree serves as a milestone to success. Although people who did not finish college have been successful for some, have been socializing in broader environment and have been learning through self-discovery, I believe that a college degree is relevant for success because it provides job opportunities and maintains financial stability, encounter with people of different walks of life, and enhances maturity and growth.

                Students and other people have been debating over this argument many decades already. People then point out that some very successful people did not finish college. They say that these people, though they did not attain any college education, poured out their hearts, souls, dedication, sweat and blood in their passion for their career. Having knowledge about the course is not just everything. People like Steve Jobs have been very successful in life without attaining a college degree. In the speech he delivered in Stanford University, he dropped out from college after six months and dropped in to Calligraphy class. If he did not drop in to Calligraphy class, Macintosh would not have multiple font faces. Debaters say that he loved what he did and put his whole heart into it that’s why he is a success. A list of dropouts including Henry Ford, Benjamin Franklin, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein and many others gave the idea that a college degree is not necessary to be successful in life as long as one must put dedication and patience in everything he does. However, what is the likelihood that it will happen to everyone? Not all people will have the same fate as the aforementioned successful people. Sometimes no matter how hard a person strives, circumstances won’t just allow things to flow according to a person’s will. That is why college degree is important in a person’s career and success. It plays an important role in job opportunities, whereby any college degree holder will be offered with a variety of positions in an occupation without being rejected, unlike those who did not finish college. Degree holders can also put their hearts in the things they love doing. They can prove anybody that they have what it takes to be accepted in any company or institution. They will also have very limited problems in finding employment. Have you ever heard of an unemployed doctor, CPA, engineer, or lawyer? Having a college degree ensures economic and financial stability. Successful persons who have not attained college degree may be very wealthy, but it is not permanent. It may founder in time, unlike those professionals who can adapt from their works and transfer to other companies. Degree holders have a place in economy wherein their roles are held important. They contribute to the economy and benefit from it. College degree holders are secured of their future and their time and effort spent in college are worth it.

                Socialization is essential in determining success. As the saying goes, “No man is an island.” A successful person is never alone. There are always people who stand by his side that keeps him going in the race. Opposing views of this debate tackles that a person who did not attain a college degree has been exposed to a wider and broader environment at a young age. Society needs people to fill all kinds of roles. People who might not afford of going to college nor has no interest in going to college do the things they love even without an aid of education. They have been perhaps to places interacting with different people of the same interest. By interacting with these people, they share knowledge about their interests and this becomes their medium of knowing things. They establish connections and sometimes, these established friendships are the reason behind their success. This idea is not far to those people with college degree. When one enters college, he meets people from different walks of life. Not just because people are confined in only one university means that there is no variety of people interacting. These people may come from different sectors and levels in society. College is a perfect place and timing to establish connections with other students and professors. One will also meet his life-long partners or rivals in the business world or in medical fields. Who knows? Your classmate may just be your employee, partner or even your boss in the future. By just socializing, one is already preparing his future.

                Some people believe one can acquire knowledge through self-learning and self-discovery. Being a good father is not taught within the four corners of one’s classroom. He does not need a college degree to be called a good father. One will eventually learn it by himself and through experience. It is the same insight with the opposing side of this argument. Some jobs are learned from apprenticeships when formal schooling opportunities are not available. Some learn knowledge in technical schools wherein knowledge is transform into output such as plumbing, constructing and many more. A few would discover things by reading a book, newspaper or a magazine. Some would just opt to observe professionals and familiarize themselves with their work to apply it in their jobs. Others apply mostly for service-related jobs such as bartending, delivering, etc., rather than intellectual-related ones. Degree holders are not just more to being knowledgeable about a specific course or job. It’s a whole lot more than that. In the case for Degree Holders, they not only learn knowledge but through excelling, they are given the chance to mature and go after they want. One can also find a lot about himself and figure out things he want to change.  Degree holders mature not because they learn new things. It’s because they yearn to learn for more. They value college degree not because they have been informed, but because they have been fulfilled. Attaining a college degree is a fruit of a hard work and self-fulfillment. It is not only a sign of pride for college graduates but also a sign of forbearance through patience and time.

                Although many still believe that it is not necessary for success, it definitely would not hurt to have a degree. College degree would help a person attain success in a short and easier step. Successful people believe in impossible things. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "You must do the very thing you think you cannot do." Degree holders choose to live their dreams by preparing for what lies ahead of them and utilizing the gifts given to them by enhancing them through the years in college. A piece of paper will change one’s life. This is not yet the end of the race, but a new beginning to start over with. College degree is an important role in the success story of a person.

References

Axman, Lani. (2007). No- Is a college degree necessary for success. Is a college degree necessary for success.  Retrieved August 11, 2012, from http://www.helium.com/items/719170-is-a-college-degree-necessary-for-success.

Peterson, Quinn. (2008). No- Is a college degree necessary for success. Is a college degree necessary for success.  Retrieved August 11, 2012, from http://www.helium.com/items/1255252-is-a-college-degree-neccessary-for-success.

Trae, Lucius. (2010). No- Is a college degree necessary for success. Is a college degree necessary for success.  Retrieved August 11, 2012, from http://www.helium.com/items/1787526-do-you-need-a-college-degree-to-succeed.

Zhu, Abigail. (2011). Yes- Is a college degree necessary for success. Is a college degree necessary for success.  Retrieved August 11, 2012, from http://www.helium.com/items/960416-is-a-college-degree-necessary-for-success.