The Advantage of Vocational Education Is That, in Fact, It Benefits Our Economy

I agree with the author to a certain point, because I know several people that do not have a bachelor’s degree and are now making very good money because of the fact that they pursued a vocational certification instead of a bachelor’s degree. Everyone knows that education has always been a very important part of life, careers and our society. Although it behooves us to get the best education possible, after twelve years of school the last thing a person wants to do is study an additional four years, or beyond.

In “Should the Obama Generation Drop Out?” Charles Murray argues that a college degree should not be a requirement for a job, He proposes his idea for education reform and suggests that the president be his ally as a means to push his new idea for education reform. In his statement, “As president, Obama should use his bully pulpit to undermine the bachelor‘s degree as a job qualification,” he suggests that there should be more emphasis on vocational training and certification tests and less emphasis on the bachelor‘s degree.

In his opening and closing paragraphs, the author continues to persuade his reader by adding a quote from one of Obama’s speeches, saying, “He just needs to say it over and over: It’s what you can do that should count when you apply for a job, not where you learned to do it,” By doing so Murray, reiterates his position. One of the benefits to certification tests is that it allows employers the ability to assess the potential of job applicants.

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Ultimately, we can concede that another benefit of vocational education is that it allows people to start working sooner providing them with a good career, which in essence benefits our economy. Furthermore, I do not think that a vocational certification would benefit everyone, because there are many careers that require additional education, while others may just require a little more education and training Murray explains why many do not wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

He states that “For most of the nation’s youth’s, making the bachelor’s degree a job qualification means demanding a credential that is beyond their reach”. It may seem like a crass statement on his part, but he may be absolutely correct. As parents, we always want what is best for our children, but sometimes they have other plans and college is not pan of that plan, or there may be financial restraints that do not allow for such an education. Therefore, although I agree with Murray, some people do not have the drive and are not meant to attend a four-year college, but others may have restrictions that hinder their plans to attend a four year college. Regardless of background, and culture, some may just be better equipped to attend a two year vocational program instead which also opens the door to good careers. He reiterates his position by stating that, “A large majority of young people do not have the intellectual ability to do genuine college-level work”.

Many times, young people do have the intellectual capacity, but are just not interested in reaching their full potential. One can question whether it is the lack of intellectual ability or just lack of desire to continue with their studies for several more years. The fact is that a bachelor’s degree is primarily used as a prerequisite that the workforce utilizes to ensure that people are educated. It does not guarantee people a job. A bachelor’s degree should not be the only tool that is accepted by employers in order for people to obtain a job. In addition, it should not take away from people that have gone through a certification program and also have the ability to do the job. Murray is correct in his assessment that “They want to learn how to get a satisfying job that also pays well”. Everyone wants to make good money, that is what life is about, but in the end it is not the degrees that define the person, it is their abilities. Murray also states that “Certification tests would not eliminate the role of innate ability- the most gifted applicants would still have an edge-but they would strip away much of the unwarranted halo effect that goes with a degree from a prestigious university”. He is pushing for acceptance of certification tests by including that it would not take away from the smart ones,

but would be a way to open the door to those that may not otherwise have the ability to afford a bachelor‘s degree. Certification tests are used to check for a person‘s intellectual capacity to determine if the candidate has the job requirements necessary. Therefore the lack of a bachelor’s degree should not be used as a determining factor. Murray states, “Discrediting the bachelor’s degree is within reach because so many employers already sense that it has become education‘s Wizard of 02.” He is in essence saying that employers should give certification tests more importance than a bachelor’s degree He suggests that employers lower their standards and require certification tests instead of a bachelor’s degree. The outcome would be an uneducated bunch which can have devastating consequences in the end. In addition, if many employers agreed with him, as stated, they would be implementing certification tests and there would not be such a large amount of employers seeking employees who have a bachelor‘s degree. Education is a very important part of our society.

It can make or break an individual. It is the lack of education that forces people to fail in life and determines their destiny Nowadays, there are many people out of a job due to our economy and although a bachelor’s degree will not guarantee anyone a job, it will open the door for a better job than no education would. Two-year or four-year education will not ensure that a person will have all the required information to do their job effectively. Many times it is on-the-job training that teaches the person all there is to know about their job. Finally, although I agree with the author to a certain extent, I think that it will be the job description that will emphasize the need for an extended amount of education or a certification test. One may see that in today’s workforce, a bachelor‘s degree is a stigma for being prepared for a good job, when that may not be the case. Ultimately, education may also have its limitations depending on the job description.