Author Ken Saxon published his speech “What Do You Do with a B.A. in History” he delivered to the 2010 Freshman Class at the University of California in which he explores the benefits of taking a liberal arts approach to college. In his speech, Saxon challenges the traditional approach to attending college with a pre-professional approach to gain marketable job skills. According to Saxon, taking classes in a variety of subjects helps one to expand themselves and broaden their perspective. He believes a liberal arts approach “develops the student's rational thought and intellectual capabilities”(Saxon, 437). As a leader in the non-profit industry, Mr. Saxon believes that College is not just about tangible job skills, it is about building your …show more content…
Saxon’s speech were varied and I felt like he offered a unique perspective. That he presented unique insight into how a person chooses their college major and career with so little life experience. Saxon states “So to pick the bulk of your curriculum based upon your guess as to what you might want to do in the working world, when you haven’t really tried that many things and don’t likely know what will make you happy later in life seem foolhardy to me.” (Saxon, 438) This resonates with me and was my exact thinking when I decided to drop out of school as a 1st time psychology major. I felt I had been naïve and did not want to continue to invest time, and money into a career path I was not passionate and 100% sure about. I needed to get out of my parent’s shadow and explore the real …show more content…
“So often the best things in life that happen to you, the things that make all the difference happen by change or result from failure, not the result of careful planning” (Saxon ,438). I have spent many sleepless nights trying to think through an issue or plan to succeed only to find in the end I failed. I liken this to the old saying “hindsight is 20/20”. As humans, I find that it is always easier to find things that we do not want to do, but we still have a difficult time finding what it is we really enjoy. It seems we are all searching for a career that we love, and one that will support our lifestyle. I questions if that is realistic
All though “The New Liberal Arts”, Sanford J. Ungar uses seven misconceptions about liberal arts on why learning the liberal arts. And explain why is still relevant and will be for coming years. The first misperception that he advocates is that a liberal arts degree is no longer affordable. Vocational training is better alternative to liberal arts in today. In this recession it is a financially wise decision to obtain a career oriented education instead. Students may not able to find jobs in the field that they are training after graduate. Ungar argues that especially collage students find it harder to get good jobs with liberal arts degrees, which is not the case. Which is the second misperception is that graduates with liberal arts degrees
One of the evidence that I found worthy of consideration in Zinsser's text is that "In the late 1960s", "the typical question that I got from students was 'Why is there so much suffering in the world?' or "How can I make a contribution?' Today it's 'Do you think it would look better for getting into law school if I did a double major in history and political science, or just majored in one of them?" (Zinsser 197) This evidence shows that the views on college education is transient and can be changed. At the same time it gives us an idea of what kind of college education Zinsser favors. Real purpose of a college education should not be forced by career or parental influences but by personal choices especially by taking classes in the fields of liberal arts.
Imagine a cardiovascular surgeon about to crack the sternum of a dying patient; tension is high while the clock of life ticks desperately slower and softer for the poor soul on the cold steel table that saw death the hour before. Is it logical that at that moment the purveyor of life is contemplating whether his freshmen philosophy class back at SMU has thoroughly prepared him for what he is about to do? Not likely. In higher learning institutions, liberal art classes like philosophy are not meant to be directly applied to one’s life or career; however, they are structured and devised to be a strong base that the individual can expand upon through scientific learning and experience. This is precisely the reason colleges and universities require and place much emphasis on these classes; nevertheless, there has been a shift away from the liberal arts towards the direction of highly specialized areas of science and business because of their growing integration in everyday life. Although people need a limited number of liberal arts classes to attain a basic understanding of ourselves and our evolution, state universities are aptly moving towards technical education, because, in this fast paced world, many people don’t have the time or money to spend studying the humanities alone.
Instead, Sanford J. Ungar presents the arguments that all higher education is expensive and needs to be reevaluated for Americans. He attempts to divert the argument of a liberal arts education tuition by stating “ The cost of American higher education is spiraling out id control, and liberal-arts colleges are becoming irrelevant because they are unable to register gains i productivity or to find innovative ways of doing things” (Ungar 661). The author completely ignores the aspects of paying for a liberal arts degree or even the cost comparison to a public university. Rather, Ungar leads the reader down a “slippery slope” of how public universities attain more funding and grants from the government, while liberal arts colleges are seemingly left behind. The author increasingly becomes tangent to the initial arguments he presented by explaining that students have a more interactive and personal relationship with their professors and other students. Sanford J. Ungar did not address one aspect of the cost to attend a liberal arts college or how it could be affordable for students who are not in the upper class.
In the past several years, there has been a growing trend in the number of college-bound individuals getting two-year degrees from community colleges or earning certification for their desired career field at vocational schools. Such schools certainly seem to have some valuable qualities: all boast of having lower costs than other colleges, of their absence of student loans, of allowing people to make more money quicker, of being narrowly focused so students don’t have to take classes they don’t need. They attempt to point out apparent weaknesses in liberal arts colleges as well, claiming that such an education is unnecessary in today’s world. However, for every reason to go to a community or two-year college, a vocational track, or an apprenticeship, there is another, stronger reason for going to a traditional, four-year college, and the liberal arts degree gained at four year colleges far outstrips the degree gained at a two year school or through a vocational track.
