Laurence Shatkin's College Education

With the rapid advances in technology, many of today’s jobs now require more than a high school education or trade skills. Success in the workforce is increasingly defined by the ability to think critically, manipulate a computer, and to work collaboratively in a team environment. Today’s college education develops these abilities, providing the individual with the needed business and knowledge, as well as opening a door to a better career opportunity with an increased earning power. A lot of people in today’s society view higher education as an investment that will pay off in the long run. But others would tell you that it is a waste of both time, and money. Going to college is supposed to be something that is beneficial to us because it offers one a better future. A future that provides the individual with an excellent paying job in the near future with nice living arrangements. But with today’s job market and the cost of going to college, is it worth it? Laurence Shatkin, an author and specialist in career information as well as a senior product developer who wrote the article, “Education Pays But Perhaps Less Than You Thought”. In the article, Shatkin establishes the importance of education, and also informs the

reader that earning is just one factor through the use of rhetorical appeal.
Throughout the article Shatkin uses logos to illustrate both the pros and cons of pursuing a higher education. Shatkin reveals the positive aspect, when asserts that a college degree provides the individual with more monetary benefits than non-monetary benefits. This is seen in the article when he states, “Education… also provides many nonmonetary satisfactions” (Shatkin). Along with the positive aspect of a college education, Shatkin informs the audience about the disadvantages. He uses Moretti’s article to explain how half of the college wage vanishes when one accounts for housing cost and higher taxes. Expressed in the article when he states, “earning about 60% more but were enjoying an actual advantage of only 37%-43%” and “college grads in expensive cities may have higher pre-tax earnings…in addition to the rent bite” (Shatkin). Constantly throughout the article Shatkin relies on the use of logos to convey his point, as the appeal is presented in a factually statements. Through the use of logos, Shatkin achieved his purpose in convincing me that college is worth pursuing.
In addition to using logos in his argument, Shatkin presumes that his position as a father of a college graduate will provide a sufficient amount of ethos to justify his claim.

Although the use of ethos is minimal in the article, it is still used in addition to logos to convey his point. Shatkin uses the information attained from Moretti’s article, to state that although education may not produce its project dollar amount, it is still a valuable advantage. After viewing Shatkin main objective, it is evident that his intended audience is students and parents. For the reason that the article is solely devoted to convince readers that college is worth perusing. Furthermore, both students and parents are involved in the decision of attending

college.
The greatest strength of Shatkin’s article is not his use rhetoric appeals, but the style that the article is written in. He effectively constructs his arguments into two parts in order to show both the positive and negative aspects of attaining a college education. By supporting both aspects with facts, he allows the reader to see both sides of the argument. He then explains how the positive outweighs the negative aspect, “college degree in terms of spending cash is not as great as the chart might suggest…provides many nonmonetary satisfactions that economist rarely measure” (Shatkin). By doing this, Shatkin persuades the viewer that a college education is still a valuable resource in todays because it offers an advantage. The importance of a college education is evident in today’s economy. A college education provides individuals with valuable life skills that are essential to being successful in life. While studying at a college or university, one is forced to develop essential time management much more than at a high school level. Students are forced to manage time in order to attend class, do homework and relaxation. Money management skills are attained as most students are on a tight budget. A college education also provides the opportunity to a better lifestyle and knowledge.
As technology rapidly advances, jobs will require more than a high school education or trade skills. As a higher education degree will become more and more valuable in society. For the reason that the education provides an individual with valuable life skills and an excellent paying job. Shatkin wonderfully outlines why a college education is worth pursuing.