The Benefits of a College Education .
With the rapid advances in technology, many of today's jobs now require more than a high school education or trade skills. Success in the workforce is increasingly defined by the ability to think critically, manipulate a computer, and to work collaboratively in a teaming environment. Today's college education develops these abilities, providing individuals with invaluable business and personal skills and knowledge, as well as opening the door to better career opportunities and increased earning power.
As American society becomes more diverse, the workforce and marketplace must also become more diverse. The long-term viability of any organization is dependent on the skill and experience of all employees (Jackson, et al 204) and managers are often tempted to rely on a chosen few to get results. A person with a college education will very likely be successful in this business climate. During the course of a college education, a person has the opportunity to learn from and work with people from diverse backgrounds. Academic learning teams (a major component of the educational curriculum at University of Phoenix) are comprised of students from different cultural, social, and economic backgrounds. Each person brings to the table a broad scope of skills and experiences. Students learn from each other, developing teaming skills by learning to work collaboratively and cross functionally in their learning teams. These teaming skills will help a person to adapt easily to different and changing environments, enabling a person to work within a variety of organizational cultures and with a variety of different management styles.
The college experience also provides students with the opportunity to develop effective technical skills. Research is done largely via electronic sources, papers are "written" on a computer using word processing software, and presentations are given with visual aids supported by presentation software.
