Today, a college education has become increasingly important. Those who further their education after high school are more likely to be successful, for example, make a higher salary and attain greater career advancement. A college education has become the minimum requirement for a great deal of jobs. This emphasis on higher education in order to be at all competitive in the job market creates an environment in which work-related skills and knowledge becomes the main objective. College has become a factory of future tax-payers, fostering attitudes that see higher education a necessary evil in order to join the work force. It is a place to become trained, a place to take required courses in order to advance in life, both socially and financially.
The increasingly competitive job market of today, emerging from one of the most downturned economies in United States history has shifted the main purpose of a college education. Rather than a place for students to grow personally and intellectually, it's main purpose is to train students for the work-force. In my opinion, this is unfortunate. When asked what my field of study is, the first reaction is always: "what are you going to do with that?" Philosophy does not scream job opportunities. Personally, I believe college is an exceptionally unique and irreplaceable experience in which I have learned not only about the person I am but about the world I live in, enlightening my perspective and introducing me to a complexity of ideas. For me, college should be a place to grow personally and intellectually, yet, in reality, this.
ideal is in constant conflict with the pressure to attain a good job and secure a comfortable position in society.
When asked whether or not an institution fulfills the purpose of providing students with work-related skill or with the opportunity to grow personally and intellectually, I believe it does both. Based on my experiences and observations at the number of institutions I have attended, college is what you make of it.