How important is education to you? How important was/is it to your parents in comparison?

Question

I cannot put into words how important education is to me. Education and knowledge is power, pure and simple. It was important to my parents, particularly my mother, and I always knew I would go to college. I was very fortunate to be raised with that expectation, but not all people are. I would like to see what the experience has been for others.

In order to avoid confusion, I should note here that I have finished my undergraduate work and am looking towards law school next fall. Though my parents expected me to go to college, I had no college fund, nor did they pay for college for me. I was very fortunate to get a full scholarship, but I will be totally in debt with school loans come law school. And, while I'm adding detail, I must say kudos to those who went or are going to college despite seemingly insurmountable odds, regardless of your age or where you're at in life. You have my utmost respect and admiration.

Answer 1

I'm one of the others. No education, but, in spite of it,managed to make it into retirement better off (I think) than many with an education. Completed grammar school, and one year of high school. Quit in my Sophomore year. Joined the US Navy at 17 years of age, took a High School GED exam while enlisted and passed it. Was told I'd have to wait to receive my GED diploma. Couldn't be given to me until the year I would have graduated from High School had I attended. Left the military after four years. Worked so many kinds of menial jobs I can't remember them all. I sometimes think what happened to me was simply my fate. It was simply meant to be. I think I was just meant to be uneducated. Even to this day, I still make decisions by gut feeling. Retired at age 61.5 (am now 66). I live off my pension and have a couple of hundred dollars left over each month. I seldom see a need to spend the extra money although sometimes I do (for something special). I'm debt free and my situation is such that although I qualify for Social Security benefits, I don't need them, so I haven't applied for them. I plan to do so at age 70 (4 years away) at which time the benefits will be 31.5 percent greater than they would be if I took them at normal retirement age. I can't mathematically show for sure that my decision about Social Security Benefits is the best one for me, but a gut feeling tells me it's the way I should go. Although I'm currently lacking in education, I could get an education now, and most likely a free education because I'm now a senior citizen. But my gut feeling right now is not to get involved in that. Maybe later. You know, as something to do to keep me busy. I certainly don't need it for a career. (My work life is over--no more of that for me.) And speaking of careers. I noticed that you have plans for law school. That's fine, but let me give you some advice. Try to avoid stress. It's a killer from what I've heard. Good luck to you. Hope you're life is filled with endless happiness.

Oops. Initially forgot to respond to the second part of your question. My parents (actually step parents) were both uneducated. In spite of this, my step dad was the only one employed. My step mom didn't work. They nonetheless managed to make ends meet and to be viewed as average income earners without a need for assistance. Looking back on my childhood, I think my step dad was somewhat anti-education. He used to refer to the educated higher ups as pencil pushers. I'm not anti-education. I think it's extremely valuable, but I know you can still make it without it. Not having an education is not an excuse for being a loser. You still have a brain. Looking back on my work life, I think most of my aquaintences thought I was college educated (like them) but I was actually a high school dropout. For some reason, none of my peers ever asked me about my level of education. Sometimes I used to humorously think of putting hsD at the end of my name much like some people have phD next to their name. The hs would stand for high school, and the D would stand for dropout. But I never did that. I think education makes people more aware and less likely to be duped, but a lack of it doesn't necessarily leave you totally vulnerable. You still learn through observation, and you develop a keen sense about people that I think serves to protect you from those who would do you harm.

Answer 2

You know, it wasn't important to my parents. And so I guess I never felt the importance of it either. Now I have to go to college at 25. So I learned the lesson late. But I do have my own family now and so that part is taken care of. Now I can do what I want, and I will. No doubt about that!!
You are a lucky person, who's family understands and can also afford to give you an education. I didn't want to take on the student loans also. People pay those off into their 30's! So I think I'm on the right track now. Good Luck to you!

