Is_College_a_Right_or_a_Privilege

Ray Duplessis Prof. Simakowicz English 1030 17 October 2011 Is College a Right or a Privilege' From as early as elementary school students are told that a college education is the key to success. The graduates who go on to be successful in whatever they choose to do give us examples of it everyday. The university lifestyle also prepares one for the world they must enter after they graduate and gives them a sense of independence. But even with that being so, college is not free nor is it for everyone. There are many people who have become successful without the experience of university. One third of the richest people in the world have no college degree. So does it make them less qualified or educated than someone with a degree' The answer is no. Yet, it is embedded into the youth that without this experience it is almost impossible to become successful. College is great in many ways but it is not needed to achieve success. The privilege of college in our society is confused with the right to be successful. From the time children start school they are taught that they are limited and school is the key to their success. Elementary school is the beginning you are taught the basics of our society and how everything works. Then there is middle school where the basics are restated with more detail. High school is where one begins to find their true interests and become prepared for college. But college is different from these levels of schooling. In some cases college may not be needed for one to pursue what they feel they want to do with their life. College can help in many ways for people who want to go into a professional field they aren’t experienced in, but for the people who know what they want to do with their life and have a plan for themselves college would be pointless. But in our society we are taught that anyone without a college degree is not going to be able to get a job and they will be unsuccessful. So if college is needed for people to be successful why is it the most expensive form of education' Shouldn’t everyone be able to go to college if it’s our right to pursue our dreams and be successful' No, because college is not needed to be successful. It may make it easier in some cases but it not a must. 33% of the people on the Forbes 400 list do not have college degrees. That 33% is also richer. The average net worth of a Forbes 400 member without college degree is $2.27 billion as opposed to that of a member with a college degree being $2.13 billion. Only 6.7% of the people in this world have college degrees. Who is to say that people without college degrees aren’t successful' The only reason people believe college is such a necessity is because after college it is easier to find a good job and make a lot of money. Money does not mean everything to everyone in this world. One person’s idea of success may not be to be the richest person on earth. They may have dreams that they do not need money to pursue. In their eyes they are successful and that is what matters. Many people go to college for the wrong reasons and end up getting sucked into a life they never wanted to live. They believe they need money to be successful and survive, and become a victim to the material world around them. Everywhere there are examples and more arguments trying to convince people to go to college. From articles in magazines to reports on the news it is being told to people that college is the way to go to be successful. Paul W. Wilson wrote an article titled “10 Reason To Go To College”. In the article he explains how going to college will get you more money. He says “People with a college education have better value systems and are healthier. They are able to guide their family positively.” My father did not receive a college degree and I believe he is one of the smartest people I know. He came here from Haiti and had nothing but his dream and his bass guitar and he went on to be a successful producer just as he dreamed. Not because he got lucky because he worked hard for it and he knew what he had to do and did it. There are people who don’t go to college and still fall into the trap of the material world. They graduate high school and due to all the materials that surround them they feel that they need to find a job as soon as possible so they can get these material things and forget their dreams. Which is not that hard with the way we live today especially in America. There are always new things to reel people in and make them believe they need money so they can spend it. It’s a never-ending cycle and some people have been absorbed by it. They think there is nothing that can be done and this is the way to live. College is not a bad experience but people confuse it with the right to live life and do what you want. They let the idea of college hold them back both the people who receive degrees and those who don’t. There is much more to life than being the richest person in the world and having the nicest car. There is a certain appreciation for life that has been lost, as we have progressed. College has helped attribute to this because people forget that college is not needed to live a great life. It is a privilege that should be used if it applies to your true happiness and success because those are rights. As humans we have the right to live a life of fulfillment whether it be making a living as a chef or a doctor. Just like a person who wants to be an actor goes to auditions and takes action towards their dream going to college is an action towards the dream. But not all dreams need college to come true. Works Cited “6.7% Of World Has College Degree.” Huffington Post: College. n.p., 19 May 2010. Web. 18 October 2011. Dukevich, Davide. “College vs. No College.” Forbes. n.p., 28 June 2003. Web. 18 October 2011. “The Average Cost Of College: How Much Is It'” Huffington Post: College. n.p., 25 August 2010. Web. 18 October 2011. Wilson, W. Paul “10 Reasons to Go to College” Ezine Articles. n.p., n.d., Web. 18 October 2011.