Is All of This Just A Big Waste of Time ?

            Is college even anything like it used to be ? Is college enough to make it in the 21st century ? Will people even be as worried about college as we are now ? I honestly have no way of answering this question, but what I can say is there are possibly three reasons college won't be as affective to people in later years as it is to people now. The first reason would be that mostly half of the people that start off going to college just drop out after a while. The second, as technology is increasing the need to actually go to college to learn new skills will probably decrease. The third, college degrees are not as promising as they have always been.

 

 

photo credit: ydhsu via photopin cc

      

"About thirty precent of college and university students drop out of school before they even get to their second year. Fifty precent of those students that start off at college never graduate." , as seen in "College in America", an infographic. Students hear many times in their lives about how fabulous college is, and also about how many things they can accomplish with a college degree. Once many of them get to college they soon start to realize that college is not just fun and games. College actually requires a lot of self-determination and a lot of self-motivation. High school and high school teachers often talk about how good college is and how it will help you succeed in life, but is that even the case anymore ? Is college really going to get you ahead in life? I see it as yes, you can go to college and get a degree, but a job is not guaranteed; especially not in the kind of economy we live in today. In an article written by Jordan Weissmann, "Why Do So Many Americans Drop Out of College ?", he clearly explains that unprepared students sign up for school because they think a degree is their passport to middle class. He also says that students should have other options. I am guilty of thinking of college in that way. I have stated in many of my past blogs that I came to college to get a degree in nursing to be successful. That statement was me, thinking that college is just going to lead the way for my success and that I would have nothing else to do. My thinking process was totally off.

 

                                                photo credit: Rubén Chase via photopin cc

Technology is taking over the way students learn completely. Homework assignments can be done over the internet and many class projects require internet now. The way technology is evolving is great, but is it all for the good ? In " The Crisis in Higher Education", the opening sentence caught my eye. The opening sentence said, "Online courses are attracting hundreds of thousands of students, millions of dollars in funding, and accolades from university administrators. Is this a fad, or is higher education about to get the overhaul it needs ?" The passage goes on to talk about the internet is raising new hopes in education. All of the work that needs to be done can be done from your dorm room or even your own home. Many teachers have started to put the lessons for the day on an online website that can be reached by their students. Teachers also put videos of the things they covered that day in class online too. What's the point of even having class ? Give your students a reason to come to class, other than the fact that they are paying for you class and don't want their money to go to waste; give them something to look forward to. In the article, "Is Technology Ruining Children ?", the article talks about how technology is creating a generation of students that are unable to do anything themselves. I am one of those type people that if I need to figure something out, I will just type it into google because it's so much easier than doing it myself. I can say that technology has turned me into one of those lazy children.

 

                                        photo credit: Photo Extremist via photopin cc

 In the article " College Education, Good Jobs: Why Degrees are Overrated ", by Ramesh Ponnuru, he talks about how ridiculous it is that people how have college degrees work as hotel management and accounting. It's sad to say, but there are people out there with college degrees that are just stuck with nothing to do. The way the economy is now there are not many job openings at all. This puts the people with college degrees at a disadvantage. Those people have to take any job option possible just to make ends meet.
      These are my reasons as to why I can't say that college is or isn't good enough for anyone. Yes, it helps you succeed, but what does college do to you in the long run; how does it damage you ? Will the drop out rates, technology, or non-promising careers hold college students back ? You tell me.

                                            photo credit: GDS Infographics via photopin cc