Comments on: Editor’s Question: September 2005

by: fishlamp

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 10:03:05 -0700

I think that society in general, has set the standard that a college education is necessary for future success. But the philosophical way of looking at it would have to start with defining what “success” is. Every individual has a different definition of what it means to be successful, to have success, or to experience success.

In a nutshell, yes to be successful in the business world. No, to be successful in life.

by: Zed

Tue, 06 Sep 2005 07:07:35 -0700

I think that for some people, a formal education is necessary to bring out the best in them, in terms of discipline and priorities…however, I think that not everyone is geared to this system. there needs to be a new system which caters to all people whether they are academic or not

education should be about giving people the skills they need to succeed in life…these could be essay writing skills or plumbing skills…i think the problem begins with, as fishlamp says, society’s view that in order to be successful in life, you need a piece of paper that reads “Degree”… but alot of people dont understand that there are some kids out there who cant go to school because they are too busy working minimum wage jobs to help support their families

so I think that it is the educational system that needs to be reviewed and changed…then, hopefully, society’s perceptions may change….or at least there would be resources for kids from more backgrounds

by: Antonia

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 11:34:28 -0700

I would say having a college education is a stepping stone to future success. Nowadays fresh grads come out of colleges expecting big bucks in their first jobs, but they always forget one thing: EXPERIENCE. I’m among those disillusioned grads. Having no prior experience in my field (half a year of industrial training don’t count, apparently), I had to start off from very basic pay. Pay that non-college grads are getting.

However, it is not all gloomy. I learnt that with perseverance and a willingness to learn on the job, I can go further. Just because I have a tertiary qualification. People who don’t have college education will find it harder (and take longer time) to advance in their careers. Therefore, I would say college education PLUS experience WILL gurantee one’s future success.

by: Erika Gilchrist

Fri, 12 May 2006 11:44:42 -0700

When you look at the leaders of today, you’ll find that most of them have college degrees. Please keep in mind that because someone has a degree, doesn’t mean they were great students. You can pass with a “D” average. I believe that to be successful, you must first define what your personal definition of success is. You certainly don’t need a degree to start your own business, which seems to be the way to go these days for any type of security. I personally know two millionaires who never went to college. What do they do for a living? One is in real estate, the other is a renowned motivational speaker. So to answer the question, NO. A college degree isn’t a neccessity for success.

by: Akrypti

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 07:36:49 -0800

Nothing brings the enlightened individual a sense of fulfillment like education. In our society, college is the institution through which most of us receive education. Graduation from college may not be a prerequisite to success, especially in light of the infinite ways success may be defined, but most people with ambition also have a thirst for knowledge and those who have a thirst for knowledge will more often than not end up in college.

If you phrased the question as “Is education necessary for future success?” then I would give an unequivocal YES.

As for college, I could pretend to be liberal and say no, of course it is not necessary for future success. However, when my unborn children come of age and say to me, the mother, “hey, I don’t want to go to college,” you can be sure I’ll whoop them until they change their tune.