College Prepare People For Life

After high school, going to college seems like the popular pathway among teens, parents, and employers. My mother wasn’t able to live through the complete college experience because of her becoming pregnant with me at the age of seventeen. However, to this day she continues to support me while pursuing my bachelor's degree at Central Michigan University by obtaining a degree of her own. I chose the article “College Prepares People for Life” by Freeman Hrabowski in the book They Say, I Say. Hrabowski discusses many advantages that a college education can give a student besides the high salary which benefits them for life. I felt it related to what my mother has taught me about how a university can help undergraduate professional preparation,

In Hrabowski’s article, he discusses the major points of getting a college degree can be a higher salary or a job but the preparation the individual gets for life is the best outcome from a degree. Likewise, my mother had urged me to attend a university because of the wide variety of positive outcomes that come after attaining a degree. She attended a community college when my sister and I were toddlers while spending long hours studying for exams, doing homework, and balancing other life aspects. This resulted in her finally achieving her goals and she received her Associate's degree. My mother had no support for receiving a degree because her parents have passed, which motivated her to help me as much as possible to obtain mine. However, for that to be possible in this economy and to be considered as a qualifier, she had to earn her Associate’s degree first. Like my mom’s view, Hrabowski tends to share similar views on this because he states “many economists and educators point to data showing the fastest growing job categories require at least a college degree” (Hrabowski 260). Relating to the quote, I was now able to be supported in my pathway on to getting my Bachelor’s degree because if my mom hadn’t got her degree and became a Registered Nurse, I might not have had the opportunities I do now. She put herself through college although she didn’t have a lot of money for her degree, had two children, had a job, and providing for all three of us. Her degree prepared her to be able to support her family, which is the idea that she wants me to take out of my experience. Coming to Central, I’ve realized that the professional preparation is extremely important, but the opportunities college gives you is unlike any classroom. Hrabowski has a similar idea in mind when he says “Yes college prepares people for jobs, but more critically,