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Colin Gilman

Senior Project Research Paper

Mr. Alderson

6 November 2018

Is Higher Education Really Required to Succeed in the 21​st​ Century

We all know that Education is important, but do we know why? The definition of

education is “the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the

powers of reasoning and judgement and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for

mature life” (dictionary). People view a college education as something needed to succeed in life

and in most circumstances we are right, but in an era where information is so readily available

through the internet, it begs the question..is all people really need to know is how to read, and

write? ​The purpose of education in the 21st century should be to provide students the skills

necessary to be ​a productive member of society ​and our current system, which emphasises

university education as the main measure of success, is not fulfilling that need.

Radio Atlantic, a Boston magazine, paired with Magdalena Slapik, a photojournalist with

the Hechinger Report, interviewed different students across the country to see what they had to

say. Ifetayo Kitwala, an 11​th​ grade student at Baltimore School for the Arts in Maryland, was

asked what role teachers should play in students’ lives? Her response was that she wants teachers

to “create a space where students can fail and still say OK, I’m gonna try this again, but in a

different way.” Instead of “OK, I failed. I’m not going to be anything. Let me just quit.” the way

students are viewing schools as a place to go and try to succeed and become something or fail

and become nothing, instead of a place where they can learn what they want to learn is not what
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students should be feeling when they walk into à class. Another student, Jadaci Henderson, a

senior at Dumas New Tech High School in Arkansas, was asked what the purpose of education is

and what role school should play in a student’s life? She responded with “The role of school is to

educate me, so that when I go out into society I can become productive. I can be a functioning

member of society who can work, who can educate someone else and who can be a role model.

I’m personally seeing the role of school – of education – as basically a pastime, like a public

babysitter for whoever feels their children should be here.” A third student, Shamus Hayes, a 9​th

grader at Mount Abraham Union High School in Bristol, VT was asked what do you feel is the

purpose of education? His response was “I think education is important but it also depends.” He

feels you don’t need to have an A+ in everything to be able to work a normal job and earn above

minimum wage. Shamus continues saying that schools teach you all about what happened

hundreds of years ago but don’t teach you about how to get a job, how to live on your own or

pay bills (atlantic). The way schools are currently designed are for a one size fits all. It seems,

with the evolution of today’s modern technology giving one access to information at the touch of

a keystroke, we could find an alternative to classic K-12 school education in America.

In the Washington Post article ​What is the Purpose of Education in the 21st​ ​ Century ​by

Valerie Strauss, she states the Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker quietly tried to change the

century-old goal of the University of Wisconsin system by changing it from a “search for truth”

to “improve the human condition” and “meet the state’s workforce needs”. Arthur H. Camins

said “Should young people become educated to get prepared to enter the workforce, or should

the purpose of education be focused more on social, academic, cultural and intellectual

development so that students can grow up to be engaged citizens?” The Wisconsin Governor
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even tried to change the mission statement of the University of Wisconsin to focus on workforce

development. There has been push-back from those who want greater emphasis on a broader

view of education. It shouldn’t have to be an either-or situation. Education needs to prepare

young people for life, work and citizenship (washington).

For example, the education system in the United Kingdom is divided into four main parts,

primary, secondary, further and higher education. Children have to legally attend primary and

secondary education which runs from 5 years of age to 16 years old. Then a trade school is

introduced from the ages 16-18 to prepare for the workforce or go onto higher education

(international). In Finland, after a nine-year basic education in a comprehensive school, at the

age of 16, students may choose to continue their secondary education in either an academic or a

vocational track (Smithsonian). Should we be considering methods such as these? Or, can people

teach themselves computer skills without “school” and succeed?

Knowledge and how people live in the world is critical to all three purposes of education.

Critical thinking, creativity, interpersonal skills and a sense of social responsibility influence

life’s successes, work and citizenship. For example, a person who is unhappy in a personal

relationship can spill over into the work environment. A stressful workplace or even

unemployment can have a negative impact on one’s personal life. Uneducated, unmotivated

citizens lead to poor policy choices that impact life, work and citizenship. This perspective is

practical for both day-to-day instruction as well as education policy. What features are taught in

the classroom that supports education for life, work and citizenship?

