Analysis Paper

Future and Education School can be an enjoyable place. It can be a place where friends are made, a place to laugh, make memories, and learn. Even though school has many positive aspects, students can also find many more negative aspects about it. It can be a place where teachers give tons and tons of homework, a place that only makes people stress out, a place where teachers just do not teach anything at all, or do not like certain students, a place full of hard tests, essays, and projects. Sometimes school can only be dreaded, heart and soul. Though school can be unwanted and undesirable for many, it is needed and it brings people many benefits to their future life. Teenagers should not drop out of school, giving up; instead, they should study as hard as they can and get as much knowledge as possible. They should finish high school and look for a higher education. High school, somehow, is an interesting chapter of a person’s life. Automatically, a teenager feels a lot older when entering high school. He or she feels more mature, or at least most teenagers. Since they feel older, they want to start doing things that they would not be allowed to do while being in middle school. They want to start going to more parties; their social lives become an important part of their lives. All they want to do is hang out with their friends, not do homework nor study for tests. They do not want to learn or at least listen to things that “will not benefit them” for whatever career they wish to pursue at that moment. According to them, that knowledge will not be used by them during their whole lives. Sean Covey is the vice president of Innovations and Products at FranklinCovey, which is an organization that devotes to helping individuals and other organizations achieve greatness; he also is a popular speaker to youth and adult groups. He has written some books, including The 6 Most Important Decisions You’ll Ever Make, in which he has a chapter where he writes about the importance school has and the importance that teens should give to their education life. He said, “You don’t have to love school, but please don’t be a victim” (Covey 52).Somehow, it is funny how teenagers and sometimes even young adults think when it comes to their lives. They see everything so easy in life; it does not cross their minds that maybe sometime in their lives they will actually need to use that knowledge that it is being given to them in these moments. All they can think about is how much fun they will have after school is over, and how cool the party will be. All they can think about is how easy it can be to just get a job, work, and stop studying. They never want to study again or suffer for tests, homework, and papers that have to be due. For many it is so much easier to just drop from school and never know anything about it for the rest of their lives. All they want is to work, get their own money, and be full owners of their lives. What they do not know is how important it is for these teenagers to finish high school, pursue a higher education, and gain as much knowledge as they can. Sean says, “My mom has this little saying, ‘Pay now and play later or play now and pay later’” (Covey 38). Teens may not realize that how they treat their educations during these years can determine how they will be living in twenty or fifty years. Just like it has already been said before, maybe if someone drops out of school at first it might not be that bad; just like Sean wrote in this book, “dropping out of school may taste delicious at first… You may be able to afford your own apartment. And you immediately get rid of the headache of homework and grades” (Covey 38). It sounds so sweet, a dream come true. As time passes, this teenager that chose to take what it seemed like the easiest road, will learn that it actually was not the easiest, but it was the hardest one. He writes, “by dropping out now, you are sacrificing… stronger skills, a better-paying job, a nicer car, more opportunities to help others, and a greater appreciation of everything around you” (Covey 38). Then, he makes the question, “Do you realize that if you don’t finish high-school, the penalty will be low-paying work for the rest of your life?” (Covey 38). No man on this earth that would not like to receive a good amount of money. Now, why would someone prefer a low salary while working on something that they do not like? They might want to have a certain job, a job they know that they would enjoy and that they are good at. Then, why is it that this person cannot have this job? The answer is simple. He or she decided to drop out from school and stop studying. In consequence, he or she does not have the complete and necessary skills for that desired job. Covey includes in his book the average of how much money someone will be making when they decide to drop out from high school or simply decide to not continue studying after high school or does not want to pursue more knowledge in his or her life. The average high-school dropout makes $10.22 per hour or $21,268 per year. Someone with a high-school degree, in average, will be making $14.50 per hour, which adds up to $30,316 per year. A person with a four-year college degree, in average, will be making $23.42 per hour, in other words, $48,724 per year (Covey 38)!
It is probable that in the future the person that decided to drop out from high school will want to get married and have a family. Most people start this chapter in their lives. It is not a strange thing that a single person spends a lot less money in his or her expenses than a whole family does. The total average that a single person spends in a month is $1,750; while, the average spent for a family is $4,200 (Covey 41). A probability exists that some people know someone that dropped out from school and this person does just fine. Still, why would someone decide to take the risk. It is like playing the lottery or any of these kind of games.
Certain teens may feel like there is no reason for them to continue in school if they are not good. They can never get good grades, no matter how hard they study and work; they simply believe and are certain that school is not for them, so why continue in school? They should also ask themselves the question: why give up? Why give up and not discover the abilities they have? Why give up instead of showing the rest of the world the fighter they have in themselves? Covey tells readers about certain people that became important in the world, and in their past they did poorly in school. He tells of Albert Einstein, whose parents were told and believed that he was mentally handicapped. He was not able to speak until he was four years old. He did not learn to read until he was seven. One of his teachers advised him to drop out from grade school and told him, “You’ll never amount to anything, Einstein.” Now, he is considered one of the people that have most influenced the 20th century. Sir Isaac Newton was not good at math at all. Still, he became a scientist that invented the modern day physics. Pablo Picasso was pulled out of school when he was 10 because of how poorly he was doing. His dad hired a tutor for him, and the tutor gave up on Pablo. Still, he is one of the greatest artists of all times (Covey 55).
Now, maybe a teenager decides to finish high-school and does it. The problem is that now he or she does not want to continue studying. He or she just does not want to go to college or to a university. Why? Maybe because it is too expensive and he or she does not have enough money to pay for it; and this is true. As time passes it is noticeable that tuitions go higher and higher. In the essay “Is College Worth the Money?” Daniel S. Cheever, Jr., the former president of Boston’s Simmons, informs that “Harvard undergraduate tuition and fees are $27,448 this year, up from $17,851 in 1995 and $9,500 in 1985” (Cheever 102). Getting a higher education becomes sometimes a hard decision to make because there is not enough money to pay for it. Why look for more education when there is no money to pay for it? Or maybe they do have the desire to continue studying, still it is hard for them to get the money to attend the institution they would like to attend. After they get the money, the question may be if it is worth spending that money in that university. In his essay, Cheever reminds people that “the focus on the cost of higher education misses a fundamental point. The real question is whether students are getting their money’s worth” (Cheever 102). This is an important point in education. Maybe all that bunch of homework and work that young people have to do while attending school, is what you need to get the right education. It is not to kill people, it is to teach and help understand a specific concept. The word college or the word university may seem like a big word, like entering a whole new level; it is. Still, as one continues to learn they understand the world much better. Colleges and universities have a purpose. Covey says it in his book, “The primary purpose of going to college isn’t to get a great job. The primary purpose of college is to build a strong mind, which leads to greater self-awareness, capability, fulfillment, and service opportunities” (Covey 65). Cheever also mentions in his essay the purpose of a college or university is to “prepare students to become economically productive, community-minded citizens” (Cheever 103). School is not just about who gets the highest grades, but it will teach things that are needed for a life of an adult.
While studying a career, there might be a possibility that it is a requirement to take certain classes that have nothing to do with the career that a person might be pursuing. Will extra knowledge about something else hurt? It might be overwhelming and it may bother and it may stress more. Just because someone has a certain class that they do not like, is not a good reason to stop studying that career or stop studying because there is nothing else that they like. Charles Murray is a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. He wrote an essay, “Should the Obama Generation Drop Out?” where he agrees with this point of studying other classes that do not have to do with the career being pursued. “Students at every level should be encouraged to explore subjects that will not be part of their vocation. It would be even better if more colleges required a rigorous core curriculum for students who seek a traditional bachelor’s degree” (Murray 99). It is good to have classes that do not have to do with the career a person is pursuing; it will be like a bonus knowledge.
Even after all that has been said, there might be a chance that some people still do not understand why it is so important to get as much education and knowledge as possible. It is true that school gets people tired and leaves them with the desire to stop learning because it is already enough what they know. It may be weird when someone truly likes everything about school or enjoys learning. Mary N. Cook is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She gave a talk in the General Conference of April 2012, while being the first counselor in the Young Women General Presidency. Her talk was titled “Seek Learning: You Have a Work to Do.” She said, citing from “For the Strength of Youth” booklet, “‘Education… will open the doors of opportunity’” (Cook). Also, “gaining knowledge now will pay huge dividends when you become a mother” or a father, whichever the case is (Cook). Why is it even more important for teenagers and young adults to not stop studying and continuing to get an education? Cook informs that “rarely will you be able to spend as much time dedicated to learning as you can now. President Gordon B. Hinckley … counseled the youth … ‘Sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to qualify yourselves to do the work of [this] world’” (Cook). Teenagers have to learn to prioritize and decide which things they will sacrifice in order to obtain a better education.
Education is extremely important. It might be hard to study. It is not easy; the high road or the right thing is never easy. Still, all of the knowledge that is received when pursuing a good education has its rewards for the future. The world keeps changing for the worse. Getting an education, a good education, will help to influence the world in a positive way. Just like Cook cited President Hinckley, saying, “‘Train your minds and hands to become an influence for good as you go forward with your lives’” (Cook). The future of each individual, after all, will be greatly influenced by the education gained while being young.

