Share or Die

While reading the book Share or Die by Cory Doctorow, one of the essays that jumped out to me was called “Unprepared: from Elite College to the Job Market”, written by Sarah Idzik. The title would probably be the main reason that I picked this essay, because I feel that it speaks to many people. Whether they know it or not, the majority of people going into college are unprepared.

I knew that I was going to be coming into college unprepared, but by being in this class, and reading the articles that we have, I never realized just how unprepared a person can be. In high school your teachers and counselors would tell you to work hard though school, because it was getting you ready to go to college. For the most part, this is true, but in my eyes, high school did not prepare me for the college environment.

 I can relate to Idzik, because I was considered a good student in high school, and grades were never really an issue with me. The one thing that differs between us is the fact that she chose to venture off to school, while I chose to play it safe, and stay close to home. The main reason for this was because of the fact that I knew I was going to be unprepared for what I was getting in to, and if I stayed close to home I could rely on my family to help me out.

Idzik points out that even though you are studying a certain major, that major would not help you land exactly the jobs that you are looking for. Before you know it, you are in your final year of college, and it’s time to go find that job you are looking for. Even though you may have a great major, when you apply for certain jobs, the employer does not always care about your major. The majority of people nowadays have to settle for a low-paying, not so great job, because even with their degree the job industry is so tight. In some ways, I can see why Sarah was so miserable about her job, but I also believe that she should be thankful to even have a job. She may not have gotten the exact job that she was going for, but I think she could have tried to be a little more positive about the whole situation. That would have made it a lot easier on her part. I do like the fact that in the end, she didn’t just give up, but she is trying to start over. 

Is College Good Enough?

Is college really enough? Is college really "good" enough? These questions may seem similar, but the answers are nowhere near the same. I do believe that college is very important and that everyone should try to attend, but I'm not sure if it really is good enough.

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Kids are always told that they need to finish school so they can go to college to support their future families. At least, that's how I was raised. Oddly enough, when you look at many of the successful people around you, there are a great number of them who never obtained a college degree. This is one of the main reasons that led me to think if college was enough. As JackVincent stated, “First off, a degree no longer sets you apart from the pack. Today, high school students are pretty much expected to go to college. Boomers are going back to college. Plus, there is plethora of specialized technical colleges. So, there are millions of other people with degrees looking for jobs just like you. While the realization of the importance of obtaining a degree is wonderful, the shift in thinking took college graduates from the front of the line and placed them right in the middle. This eliminated the competitive edge that a degree once provided.” I strongly agree with what Vincent is saying, because when you look around at so many successful job holders, only a handful of them actually have a degree. He also explains how nowadays it’s just as easy to get a job if you have great experience, rather than a degree."

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Ramesh Ponnuru also hits a similar topic about college in his article, "A Case Against College Education". "Part of the college wage premium is an illusion. People who go to college are, on average, smarter than people who don't. In an economy that increasingly rewards intelligence, you'd expect college grads to pull ahead of the pack even if their diplomas signified nothing but their smarts. College must make many students more productive workers. But at least some of the apparent value of a college degree, and maybe a lot of it, reflects the fact that employers can use it as a rough measure of job applicants' intelligence and willingness to work hard." 

 Aside from a degree, most people oversee that they also need experience. Many employers nowadays would rather higher someone with experience in the field, over someone with just a sheet of paper. People often stress that they are losing their jobs to others without degrees, without even knowing that the other person has been working in that type of work for over 10 years. So maybe for some people college is exactly what they need to go down their right path, and for others, there much better off staying in their hands on work. I'm not saying that people should or shouldn't go to college, because I can't answer that for anyone but myself. It's not up to me to decide if college is good enough for you.