Education is not required to succeed in life. May years ago, higher education was

something that a person did if they wanted too. As the years went on, the idea of “Education is
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the key to success” got more enforced. People started to believe that education was the single

way for success and the only thing needed. In reality, education is not the only way to succeed

therefore higher education is not required to succeed in life. People can be successful in any field

with the right set of skills. Book learning has a lot to do with the knowledge one has but not with

the skills a person has. There are many college graduates that cannot get a job or are stuck

working in a field that had nothing to do with their degree. Some would say that students in

college care more about the grades then what they have learned. Some even forget what they

learned. Can a person really succeed like this? No, they can’t, that is why education is not the

key to success.

Steve Jobs is a perfect example of why higher education is not required to succeed in life.

He attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon and six months later dropped out because he

didn’t want to spend his parent’s money. He later became the chairman, CEO and co-founder of

Apple Inc. He was also chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar, member of Walt Disney

board of Directors after its acquisition of Pixar and the founder, chairman and co-founder of

NeXT. He was recognized as a pioneer of the 1970s and 80s microcomputer revolution. Mr.

Job’s net worth at the time of his death was roughly $10 billion dollars (time). Henry Ford was

the founder of Ford Motor Company and sponsored the development technique of mass

production Mr. Ford manufactured the first automobile that many working class American could

afford. In doing so, he converted it from an expensive vehicle to a practical one that would

impact 20​th​ century landscape. Ford never attended college and left home to work as an

apprentice machinist in Detroit and later with the Detroit Dry Dock Co. IN 1903, the Ford Motor

Co was reincorporated. Mr. Ford’s net worth is around $200 billion in today’s money (time).
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Another famous mogul that didn’t attend college and become a success is Ellen DeGeneres. She

graduated from Grace King High School and moved back to New Orleans to attend the

University of New Orleans. After one semester, she chose to leave school to do clerical work in a

law firm. She became a comedian, television host, actress, writer and producer. She has a net

worth of $400 million dollars (time). These are just a few individuals who did not attend college

and became extremely successful. There are several more stories of successful people who never

got their degree such as Michael Jackson, Rachel Ray, Bill Gates and many more. What do all

these people have in common, they have aim, motivation and idea.

Some people argue that higher education is needed to succeed in life. “Education is an

amazing tool which can be used to change the world and facilitate one’s purpose in life.” Do you

agree? Can you relate to this statement? Most people can. Some say to gain respect, one should

be educated to live a prosperous and happy life and to attain a great job to be successful. Because

when it comes to living a prosperous life, the work “Education” has a significant meaning in

people’s lives. With it, a person won’t even know the purpose of his/her life. The significance of

education is for every person to live freely and independently and to protect a person financially

and allow them to live life on their own feet. Education allows people to set standards and

provides knowledge to understand the consequences of wrong decisions. One real world example

of how higher education is a necessity is in law enforcement. An officer who is at a rank of

sergeant can only promote to lieutenant if they have a higher education and a college degree.

Without a college degree a person is limited on how far he/she can move up in rank. The college

degree can be in any subject matter and the department does not take military service into

account.
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We can all agree that education is important. The gift of knowledge can bring us closer to

our dreams. It can lead us down the right path and provide us with a better life. Our whole life is

the process of learning and gaining useful information. A university education brings more

opportunities to achieve success but is it essential? Many people succeed because they are hard

working. Besides from working hard, their working ability and social skills can lead to success.

Employers would rather employ a person who can handle a given task than a college graduate

who holds a degree but can do nothing. A college degree does not prove their work ability.

Working hard, social skills, prominence, experiences and enthusiasm are more important than a

college degree. Many people don’t know that millions of college graduates earn less during their

career then people who dropped out or didn’t attend college. As well as millions who dropped

out of high school can make a huge impact on the world and earn lots of money. There are areas

of life that require higher education beyond that of high school but it is not the only path to

success All that needs to be said is that higher education is not the only thing needed to succeed

in life.
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Henry Ford. ​History.com,​ A&E Television Networks, 28 Nov, 2018. Web.

Hopwood, Jon C. “Ellen DeGeneres.” ​IMDb​, IMDb.com. 28 Nov, 2018. Web.

Schrodt, Paul. “15 Super Successful People Who Never Graduated College.” Money, Nov. 2017

Slapik, Magdalena. “The Purpose of Education – According to Students.” The Atlantic

Magazine, Oct. 2017

Steve Jobs.” ​Biography.com,​ A&E Networks Television, 28 Nov, 2018. Web. 11 Sept. 2018

Strauss, Valerie. “What’s the Purpose of Education in the 21​st​ Century.” The Washington Post,

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