Answer 3

Education is very important to me, thanks to my mom and her encouragement. A few years ago I was looking solely forward to graduating high school and then I went to a 2 year college and looked forward to getting my Associates. Then I went to a University and I am now looking forward to getting my Bachelors in a few months. I thought I would be finished but as I look around and see that all my friends are pregnant and/or have kids and are married, I realize that it is best to further my education as much as I can so I don't have to worry about coming back when my children are older like they plan on doing. Now I'm looking forward to going to Graduate School to get my Masters. Then before I finish, I may decide to get a doctorate.

Education is very important to me but not all people feel that way and I can't say that it makes them wrong or anything like that. I personally love learning and reading about different ideas but people can do that by reading books in general. I guess with this way, you have the credentials to back it up and sometimes that is the only thing that matters when going for a specific career goal or desire.

Answer 4

actually my mother didnt expect me to make it through high school or even to hig school. for some reason i was expected to be the stupid drop out getting into trouble. She would have even been happy with me only graduating from high school. I think education is important in making decent money in a world where it takes more than 2 incomes in a working class home to survive. I proudly graduated high school with a 3.9 GPA and now in my 2nd year of college getting my degree in computer network admin. and i am going to return to do real estate classes and also for music audio/stage sound tech as an appreciation. i am 19 and i am making 25,000 a year at my job....most people cant say that...imagine where i can be with my education and work experience in 10 years.

Answer 5

My mother didn't think education was important when she was growing up. She dropped out, but later got her GED. But she was married with three kids before the age of 19 and so did not go to college. She raised us to see that education was very important. We've never had much, but when she saw that I was putting a lot into my education, she met me halfway with support and whatever financial help she could (although she's had to have two or three jods at times just to provide for us). I love her for that. I'm going into my last year of school and preparing to take the GREs and apply to graduate school. Thnks for sharing and asking!

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Answer 6

It is very important, but to parents it is important for teh wrong reason. They see it as the key to success, because when we (I am the same age range as many recent graduates parents) entered the workforce, college was THE key. Now it is A key, ONE OF MANY. If you notice, in most Job Classifieds Ads, they say degree preferred, experience required. You must have both to be competitive in this day and age. When we were younger, less than 10% of Americans had at least an Associate's Degree. That has now risen to a still low and scary 24%.

Where can you get both and become competitive??? The United States Army. Before you make a quick decision or close a door on your future, don't you at least owe it to yourself to make a fully infomrmed decision??? If you do not fully research all options, you really have no goals or desires to attain a status you really want to reach.

Do you really want to be everything you wanted?

Answer 7

I was raised to believe it was very important b/c my parents were immigrants and didn't have the opportunity to go to university. I was pretty much brow-beaten to do well in school as a child, which I never understood until I was older.

I'm thankful that I value education very highly, b/c there are a lot of people out there who do not! Everything I have today....is due to my education.

Answer 8

For me, education has broadened my perspectives, changed the ways I approach controversial issues and solve problems, and provided me with more satisfaction than I could have ever imagined. I am now a teacher :-) and am forever continuing to learn and educate myself by reading, talking to knowledgeable people, taking classes, and attending lectures on a variety of topics whenever I am able.

Interestingly, my parents did not value education for me: they were quite traditional in supporting my brother to do well in school and they expected him to get at least a Bachelors degree (my brother, ironically did not continue long with his post-secondary education). My mother even made fun of me when I wanted to go to local museums (!), clearly trying to discourage me from intellectual pursuits and both of my parents were always proud that boys liked me (sigh). By the way, I'm not that old--I grew up post-feminist movement.

In the end, I am so very happy that I got my formal education and my continuing life education will never cease so far as I am concerned. Thanks for asking! :-)

Answer 9

Yes, you are very fortunate that you had that positive support. Most parents want better things for their kids, however, most of them don't really raise their kids with the mentality that they were going to college. I grew up poor, with alcholic/drug using "parents" No one in my family has ever gone to college. I am now a teacher in New York working on my Master's degree for childhood literacy. It was an extremely hard road, but I did it.

Answer 10

Education is extremely important to myself and my family. I can not become an Economist just with a High School diploma. I plan on getting a doctor's degree.