Discussion sur l'éducation (document en anglais)

In recent discussions of education, a controversial issue has been posed whether “too many people are going to college”. On one hand, some argue that education is paramount in our society to create a world with more educated people. But, Are really too many students going to college? Nowadays, on the contrary, some people argue that we are involved in a culture that labels people by a diploma, in an unrealistic bubble that disguises education as an absolute necessity for our future success. In the words of Charles Murray, one of the main proponents of this view, “The problem begins with the message sent to young people that they should aspire to college no matter what.” (Murray 239) . According to this view, questioning the value of education is a taboo today. Therefore, the population is led to believe that the only way to get a higher-paying job is getting a B.A. I personally agree with Murray. We are still blind to recognizing people skills without seeing a piece of paper that proves some sort of mastery in a certain category. Our society is collectively led to think that education is an automatic ticket to the future.

I still can hear my parents saying that they could die in peace when they see my sister and I well educated. I don’t understand why my father acknowledges this concept. He is a hard-working man who, despite not completing his secondary education, succeeded in establishing his own company. He dropped out of high school and began working at the age of 12.

My father, himself, claims that he did not enjoy studying, but rather preferred to deal with business and his crops. He acquired a tremendous amount of knowledge in economics and finance through his own experience. Reading the newspaper everyday rapidly developed his core knowledge inferred by Hirsch in his book “Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know”. Using my father as an example, I believe that talent can exist anywhere, especially with people who have not attended or finished college.

Now I’m not saying that everyone who didn’t attend or finish college is going to be successful because there are certain variables to be accounted for. Those variables consist of perseverance, dedication, a positive attitude in all areas, and a willingness to learn and succeed. Murray in his example of the electrician perfectly demonstrates the idea that there are some people with unique aptitudes to succeed. The electrician spent four years in college to be a mediocre manager rather than improve his electrical skills that proved to waste his time. Using this man as an example, we have been stigmatized with the idea that we have to study if we want a secure job. This society leads us to believe that the only way to building a successful future is by having a degree. Charles Murray in his essay declared “More than 90 percent of high school students report that their guidance counselor encouraged them to go to college” (Murray 239). Hence, many people are attending college due to the high social stigma that has been placed on education and us more importantly.

However, as Murray claims everybody needs more education after high school, and what they don’t need is to be seduced for another four years in an undergraduate institution. In fact, he argues that the development of information has revolutionized everything. The Internet has become an unimaginable and useful tool for people who really want to learn. Charles

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