Should Students Go to College to Make Money, or to Gain a Meaningful Philosophy of Life?

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Some would say students are facing greater competition in the job market and if students don’t learn how to earn money, they are more likely to be losers. Yet actually the fierce competition occurred in the well-paid jobs because a considerable proportion of students want to apply for these jobs. Some students think that if they put more attention on business courses rather than academic activities, they can become winners in the fierce competition. However, the students who choose business major neglect developing critical thinking and abilities. As business students don’t study other subjects, like history, ethics and some other courses, they may lack of some necessary abilities and have limited knowledge. In reality, some companies prefer to recruit the students who are knowledgeable with wide perspective and various skills. The founder of Training the Street Inc. claimed “Firms are looking for talent. They are not looking for content knowledge.” If students care too much about choosing some majors which can help them make money, they will fall into a passive situation restricted by majors and lose the competitive advantages. As students who are not from the business majors are also welcomed by companies, they should not take the purpose of college as becoming rich. For example, Facebook Inc. doesn’t recruit students based on the students’ majors and Boots & Co. also recruits students whose majors are math, economics and nursing.

How can we make students realize that they should gain wisdom and live a meaningful philosophy of life during the college years? How can we change today’s situation of students putting the wrong priorities in education in being materially oriented? Parents and colleges need to take the responsibility to help the students set up a correct view of education. Parents should instruct the students to establish the correct view of education. When parents don’t regard the college education as the tools to help their children to find well-paid jobs, students won’t always think of earning money. As colleges are places where students can change their minds, they should give students some lectures about the meaning of life and spiritual strength. If colleges can make students understand the importance of learning knowledge and exploring the meaning of life, students will have a correct view of college education. When the students do not put the wrong priorities in education in being materially oriented, they will find the bright side of life and have a better future career. When students go to college to gain wisdom and live a meaningful philosophy of life, they will find their true purpose and direction to be happy.

Works Cited

Zernike, Kate. “Making College ‘Relevant’.”. Career U. January 3, 2010.

Korn, Melissa. “Wealth or Waste? Rethinking the Value of a Business Major.”. The Wall Street Journal. April 5, 2012.

Brooks, David. “The Sandra Bullock Trade.”. Op-ed columnist. March 30, 2010.