College? Yes?! No?! (REVAMPED!)

What is college good for? Getting a degree to get a well-paying job? To gain more knowledge? Maybe it’s not any of those. Well there are many reasons that I probably don’t know, but to me this what college is good for and why people wouldn’t choose to go to college. It is good for education first off. Education is most important in furthering your life in anything. It has many benefits also. Education could be used for personal advantages such as knowing things in or around you, and it could be good to use in society. College could also be good for you as a way to work with and interact with people with different ethics as you. Working with different people trains you for what’s outside of school and in a job atmosphere. Like Mike Rose said, "One of the great things about bringing so many people together in this common space," he says, "is that you're almost forced to have to deal with and encounter people who see the world in a very different way from your own, ways that you maybe never even thought of." The people you are around every day could benefit you in the long run. Who knew? Another reason college is good is to get a well-paying job. People have different situations that they or fate has placed upon them such as children, low income, or divided households. An example is in this video. Going to college and getting a degree to get a good job could help provide for yourself and for your children.

 

          College is not just beneficial in the aspect of education itself, it is also beneficial towards life period. College helps you obtain experience in life that is useful. It could help with crucial decisions and deadlines as well as how to go about asking questions and seeking answers in everyday life and job experiences. Honestly, I think people who go to college are easily at an advantage in life because they learn more things about the work force and learning things than a person who doesn’t or doesn’t have the desire to attend college.

Now let me just stop for the good reasons. College has its benefits, but what about the things you have to do to get to college? The main one that first comes to mind is debt. Unless you’ve received a scholarship, benefits, grants, or you are fortunate enough to pay throughout your college career, you’re most likely to have to take out a loan. From what I’ve learned, there are two types of loans. Subsidized and Unsubsidized. Subsidized starts accumulating after you get out of college and Unsubsidized accumulates while you’re in college. Either way, you’ll end up having to pay Uncle Sam after you receive an education. Mark Kantrowitz estimated that people graduating this year could end up having to pay 27,000 dollars in loans after college. I don’t know about you, but that hurts me and I don’t even have a loans! Loans are a scary thing and should be taken with thought and the utmost seriousness. In an article I read, a student at Illinois State University named Jason Yoler, committed suicide in a campus lab due to the debt he had of 100,000 dollars.

Now decide for yourself. Is college really worth it? The multiple benefits to college make you really consider choosing to further your education. From education to life, college has its major benefits of both, but also, think about the negatives. No one said that not going to college is bad. It may be smart thing to do if you think about the financial downside. College is not for everyone, but if you have the means to go, I think it would be one of the most benefiting life experiences you've ever had.

The Gift of Bad News

Everyday people who are financially stable and fortunate don’t think about the small things that are important. Food, shelter, and health. People fail to look and see that there are other people in the world who are less fortunate.

 In an article in the book, Share or Die: Voices of the Get Lost Generation In the Age of Crisis, I read about a girl named Melissa Welter who was diagnosed with celiac disease and she was in a unstable financial predicament. Her challenge really flustered her mentally and she was not able to find a job and the certain food she had to eat was scarce. Through all of her troubles, she maintained to find happiness through planting her own vegetables and making her garden. She also found a job as a tutor.

Her overcoming her challenge really inspired me in a great way. I took it in a way that I could apply to my own life. I sat down and thought about how possible it was for her to overcome her sadness even through poverty and turn it into happiness. I decided that through all the stuff going on in my life, I should be able to pull through and turn sadness into happiness. My life as of now consists of school and little to no money. Even though I have little, I manage to find happiness within completing stuff on time, getting good grades, and being surrounded by good people.

So after reading this, I think its safe to say that we all as able bodied people, need to pay attention to our life more and be more fortunate of the things we have. We are all on this Earth once, so we need to be grateful.

College? Good Enough? You Decide!

Is College Enough?

College is a great thing. It can benefit you in the long run and while you’re attending college. Well, that’s at least what I think. As I sit down a run through all the things that peers and family have told me about college, the thing that I heard the most is that a college degree, in this time, does not guarantee a job. So all the money and time I invest in school doesn't guarantee me a stable job after? If that’s the case, why do we still attend college?

Often I feel as if kids my age are put into a default block and are pushed to attend college because “they” say it guarantees a good job and you cant get a well paying job with just a high school diploma. Ramesh Ponnuru said in this article  that, “40% of kids who en roll in college don't get a degree within six years.”  That statistic proves that college isn't suitable for all people. The sad truth is that the economy of today forces kids to go to college to get a degree to compete with other people to get good jobs. To me its kind of unfair.

