There has always been debate over whether college is worth the money, with the argument that it is unnecessary or a waste of money, while others point out its value for earnings and education.
Do students who choose to attend college feel adequately prepared for their future jobs? Do those who have attended college feel that it was worth it? What do professors have to say about higher education?
Ferris professor Josh Brady has taught for about 5 years, including part of that time at Ferris. He reflected first on the positive aspects of college.
“College can give you a lot of skills that will guide you as you work or as you join the workforce, especially rhetorical and analytical thinking skills, not to mention STEM skills if you’re going into a STEM field,” Brady said.
He also spoke about the specific elements that he believes colleges don’t prepare students for.
“What it doesn’t prepare you for, I think, is the application process, per se, and the process of actually gaining experience and then employment,” Brady said. “I think internships are better for that, as well as any real-world experience you can get.”
Brady discussed the benefits of college, as well as what it lacks, as students prepare for their futures. Additionally, he revealed what he thinks colleges could do better.
“I’d say more guidance on career searching and resume writing, hard skills like that, are what students really need,” Brady said. “Schools do have career centers for that kind of thing, but I’m not sure all students are terribly aware of these services.”
While almost all colleges have career centers to help students find jobs, internships, and more, not all students know about these resources.
Ferris State University graduate Brandon Wirth explained what he does for a living and how it all connects to his college experience.
“My main job I do day to day is I’m a director of news and sports at a local radio network of four stations in Big Rapids Daily News,” Wirth said. “Then on the other side, I do communications as an athletics communications assistant at Ferris for their sports teams and media. I am also a facilitator at Eagle Village, mostly during the summer.”
Wirth received his bachelor’s degree in sports communication and his master’s degree in business administration. He revealed that his career is, in some ways, how he imagined it would be in college.
“I pictured myself doing quite a bit of sports broadcasting and journalism, which is my day-to-day life,” Wirth said. “Now, I didn’t imagine, as much, getting involved with local government and development as I am right now.”
With such a wide variety of experiences in college, including different majors, classes, advisors and jobs, it is difficult to name what factors determine how prepared students are from their college experiences.
“I think there’s quite a few factors that play into it. I think it definitely depends on your studying, what your major is,” Wirth said. “I personally believe there’s only so much you can teach from a textbook compared to what you need to learn from in person, and in the field.”
Students recognize the ways in which they are prepared, as well as what colleges can do better to help them succeed in their future careers.
Freshman elementary education major Aurora Furlong stated what she believes colleges could do to help students feel ready for their careers.
“I think there’s a lot of people that are in their profession or retired from their profession, so they could tell you straight what it’s like when you go in,” Furlong said.
Honesty about what students are getting themselves into is important, according to Furlong. Many professionals, whether active in their fields or retired, have a wealth of knowledge about career preparation.
Career readiness depends on many factors but most people agree that college is at least somewhat valuable in preparing for the future.