Outline
Thesis: Teenagers should not drop out from school, giving up; instead, they should study as hard as they can and get as much knowledge as possible finishing high school and looking for a higher education.
I. Introduction
II. Reason 1: Gives a better economic future
A. Opposing side: tired of school, not good in school
B. Sean Covey
III. Reason 2: Prepares for real life
A. Opposing side: too expensive
B. Cheever Jr., Sean Covey
IV. Reason 3: Opens doors
A. Opposing side: not liking classes, school is hard, not easy to obtain education
B. Murray, Cook
V. Reason 4: Future families
A. Cook
VI. Reason 5: Better world
A. Cook
VII. Conclusion

Works Cited
Cheever, Jr., Daniel S. “Is College Worth the Money?” Kirszner and Mandell 102-103. Print.
Cook, Mary N. “Seek Learning: You Have a Work to Do.” LDS. Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 21 February 2012. Web. 4 December 2013. http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/general-young-women-meeting/2012/03/seek-learning-you -have-a-work-to-do?lang=eng&query=eduaction
Covey,Sean. “Decision 1: School.” The 6 Most Important Decisions You’ll Ever Make. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. 31-88. Print.
Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell, eds. The Blair Reader. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.
Murray, Charles. “Should the Obama Generation Drop Out?” Kirszner and Mandell 99-101. Print.

Cited: Cheever, Jr., Daniel S. “Is College Worth the Money?” Kirszner and Mandell 102-103. Print. Cook, Mary N. “Seek Learning: You Have a Work to Do.” LDS. Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 21 February 2012. Web. 4 December 2013. http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/general-young-women-meeting/2012/03/seek-learning-you -have-a-work-to-do?lang=eng&query=eduaction Covey,Sean. “Decision 1: School.” The 6 Most Important Decisions You’ll Ever Make. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. 31-88. Print. Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell, eds. The Blair Reader. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print. Murray, Charles. “Should the Obama Generation Drop Out?” Kirszner and Mandell 99-101. Print.