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Are parents justified in pressuring their teenage children to get a college education?
Are parents justified in pressuring their teenage children to get a college education?
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| Yes | 67% | 287 votes | Total: 430 votes | |
| No | 33% | 143 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesA college education is often viewed as the one true ticket to success in our society, albeit one that isn't always purchased by everyone. Study after study has proven that those without college degrees earn substantially less than their peers over time. Unfortunately, though, many high school graduates still view college as an option, rather than a requirement. As a result, parents are certainly justified - especially in today's economy - to pressure their children into getting a college education.
Of course, the traditional college experience is definitely not for everyone; not all eighteen-year-olds are ready for or interested in dorm living, all-night partying, and demanding coursework. However, today's high school grads have many options: community colleges, trade schools, and certificate programs are all viable alternatives to the conventional four-year route. Therefore, parents need not unduly pressure their kids into getting the "standard" college education, just some form of post-secondary learning.
As mentioned earlier, those without a degree are practically committing financial suicide by not attending college. If one's children take this frightening fact lightly, one should actively show them the consequences of dismissing higher education. Teens can be shown the budget of someone living on a paltry salary, or the overall lifestyle of one who has to work long hours at a menial job. They can also be reminded of how they'll see their friends advance onward and upward, while they languish in retail or customer service. They can also be shown what they could never feasibly afford on the amount they'll be making without a degree: a house, a new car, a party-centric lifestyle, brand-name clothing, a family, etc.
While the financial rewards are enough on their own to convince anyone that college is "worth it," there are many other benefits as well. In the uncertain, transitional period between high school and the real world, college provides a solid footing upon which to test new interests and potential careers. For high school graduates, career options are severely limited. For high school graduates in college, however, the options are endless. Between majors, minors, job fairs, internships, mentoring, and career counseling, college students have a huge leg up on picking the right career - and being able to confidently enter the field.
College also provides endless opportunity for friendships, contacts, connections, recommendations, and networks, all of which are crucial in becoming a professional and an adult. By not attending, one misses the overall springboard into adulthood that college provides. Even if one doesn't live on-campus, one must still learn how to function independently by paying bills, managing personal finances, meeting obligations, and so on.
Despite all the aforementioned perks of a college education, parents should still try to convince their kids of a degree's worth, rather than force them to enroll in classes. Any endeavour is only as useful as the desire to see it through, and thus parents should do all they can to inculcate in their children a genuine desire to succeed.
Learn more about this author, Robyn Keyster.
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No
More jobs than ever before are requiring a college degree just to make it into an interview. However, this doesn't mean that every graduating high school student should be enrolling in college. The world is full of highly successful people who do not have a college degree. We call them entrepreneurs and their stories are all inspirational.
After high school, 19-year old Jimmy was hanging around the house accomplishing nothing. His dad finally gave him an ultimatum - go to college or get a job! Jimmy, ever the defiant one, did neither. Instead, he decided he would start a business. There was only one thing he knew how to do really well and that was make and eat sandwiches. He couldn't make money eating them, but he might be able to build a business making them. He made samples, brought them to the local college dorms, and left a flyer with his sandwich menu and a phone number to call in the orders. Oddly enough, this worked! That was in 1983, and now, decades later, Jimmy John Liautaud can boast nearly 700 Jimmy John's sandwich shops across the country. Sandwich delivery is still the mainstay of his business and it continues to set him apart from his two biggest competitors, Subway and Quiznos.
This is just one of many stories of young people pushed to attend college who are not college material. Jimmy John chose an entrepreneurial path and succeeded, much to his dad's delight. Granted, not everyone has the entrepreneurial spirit to launch a new business at age 19, but college is an expensive place to search for your passion. It will be hard to get your child to enroll in college if he/she isn't ready. However, if you do manage to convince your child to enroll, you might be tossing that tuition down the drain. Instead, help your child find his or her passion and direct them to resources that will take them on a path to success. But, by all means, if your child enjoyed and excelled in high school, and he or she shows an interest in college, find a way to make that happen.
If your child shows an interest in the building trades, find out about apprentice programs. Trade Unions are a great source for this. Some private companies offer apprenticeships, too. The apprentice earns a paycheck while learning the trade and in a few years, he or she will be earning the same as others who have been on the job for a decade.
If food service is your child's passion, check out local cooking schools or bartending schools. Their curriculum concentrates entirely on the skills needed to succeed in their chosen career. The programs are short, so the student can graduate and find a job within a few months.
You child's career choice may not be what you would have chosen for your child, but the decision should be theirs. After all, it is their life and their future. Burdening your child with your hopes and dreams will only lead to resentment, unhappiness, and a feeling of failure for not living up to your expectations.
Who knows, your child could be the next Jimmy John Liautaud if allowed to follow his own dreams.
Learn more about this author, Barbara Cox.
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