In recent years, many have debated whether or not a college education is a necessary requirement to succeed in the field of a persons’ choice and become an outstanding person in society. On one hand, some say college is very important because one must contribute to society. The essay Three Reasons College Still Matters by Andrew Delbanco shows three main reasons that students should receive their bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, many question the point of wasting millions of dollars on four years or maybe more to fight for highly competitive jobs that one might not get. Louis Menand wrote an article based on education titled Re-Imagining Liberal Education. This article challenges the main thought many americans have after receiving a secondary education. Louis Menand better illustrates the reasons why a student should rethink receiving a post secondary education better than Andrew Delbanco’s three reasons to continue a person’s education.
It is Addison’s belief that one enters the college experience as a rookie (Addison 213). This theory contradicts Murray’s thought that not every person would benefit from a college-level liberal education. Addison also believes that ...
Over the past few years, people have begun to see going to college as a way to achieve the American Dream through career-readiness. People used to go to college, hoping to get a better well-rounded education. For most the well-rounded education, it usually came with the courses required for a liberal arts education. The courses would provide a level of analytical and in-depth understanding that would prepare the students for both life and whichever career path chosen. No matter the amount of money paid, parents would be willing to gi...
In Charles Murray’s essay entitled “Are Too Many People Going to College?”, he discusses the influx of Americans getting a college education. He addresses the topic of Liberal Arts education, and explains that not many people are ready for the rigorous challenges a liberal-arts degree offers. In addition, Murray explains that instead of a traditional degree more people should apply to technical schools. He believes that college should not be wide spread, and that it is only for those who can handle it. These viewpoints harshly contrast with Sanford J. Ungar’s views. Ungar believes college education should be widespread, because a liberal-arts degree is, in his opinion, a necessity. He argues that a liberal-arts college is the only place that
Choosing a vocation can be a daunting task. With the world ever-evolving, one may come across a new attractive career every year. In order to ensure optimal job satisfaction, it is vital to educate oneself about every alluring prospect prior to committing. Simple factors like the time commitment and salary can mean the difference between a content existence and a miserable one.
However, a school’s academic fame does not directly prove that all of their students are talented and prepared because how much they absorb, understand and are able to utilize their new knowledge is hard to measure. Credentialing can be a stepping-stone to success, but it should not be the decisive factor. If a recruiter only considers a credential, he or she may be able to hire smart people from a proven university, but will definitely miss other qualified potential employees who have excellent experience and skills but no Ivy League degree. College is a pre-practice school for society, giving students the opportunity to study how society works in order to make a smooth transition from college to “the real world.” Unfortunately, what real employment environments need is not always what colleges focus on. Davidson is concerned about the perception colleges have about credentialing, versus what real-life work experience needs. She claims, “We were inverting the traditional roles of teacher and learner, the fundamental principle in education: hierarchy based on credentials. The authority principle, based on top-down expertise, is the foundation of formal education” (50 Davidson). The concern remains that credentialing becomes highly revered as the inviolable authority in education, which everyone follows without reservation. Professors with high educational
It should not be a surprise that many people believe that a college degree is a necessity in today’s world. We are taught to believe this at a young age. The average citizen will not question this statement due to how competitive the job market has become, yet does graduating college guarantee more success down the road? Peter Brooks is a scholar at Princeton University and publisher of an essay that questions the value of college. He obviously agrees that college can help securing a job for the future, but questions the humanities about the education. He uses other published works, the pursuit of freedom, and draws on universal arguments that pull in the reader to assume the rest of his essay has valid reasons.
In Caroline Bird’s “College is A Waste of Time and Money”, it’s argued that there are many college students who would be better off if they were to begin working after high school graduation. Colleges and universities can no longer ensure that one will go on to get a better job, getting paid more than they would have without a higher education. However, high school seniors still stress about where they will be attending college, how they’re going to pay for it and what they’re going to study for the next four years. Bird points out how college has changed over the past few decades and how, in turn, it has set many young adults up for disappointment, if nothing else.
As a junior, I have had to face the pressures of choosing what I want to do in the future. It seems so far away, but this is the only time I will be able to decide. I have looked into various career paths such as veterinarianism, phycology and a journalism. During my career exploration, I was asked one simple question that seemed so obvious, “you are interested now but, can you see yourself doing that for the rest of your life?” The answer was always “no” bringing me right back to square one.
Coming to the point of my current career choice has been a long road. My idea of what a career is or should be has changed with circumstances and age. According to Weintraub (2005), “the average worker spends only four years in a job and will have 12 jobs in as many as five career fields during his or her working life.” (para. 1) My first career was marriage and motherhood followed by a surprising healthcare career. What the future holds waits to be seen. With a bachelor of science degree in information technology the options are wide open.