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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 FavoritesWhat do parents want for their children? Only the best. Parents really have little benefit in sending wanting their offspring to do well academically, go to college, and get some paper qualifications. Keep in mind that a college education does not come cheap these days. After all, education is not immune to inflationary pressures.
Why then do parents want their children to head to college so badly?
In a society that places ever-increasing emphasis on paper qualifications, one needs a proper education in a reputable college to have a greater chance at leading a more comfortable life. While striking it out on your own and being entrepreneurial is a possible path towards success and a better quality of life, it is nonetheless a risky path to embark on. Even more unconventional careers such as dance and music tend to require long apprenticeships at exclusive and specialized schools that are just as difficult to enter as academic colleges.
In essence, a college education provides the highest probability of leading a better life when the graduate enters the working world.
As I mentioned, parents want only the best for their young, and by wanting their children to take the college route, one can assume that parents want their children to have a successful career in the days ahead.
This desire is amplified by the personal experiences of the parent. The parent that has experienced poverty and hardship as a child refuses to have their young go through the same difficult life. They are convinced that education provides the necessary insurance against financial hardships. This also explains their apprehension over their children embarking on more unconventional career paths, simply because of the uncertainty involved in such career routes.
Similarly, the parent fortunate enough to have enjoyed relatively comfortable growing years know that the stable careers that their own parents had were a direct result of the strong education they received. Wanting their offspring to enjoy the same comfort in life, they wish for their children to take the same path towards academic and job success that of a college education.
Perhaps parents should not be blamed for wanting their young to get a college education. The fault actually lies in the labor market, which places a high demand on paper qualifications, and tends to reward risk and entrepreneurship poorly. Furthermore, careers in fields such as the arts tend to be much less well-publicized than corporate high-flyers.
Until the labor markets actively start to place less emphasis on paper qualifications, parents will continue to pressure their young to get a college education, if only to ensure a better quality of life for their young.
Learn more about this author, Timou.
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No
As a mom of ten children, with our four oldest having graduated from high school, I absolutely do not believe in pressuring children to get a college education. To just go to college to "see what they want to be when they grow up" may never accumulate to what they want to be, but instead, accumulate much college education debt.
My oldest son is 22 years old and does not have a college education. He works full-time in an automotive repair shop as a master mechanic, having earned numerous ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certifications. These are national tests which he has to take to be certified to do certain repairs in his shop. Much of it was hands on learning as he was working his way up, and passing tests. He has taken classes at a community college, but feels he could be where he is at without any of the college education. He continues to do some of the college courses, for the future, in case he would like to teach automotive courses at some point in his life. However, he does not feel pressured to do so.
My next oldest son is 19 years old. He is taking some classes also at the community collge. He loves music and he is thinking of a degree in Criminal Justice. But we are allowing him to decide which way he feels his life should go. If we pressure him, he will not do well in courses he does not like or has no desire to be a part of. Sometimes it is a matter of maturity for children to see that they do, or don't, need a college education.
My next two graduated children are 18 year old twin daughters. One is interested in art (drawing); the other in photography. But they both want to take it slow, possibly beginning with on-line courses. They too do not want to waste time or money taking classes that will not further their interests. As a mom, I am not going to push them to take the "core classes" just to keep them in college, when they may find that is not what they want to do. As young adults they need to learn to make decisions that will affect their futures.
Personally, I went to college and received a legal secretarial degree. I used it for about two years and then began having a family. I've been at home now raising and homeschooling children for over twenty years and found a new interest with writing. I am thankful I did not go four years to a college to receive a degree - just to receive a degree to please my parents. My husband alsowent to college and received a engineering drafting degree, but never used it. He went from working as a gravestone designer, to phone book ad designer, to tool and die, and now for the past five years, developing his own business in small engine repair. He's always loved "tinkering" with things, and had he started with his "love" of doing this . . . he would be much further with his business.
Each child is different. It may take many years for a child to see where he/she wants his/her life to go, but if pressured, may go the wrong direction and have a degree or job that is detested. Though laziness should not be encouraged (or allowed?) finding the strong points of a child and developing them may or may not mean a college education. However, pushing a child to go to college, just to go, is a waste of time and money for the child, parents, and can even be a discouragement to professors who do not see a child succeed in "their" degree. College is a wonderful advantage for learning and succeeding, but this may not be the way for learning and succeeding for each child.
Learn more about this author, Loni Stel.
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