Porter Stansberry, an American author and monetary publisher, believes that a college education is not essential. According to him, the system has been tailored to produce employees, not employers and entrepreneurs. He believes that the things people do about money and other issues result from their experiences, not what they have learned in colleges and other educational institutions. However, the author fails to recognize the numerous benefits and experiences that accompany college education, experiences that can only be obtained from college and nowhere else.
I agree with some parts of Porter’s arguments regarding the benefits of a gap year during or before joining college. The first one is that the gap allows learners to test their career affinities and talents (Stansberry, 2015). During the gap year, the student can reflect on their interests and focus on a field that defines them better. This way, they will dedicate their time and effort to areas of their interest with passion. Secondly, students need to build confidence, and this is enabled by a gap year. A confident learner believes in themselves and what they wish to pursue; thus, they do better in their studies. Thirdly, a gap year for a student who is exhausted with school can refresh them and rekindle their curiosity. When they are finally enrolled in College, they will have the energy and passion for studying. The fourth part I agree with is that a gap year will enable students to refrain from fighting their professors and tutors since they have outgrown their authority issues.
The first part of the author’s arguments that I disagree with is his perception that college is a waste of time and money. I will start by stating that college education is not a waste of time for everyone and that not every individual needs a gap year (O’Shea, 2014). There are many successful icons worldwide that went through college to be where they are today. For instance, the professionals in teaching, medicine, engineering, and other careers could not have done it without going to college, and the world needs them. Some careers take many years to complete, up to five years, and a gap year would only derail them.
Moreover, changing majors or dropping out for whatever reasons does not mean people wasted their time either. Studying in different fields, like taking general education classes, allows learners to interact with diverse personalities (Nuhn & Kaufmann, 2020). Meeting other people is an excellent way to help individuals develop some soft skills needed for the business and social world. This impacts their lives positively and plays a significant role in their future relations.
Also, regarding Porter’s that a job-related education, in and out of college, is narrow and dangerous, I beg to differ on the basis that today’s world keeps changing and for that it requires flexible people. The world needs lifelong learners because, with the growing technology, there are new things to learn every day. It is a possibility to study a specific career, and in the future, the profession becomes obsolete. Therefore, studying different courses or engaging in various fields only diversifies your career opportunities, such that if one does not work out, you can engage in the other (Nuhn & Kaufmann, 2020). Besides, it is an excellent way to ensure that boredom from working in the same field for years does not catch up with you.
Furthermore, Stanberry’s interpretation of the effects of a narrow, job-related education on personalities is faulty. According to his argument, the education system creates narrow-mindedness in people. He also argues that this education system will make the learner arrogant and self-important, incapable of respecting or interacting with other people who are not as learned. However, these allegations are not valid because many successful icons relate so well to everyone around them, including those without education. Also, people who have gone through college education have interacted with different people, learning to accommodate every individual’s personality and dealing with them accordingly.
Porter Stanberry talks of working hard and saving to get rich. He even suggests that this should start early, ignoring the importance of going to college. The author discourages borrowing for the sake of going to college, claiming that the person will never make enough on employment after college to repay the loan (Stansberry, 2015). However, he fails to consider that the world of today has changed with the growing technology. The hard jobs used to earn people a living in the past no longer exist because machines have taken over. It would be required of a person to get an education to learn how to operate these machines and make a living.
Thus, there may never be the best way to acquire an education, but college impacts many people’s lives significantly and should not be underestimated. Diana Fossey presents a perfect example of a successful icon who underwent college education and combined it with direct real-world education (Van Hedger et al., 2020). Diana became an expert in gorilla research and environmental activism. The conservationist only acquired a Ph.D. at Cambridge later, which means a college education is essential.
References
Ayers, M. R. (2017). The refutation of determinism: An essay in philosophical logic. Taylor & Francis.
Burger, W. R. (2017). Human services in contemporary America. Cengage Learning.
Nuhn, P. L., & Kaufmann, K. F. (2020). Supporting transfer student success: The essential role of college and University libraries. ABC-CLIO.
O’Shea, J. (2014). Gap year: How delaying College changes people in ways the world needs. JHU Press.
Stansberry, P. (2015). America 2020: The survival blueprint.
Van Hedger, S. C., Johnsrude, I., & Batterink, L. (2020). Prior real-world experience influences non-linguistic statistical learning. Web.