Community Colleges Benefits

In discussion of colleges importance, one controversial issue has been on how much it really matters. On the one hand, college supporters argue that college is very important and can help one achieve a prosperous future. On the other hand, college detractors contend that college is a waste of time and not useful in the long run. My own view is that college can be useful when people use it in the right way; to gain a degree, and not just to party. In Liz Addison's article, "Two Years Are Better Than Four," she talks about community colleges and their benefits. She even describes her time at a community college, which supports her claim that the system is "America's hidden public service gem." Meaning that community colleges are a extremely
important, since they are cheaper that most colleges and can provide a higher education to the American society. Addison stresses her point when she states "college does still matter." I agree that college is important, a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe that it a waste of time that doesn't help students. College allows students to pursue career goals and further their education. This is important so that students are a able to create a solid path to follow for the rest of their lives. Here many people who don't support college would probably object that college is only used to study useless information and cost too much money. While it is true that college is expensive nowadays, It does not necessarily follow that students gain useless information. Often the information gained will actually help students find a job within their field of study. In the article "The New Liberal Arts," Sanford J. Ungar states seven misperceptions of college, specifically a liberal arts degrees. The second misperception is that people who have a college degrees, in liberal arts, are having a hard time finding jobs. Ungar objects to this claim saying that it has been hard for all college graduates to find jobs, not just those with a liberal art degrees. Although I agree with Ungar up to a point, I cannot accept his overall conclusion that a liberal arts degree is useful in the ways that he describes. Overall, college is still a very important part to modern American society, since it allows for students to continue their education and ultimately furthers their careers. I plan on going to college, for these reasons and others, and believe that "college does still matter," as Addison said.