A good education is not just a good idea, it is critical for the advancement of the species. Many people look at the idea of education in different ways. Most often, when someone mentions education, the idea conjured up in the mind is that of formal training in some sort of institution. And of course, this type of education is important. From preschool to high school and beyond to higher learning in a university setting, there are vital lessons learned within the walls of a school.
But it is important to remember that education should not be limited to occurring within the confines of those walls. True education can happen anywhere if you are open to it, and it happens on a level deeper than mere facts that your brain stores for later use. Educating each other about what really matters in life, how we treat each other and how we treat the planet that we all share, is the foundation of the positive change that we all yearn to see for the future.
University education while we prepare for big picture changes
While we collectively grow stronger in the art of understanding, developing, and perpetuating that true, deeper education, it is wise to develop that traditional adult education as well. Whether you are pursuing a Bachelors degree or a Masters degree, you have countless options available to you.
Perhaps you want to put your skills of effective communication to use with a social work, political, or psychology degree. Maybe you have eclectic interests and talents, in which case a degree in interdisciplinary studies would be fitting. Or perhaps you love the written and spoken word. If language arts was a favorite class of yours in your younger years, enrolling in an English program would probably work out well for you.
Putting your words to work in your English program
There are a number of reasons you might want to take part in your university’s English program. If literature is your passion, you could progress through your schooling with the goal of becoming an English teacher, or perhaps a librarian or scholar or linguist. You could even apply aspects of the English program for teaching it as a second language, though you will likely also have to get additional certification for any teaching prospects you are envisioning.
Generally, those who obtain a university degree are going to be able to enter a career that is higher paying than the jobs that are available for those who have not gone through any further education after high school. If you choose to major in English for your Bachelors degree, you could be looking at a starting salary of about $36,200, and by the middle of your career you could be earning about $63,500 each year.
It is not all about the numbers
Yes, it is a nice idea to get paid more money, especially after putting in extra work at an institute of higher learning. In fact, a solid 83% of college graduates reported feeling that getting their degree was worthwhile and ended up paying off. However getting a degree, or pursuing any form of higher, or deeper, education is ultimately not about the money, or it shouldn’t be, when it comes to the big picture. In just one year, 21 million individuals went to college.
Imagine all of the valuable information being shared and learned. Think about all of the creativity and collaboration, new ideas and discoveries, and lessons gained by that amount of people. Now imagine if that same number of people decided to learn how to treat each other well, and how to preserve the planet we all live on. And just envision what it will look like when an entire country, an entire hemisphere, the entire planet begins to understand the value of this type of knowledge. Humans are capable of remarkable advancements. We should focus our energies on letting the next major development be the repairing of our species on a mental, emotional and social level.
