A college Degree used to be an extraordinary accolade but now its just another thing that we need in order to be successful, at this points its nothing more than a paperweight to some. Mike Rose states, “Intelligence is closely associated with formal education—the type of schooling a person has, how much and how long—and most people seem to move comfortably from that notion to a belief that work requiring less schooling requires less intelligence” (Mike Rose 276). In other words the author of Blue-Collar Brilliance, Mike Rose, believes that blue-collar jobs require intelligence as well. I agree that those who work blue-collar jobs need to be intelligent, a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe that those who work blue-collar jobs aren't intelligent and that why they have them. Although I also believe that The essay Blue-Collar Brilliance discuses the topic that even blue-collar jobs require intelligence. Rose says that it is an intelligence of both body and mind. This doesn't mean that they are book smart genius’ but rather they have their own form of smarts. In the essay Rose talks about a woman, who I assume is his mother, who was a waitress at a restaurant. He talked about the special skills she had and her ability to do her job as great as she did. He talks about the knowledge and intuition about the ways …show more content…
I also agree with my Mom that everyone has their own definition of success and that the media creates the ideal version of it. I decided that college was the best option for me because I couldn't see myself working a blue-collar job for the rest of my life and being able to say I felt successful and/or happy. College isn't for everyone but if you can’t see yourself working a blue-collar job and be able to say you're happy and successful then college might be your best option, no matter how
You don’t need a college degree to have a good paying job. Not attending college affects ones literacy of financial awareness, their ability to receive a job, and their ability to carry our responsibilities.
They require to have intuition as well as knowledge and sometimes personal skills. The author of Blue-Collar Brilliance, Mike Rose, uses the story of his mother and uncle. He disagrees with the statement, “Intelligence is closely associated with formal education.” To support his disagreement he talks about how skilled his mother and uncle are, without continuing their education. Mike uses rhetorical questioning in his mother’s point of view at her job in the fast paced job. The assumption of the quote “work requiring less schooling requires less intelligence”. Mike Rose argues with that by saying ” intelligence is closely associated with formal education– the type of schooling a person has, how much and how long –and most people seem to move comfortably from that notion to a belief that work requiring less schooling requires less intelligence”. In another words, Mike Rose saying that most people think that blue-collar jobs are for “stupid” people. Reasoning with that quote he can justify why he is disagreeing with such a statement. He telling his audience how his uncle dropped out of high school, and continued his life, until he became supervisor of General Motors. He is trying to tell us that his uncle has authority without advanced education. Mike supports this by saying his uncle had more hands-on experience and knowledge in his field than anyone would learn in a college. I agree and disagree at the same time, because I believe that people learn way more when they learning by doing with their hands than in a classroom. But when you start your career without education it takes more years and tough moments, because in our world there’s so much new technologies coming up. Having a job is a big journey of trials and errors without education. Going to college will help people to save time and prevent much mistakes as
...someone will be successful as an adult, college degree or not. Not to mention the obstacles that may get in our way through the course of years in us getting to the point of adulthood or the balls that on must juggle in their adult life. The teaching and learning that helps individuals to succeed, perhaps needs to come from parents and role models, as we are learning values, which begins to happen before we ever enter our years of formal education.
Over the years the value of education has changed. Society has different ways of defining what they consider to be intellectual. Everyone's level of education puts them in a specific social group. In the article “Blue-Collar Brilliance” we are exposed to different scenarios that describe the working class as being intellectual. Many people in today's society are
People think that having a college education is a pathway to success in life. However, what exactly is a college education? The actual meaning of it is “an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completion secondary education.” By this definition, we can see that this is the highest level of an education before it allows us to step into the real world and start our career from everything that has been learned in college. It is also an optional opportunity for students to pursue if they want to. I myself took this opportunity of getting a college education because of the benefits a degree can give me and to get a job satisfaction that I will have interest in. There are many benefits in a college education such as having a
He contributes personal examples and results of clinical tests that argue the misconception of unintelligent blue-collar workers. Rose witnessed the skill and intellect his mother, Rose Meraglio Rose or “Rosie” supplied in order to provide for her family. Especially when Rosie was working in the 50’s of crowded family restaurants, he saw her struggle. Rose observed his mother mastering memory skills to deliver the correct orders and maneuver around her workplace in the most efficient ways. Rosie had to balance many problems on her shoulders, all of which required both mental and physical fortitude. Nonetheless, he still disagrees with the assumption that “Intelligence is closely associated with formal education” (281). Although, this assumption has been implemented throughout history, there are plenty of more social interaction, planning, and problem solving that blue-collars are not credited for. For example, Rose disputes this misconception with the personal study of his uncle, Joe Meraglio. Joe began his journey as a blue-collar after dropping out of the ninth grade to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Although he did not receive what most might call a formal education, he eventually joined the Navy
