Too Many People Are Going to College sample essay

“Too many people are going to college” by Charles Murray is a very informational article that contains a fresh look at today’s employers and what they look for in their employees. Murray defines the differences and similarities of a traditional university from current times and from past times. Overall, Murray is saying that everyone should not go to college. I agree with Murray’s statement that too many people are being pushed into college when they are not really needed to. Murray defines who will benefit and why they will benefit from going to a traditional university and obtaining a BA. Murray continues to explain that employers use a BA as a no cost screening device for academic ability and skills. Therefore, he says that the more people that go to college, the more sense it makes for employers to require a BA. Murray also explains why obtaining a degree higher than a BA from a university, will only help people that are going to a university to become a professional in a career field that takes knowledge, skills, and take years to acquire. I agree with Murray’s statement that having a BA is more commonly required than ten years ago. I personally have a very hard time finding a job that will even consider me because I am only a high school graduate.

Although I have been employee of the month twice within the time span of two years and have earned a promotion, employers are still not impressed with my work ability because I don’t have a college degree. Further into Murray’s argument he says that for a recent high school graduate obtaining a BA is “the wrong economical decision” (66). Murray uses the example of a young man who has just graduated from high school and is trying to decide whether to become an electrician or to go to college and major in business, hoping to become a white-collar manager. With the young man’s skills and abilities, his is more likely to earn better wages becoming an electrician rather than going to college becoming a manager. This is because the young man is exactly average in interpersonal and intrapersonal ability needed to become a manger and is in the 95th percentile in small-motor skills and spatial abilities that are helpful to become an electrician. With that being said, if is he only average at interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities to become a manager, why wouldn’t the employer hire the next candidate that isn’t average, is very good at what he does, and has more experience? I personally know someone who was in the same position as this young man.

My dad, who is very smart, and didn’t really need to go to college to be a construction superintendent. I say this because, with my dad’s carpenter skills and math skills learned from by his father, along with other various skills that were already taught to him in high school, he had already had all of the skills he needed to become a construction superintendent. Another main point included in “Too many people are going to college” is intrinsic rewards. Murray uses the phrase “intrinsic rewards” by saying that if you don’t like your job you will most likely not get any intrinsic rewards from it, meaning satisfaction. I believe that it is extremely important to enjoy your job or career. For example, if someone doesn’t enjoy their job or career, they will never believe that they are making enough money and will always want more. I have learned from my mother’s experience as a teacher here in Clark County about intrinsic rewards. Although she does not make a lot of money, she still enjoys going to work every day.

For my mother it isn’t about money, she enjoys learning new things from her students and helping them learn and grow everyday that encourages her to remain a teacher. My mom likes to learn about the new games that the children play, or the fun places they have been. My mom even enjoys learning about the good things that happen in her student’s life, such as a new brother or sister, that gives her intrinsic rewards. Everyone in this day and age believes that a university is merely a place to party, make friends, get the whole “college experience,” and to learn only a little bit. The purpose of college is no longer making yourself a well rounded, educated person. Murray says the old image of going to college used to try and make a young person mature and grow. He also said students would mature and grow by living on their own, being responsible for the first time in their lives. College also had a much harder curriculum.

The grades a student would receive were for the honest work that they did. If you received a C it was probably because you only had average work. To get an A or a B you had to have great work, not mediocre work. However, in this day and age, we as students, expect to receive an A or a B on everything we turn in. We believe if we completed the assignment entirely, we believe that we should get an A or B. Overall, we as students want higher grades for much less work. If a student is going to college just for the experience and not the knowledge, why is the student paying tuition? The student would obviously be going to college for the wrong reason. Murrays’s concluding argument is that if everyone goes to college and wants the higher earning wages that everyone else does, who is going to do the other jobs such as assembly line jobs? I agree very much with Murray’s statement because when I graduate college in 2018 I will have a very competitive range of people competing for the same job that I want. With that being said, I can only hope that I will get the job because I have some experience.