Don’t get me wrong now. College is still beneficial if you apply yourself both in college and when you get out of college. According to a chart on this site, 66 percent of employers look at GPA. That means there is more than half a great chance that your self application and determination in college, could pay off in the long run and the future. Also, another way to raise your chances of getting a job is to get involved outside of school. According to an article by Lynn O’Shaughnessy, “When employers are looking for new college graduates, they aren't just interested in their grades. They want to know what students have done outside the classroom for four years.” So if you apply yourself outside of the classroom, then you will raise your chances just like that!

                College is sort of fine either way to me. There is so much benefits to it. Applying your self is the key. If you perform to the best you can, employers will look at you over others. You will most likely get a job that you can support yourself and you will have stability, according to an article by Marcelina Hardy. Also, according to an article, Henna Danielson said, “I knew how hard it was going to be to get a job after graduation, so I got involved early. [You need to] seek out opportunities that aren't just going to fill your resume, but seek opportunities that are going to be applicable to your area of career interest, and opportunities that are ultimately going to teach you something valuable.” So application is the key to a successful future.

Is College Really Good For You?

What is college good for? Getting a degree to get a well-paying job? To gain more knowledge? Maybe it’s not any of those. Well there are many reasons that I probably don’t know, but to me this what college is good for and why people wouldn’t choose to go to college. It is good for education first off. Education is most important in furthering your life in anything. It has many benefits also. Education could be used for personal advantages such as knowing things in or around you, and it could be good to use in society. College could also be good for you as a way to work with and interact with people with different ethics as you. Working with different people trains you for what’s outside of school and in a job atmosphere. Like Mike Rose said, "One of the great things about bringing so many people together in this common space," he says, "is that you're almost forced to have to deal with and encounter people who see the world in a very different way from your own, ways that you maybe never even thought of." The people you are around every day could benefit you in the long run. Who knew? Another reason college is good is to get a well-paying job. People have different situations that they or fate has placed upon them such as children, low income, or divided households. An example is in this video. Going to college and getting a degree to get a good job could help provide for yourself and for your children.

Now let me just stop for the good reasons. College has its benefits, but what about the things you have to do to get to college? The main one that first comes to mind is debt. Unless you’ve received a scholarship, benefits, grants, or you are fortunate enough to pay throughout your college career, you’re most likely to have to take out a loan. From what I’ve learned, there are two types of loans. Subsidized and Unsubsidized. Subsidized starts accumulating after you get out of college and Unsubsidized accumulates while you’re in college. Either way, you’ll end up having to pay Uncle Sam after you receive an education. Mark Kantrowitz estimated that people graduating this year could end up having to pay 27,000 dollars in loans after college. I don’t know about you, but that hurts me and I don’t even have a loans! Loans are a scary thing and should be taken with thought and the utmost seriousness. In an article I read, a student at Illinois State University named Jason Yoler, committed suicide in a campus lab due to the debt he had of 100,000 dollars.

Now decide for yourself. Is college really worth it? It has major benefits, but if you are willing to go through the process of getting aid to get there, I’m sure it will pay off.

Why College?

College. A big step from grade school. Hearing about the responsibilities that were going to placed upon me, I still chose to go without hesitation. Why college though? Well I chose to go to college because I actually wanted to learn more about something I had much interest in. Of course my future career was in mind too, but I really wanted to learn more about financing and business in general. It took me a while to even consider college. I was a senior in high school when I made the decision. Before I actually gathered my self and thought about my decision, I always wanted to make music. I thought that I could get far in it and be more than successful, but as I grew older, I matured and thought that the odds of that happening were very slim. I got interested in finance when I was in high school also. My dad always came home and told me about the responsibilities that the Chief Financial Officers had at his job and it immediately sparked my interest. I sat down in my free time and searched online about big companies like Morgan Stanley and Dynegy and played fantasy stock market games on the computer. I was thrilled at the excitement that came from trading and buying stocks and I wanted to learn more about it. I then had gotten placed in a Economics class and we watched documentaries and videos about the stock market towards the end of the year. I looked forward to going to that class just to watch and see how life was in the stock market and about people in it.  So why college? Well, because college can teach me more about something I want to know more about and it could help me get a career in the field I want to.

Introduction

To those who wonder, my name is Darius Anderson. I was born in New Jersey, but I really cant say I am from there. I am from a military family, so I moved around a lot. The last place I settled and resided in was Huntsville, Alabama. I am 18 years of age and my birthday is June 28th, 1994. I am a really calm person, but I like to laugh. I love music a lot. If I could marry it I would. I also love the solar system. Just the stars and planets and discoveries of new places in the universe is so fascinating. I came to Jacksonville State because I loved the location and the campus size. Its just right. I am majoring in Finance because I once was assigned to watch a documentary on the Enron company, and I fell in love with how stock brokers and financial officers do the job they have, well the positive side of it. I love my family and I love meeting people I  can laugh with. I hope to make friends with you all in my EH 101 class.