I am the product of a small southern town in the "middle of nowhere." There are no clothing stores, no movie theaters, and no sit-down restaurants. But my town is very well-known as home to one of the premiere higher learning institutions for African-Americans; Tuskegee University. As a child growing up in the shadow of this great institution it is simply assumed that you will take advantage of the opportunity to pursue higher education, but what is the purpose of higher education, why do most people chose to go? I feel that the major influences on the decision to continue one's education are to determine a career path, to develop valuable workplace skills, and to be financially able to support oneself.
While researching my topic I read several articles that supported my ideas. One article discussed the benefits of pursuing education beyond high school. According to the article, the long term benefits of higher education are higher lifetime earnings, a more fulfilling work environment, better health, longer life, more informed purchases, and lower probability of unemployment (Perna, 2005). I was pleased to see some of the points I considered to be beneficial listed by the author. One of the things I found particularly interesting was that the author pointed out that factors such as age, race, and sex influence how beneficial higher education is for an individual.
Many people when graduating from high school are unsure as to what they would like to do with their lives. I graduated from high school over 20 years ago and I've had about four different careers since then, and I've only recently chosen what I think is the correct path for me. Continuing education gives a person a chance to explore different areas of study, and therefore see what they might be better suited for. In high school I loved science and thought I wanted to pursue a career in medicine, well as time has gone by I have learned through advanced science courses that I h...