I was completely wrong. Working at Subway does require a person to be intelligent. When I am put at the front line to prepare sandwiches, I have to listen carefully to the ingredients the customers ask for in their sandwiches. While I’m putting one customer’s ingredients in their sandwich, I need to already be asking the next customer what they want in their sandwich. When I started, it was really hard for me to memorize so much information in a few seconds. In the short story “Blue Collar Brilliance” Mike Rose mentions one way his mother found to make her job easier, which I can relate too. “Rosie devised memory strategies so that she could remember who order what” (274). Just like Rosie, I too had to come up with strategies to remember who order what. I found that the best way to remember what two customers want is to ask the second customer what he wants when I am halfway done with the first customers sandwich. I have been using this strategy and so far it has worked for me. Avoiding situations that one day might become a problem is a smart move and it requires intelligence. I came up with a strategy to memorize information faster and I executed that strategy
Mike Rose’s article “Blue-Collar Brilliance” talks about people judging other people’s intelligence based on their jobs. Mike Rose explains in his article that people with blue collar jobs are just as intelligent as people with white collar jobs because they both use critical thinking and multi task while they are working. The standard of their jobs might be different because of their different ways of learning. People who are considered professionals or white collared individuals learn by studying or reading reports where blue collared individuals learn by performing a task. They learn faster ways to perform the task after they have done it multiple times. I believe that Rose’s thinking is very effective as it tells us that we should not judge
Through the various types of texts I went through, Mike Rose’s article on “Blue-Collar Brilliance” was the one that I felt I could personally relate to. I grew up in a family where manual labor was the key to a good income. Out of my entire family, I was the only one who graduated high school and went to college, therefore I grew up realizing that people didn’t necessarily need a college education to be considered “smart”. My father has been one of the smartest people in my family, I could explain my calculus homework to him and he would be able to quickly grasp all the equations and concepts, even though he dropped out of high school as a freshman in Mexico. In the fall of 2015, I decided to skip a semester of college to find job opportunities outside of the education field.
First, college degree graduates have better opportunities in finding a high wage job. “Graduates enjoy increased opportunities for employment at higher rates of pay, providing them with the wherewithal to pay off debt, if they are wise stewards of that debt.” (Smith, 29) People with college degrees have higher chances of being successful in the future because employers would rather employ those who holds a college degree. However, although there are some people who did not attend college find jobs that can help satisfy and support their lives, they cannot compare the earnings of college graduates who holds a degree. My cousin, holding a Bachelor’s degree of Business Management, graduated 5 years ago from College. At first, College education can guarantee the success of her goals, but because of her persistence, she is now a successful businesswoman. She has now a full-time job that can support her family and has already built her own home. With this means, having a college degree helps a person not only achieve their own goals but also being independent. “Realistically, having a college degree will likely mean a com...
Success isn’t defined by college, even an ivy league school. There are many occupations that don’t require a college degree. It costs thousands of dollars for a piece of paper. It takes years to get a degree that one may or may not use, depending on where life takes them. College is not worth the time or money. It is true that people that go to college have that opportunity to get a higher paid salary. But everything depends on the circumstances with one's situation and opportunities in
From a young age, most kids have been brainwashed to believe that college is the only path to success in life. Is it? Is college the right choice for everyone? Or are there better alternatives? These are questions that have been asked many different times but it seems like there has been a lack of a clear-cut answer. There are many different things to consider when looking at colleges as the only path to success.
It is clear that a college degree could be the key to financial security, employment, and a robust community. When a high school student graduates they should follow a path that ensures them their success. Thus surely obtaining a college education is the clear way to succeed in life.
Even if you are extremely smart in that subject the person who goes through the job applications will put yours in the trash first simply because you have no degree. Back in the day having a college degree was not so important. People could have gotten a high school GED diploma and would get a really good paying job. Now a days things do not work like that. You need to go to college for over 4+ years to get a decent paying job. If you believe in yourself and believe that you can go far without school than you should do that. In salon.com it says that equality is used way too often in America. That everyone gets an equal chance of getting a four year liberal arts degree. It should really mean that everyone should learn what is necessary to get a job. Instead of learning things that are not important to us we should be learning things that will help us get jobs and resolve this unemployment problem. Many of the graduates leave college and expect to start working when it does not go like
A degree shows your school education level, but it isn’t a certificate of your actual intelligence. David Foster Wallace made his commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005 pointing out that we all have a default setting that holds us back from greatness. Simply having a degree does not mean that you know how to think; which is half of your intellectual ability. Everyone is pre-programmed from birth to believe that the world revolves around them; that they’re the center of the universe. Having this self centered world view is normal; this is the way that everyone is preset to think at birth. Your day to day thoughts require little input from you, you just think them. Wallace argues that a true education requires knowing how to think and use the information that you’ve learned; simply getting a college degree does not mean you are intelligent. His example of daily adult life shows how the way we think can really change the way we see the people around us. “Because the traffic jams and crowded aisles and long checkout lines give me time to think, and if I don’t make a conscious deci...