by Todd Pheifer

Created on: November 06, 2009

Going to college has become a natural progression of education for many people as they seek certain types of personal betterment and particular vocational paths. College does not guarantee "success" in life, but it certainly gives many people additional options that they would not have had if they did not pursue a higher degree. Of course, even people that embark on a path of higher education can experience major difficulties. Therefore, here are a few ways that college gets people ready to achieve tremendous success or failure.

More options and awareness

As mentioned, higher education provides for more options, both personally and vocationally. Again, this means that people have increased opportunities to succeed and fail depending on the circumstances. People that go to college are able to pursue certain jobs and embark on particular life paths because they have been exposed to a broader spectrum of the world. The challenge is that education does not always prepare them to navigate every situation, but it certain gives them some tools.

Skill sets

Education is about the development of the individual. Some of education is about obtaining particular skills sets, while other aspects are about essentially learning how to learn. When people come out of college, they may have a good understanding of theory and concepts, and they may have some solid critical thinking and problem solving skills. This may cause them to take certain risks, because they feel that they can rely on their education to get them through particular challenges. Sometimes this pays off and people achieve success, and other times they experience failure because certain environments do not conform to the theories that are taught in the textbook.

Life is still life

Finally, college gets people ready to achieve success or failure because it hopefully allows them to navigate through the complexities of life. Again, there is no substitute for experience in some situations and many people are forced to work through particular circumstances before they are able to move on to more challenging situations. Education can give people the tools, but it can't compensate for the unpredictable nature of life. Therefore, education should be pursued in many situations because it can be of great value to the individual. However, higher schooling is only one tool that can be used to build success in life. Education will aid the worker, but it will not save them from every situation.

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