The importance of education is universally agreed upon. Education is the key to a person’s intellectual development as well as to social progress. However in the past few decades there has been a shift in our approach to education. This shift has resulted in an enormous emphasis being placed on obtaining a university degree. There are a multitude of reasons given when one asks if pursuing tertiary education is important, but the top two reasons are usually:
- You’ll make more money.
- Gaining a university degree opens up a whole new world of opportunities.
These two reasons essentially equate obtaining a degree with success, resulting in many high school graduates pursuing a university degree because their parents and most importantly, society expects them to. In high school we are often told us to study the subjects we were interested or passionate about. The theory behind that is simple; studying what you prefer as opposed to being forced to study subjects you have no interest in would generate higher marks, and would make learning more genuine and fun. This reflects Confucius’ belief that one’s actions must have intent, or it will be meaningless:
The Master said, “If you learn without thinking about what you have learned, you will be lost. If you think without learning, however, you will fall into danger.” (2.15)
However during the transition from high school to university, that line of thinking is lost. Studying your interests is no longer a viable option “if you want to succeed in life.” It seems we are scared into entering university for the sake of our future. After all, who wants to be left behind working in McDonald’s whilst our friends are in X University studying to become the next generation of engineers, doctors or lawyers? As a result there are young adults entering university under pressure of obtaining that prestigious Bachelor’s degree and are unprepared for the many hardships that accompany university education. There are financial, social, physical, and intellectual hardships that are often overlooked and simply accepted as part of the journey on obtaining a university degree. When the issue of these hardships are brought up they are justified away with reasons such as, “It’s helping you prepare for the real world”, or “It’ll all be worth it in the end!” These reasons are perplexing – how is university life any different from the “real” world? The act of categorising university and post-university life as two separate and distinct spheres is flawed and contributes to the simple thought of degree = success. However everyone has a different definition of success – you may define success as having a high paid job, a partner and your own home. Another person may define success as becoming the manager of their McDonald’s store. How one defines and measures success is attributed to their context but is there truly a point in one’s life when we are truly happy with all that we have? It is human nature to always want more, thus success is intangible and fluid.
The questions we are faced with then are how do we create a utopian education where we cater to the variables of success, ensuring our people are satisfied and happy thus allowing them to be in the best possible state of being to embrace their inner goodness and allow our utopia to flourish?