Argument Synthesis

Gordon Miller

Dr. Wielgos

College Writing 2

                                              College: The path to success 

Some of the earliest Universities, date all the way back to 1088. This would mean that they were also subject to change, just as we are. Change can be a scary thing for many people, especially for college students.  However, college is a place to discover yourself through experiences, curiosity, mistakes and failures.  No one can predict the future; therefore, college allows you to explore what your interests are and in the end, you will have an idea of what you want to doFriedman, Pope John Paul II, Carter, and Peters will support my argument as I share their expertise on the situation.

There is a major distinction between a job and career.  A job is anything to get a paycheck. Whether it’s a bagger at a grocery store or a waiter at a restaurant.  A career is a pre established total pattern of organized professional activity, with upward movement through recognized preparatory stages, and advancement based  on merit and bearing honor (Kranzberg, 138).” To reiterate, a career gives you the opportunity to move your self up in the hierarchy and becoming successful.  It is a job for life and is earned by going to college. In college, you will take what you’ve learned and apply it to your life skills because that’s how you become successful. College is hard work, but it is not a job.  The counter argument believes that you need to be prepared for changes and work hard because college is too much money to spend on. That argument is focused on getting the proper training for a good job, yet the proper training isn’t just in education. In reality, you aren’t just paying thousands to get just an education. College gives you room for failure, so that when you fail, you can pick yourself back up as well as learn from your mistakes. It will give you the skills you need, so that you won’t get replaced with third-world employees. In other words, globalization.

Globalization is another reason why young people need to go to college. Eventually, the job market will be survival of the fittest. Every young person in America would practically have to compete for a job, unless they go to college. “Globalization will affect low-skilled or unskilled American workers very differently. They will compete for jobs and wages not just with their counterparts across town or in other parts of the US, but also with low-skilled workers around the globe (Friedman, 166).” It will be very difficult for Americans to get a job in such a harsh climate.  Globalization is happening because technology is improving and labor costs are less in third- world countries. It saves the company both time and money.  By receiving a college Diploma, you will open so many more doors instead of constant job hunting. Times are changing like the counter argument says. However, its really only changing for the ones without a career.

According to Alan Blinder, he wants America to prepare a new generation to ‘lead and innovate’ in an economy that will continue exporting jobs that require ‘following and copying’ (Blinder, 174).” Blinder developed a plan to prepare America for a change in society. He believes that young Americans should plan for a “high- end personal services occupation that is not offshorable (Blinder, 174).” This way, they cannot get their job taken from someone in another country.  However, not all Americans can just go to high- end personal services and expect it to be their vocation. The simplest solution to stop third-world countries taking jobs is to earn a college degree and get a career. People in third- world countries can’t take a career from a marketing major. A marketing career is too specialized for someone of little to no skill.

College is not only just only for education, but also for life skills. Anyone can sit at a desk and take phone calls. What most people cannot do is decide what they want to do for the rest of their life.  Vocation is defined as a calling, of some sort. Chris Carter explains that some people have it easier than others do because they already have an idea of what they want to do. In other words, the people that know what they want to do as a career have received their vocation. Unlike the others, that may find it difficult on what to choose. College is a vocation. It is important to go to college because you will truly find out what you love to do, as well as, discovering new things about yourself. “Vocation is the thing that will make your heart sing while at the same time meeting a need for someone else (Carter, 141).” In other words, college is what will get you to where you want to go while discovering, but at the same time, you are making your parents happy. College is a great place to start if you don’t want to sit on a desk and answer phones all day.

From personal experience, I can say that college is what changes you, not time. I have the freedom to engage my curiosity, limits and mistakes and apply what I learn and put it into my life skills. I learned that cramming work last minute causes stress; therefore, in the real world, I will not cram work last minute. I learned that in college and because of my mistakes I will not do it again. Because of college, I discovered I am a leader.  I am an International Business major with a minor in marketing. I am also president of the CEO club, which will help me when I am in a managerial position in my future workforce. I also learned that I get focused on other unimportant things and it is causes me to procrastinate. However, I taught myself not to procrastinate by telling myself, “I can’t be successful when I am playing video games.”

In conclusion, college is a place to discover yourself through experiences, curiosity, mistakes and failures.  In college, you have the freedom to make bad choices and learn from them. When you have a unskilled job and make a mistake or bad decision, they have 1,000 other applicants ready to take your job. College will get you where you need to go through guidance and training.