- A major problem with higher education is that it may not be preparing students for the “real” world that awaits them. The business model that is now higher education emphasizes customer satisfaction over creating work-ready or graduate-ready students who have the necessary skills to succeed in a post-undergraduate setting.
2. I think students must make the most of the education that is becoming rather expensive. Tying back to my previous answer, colleges need to underscore the importance for students to utilize their time in college wisely so that they leave not only with a degree, but also the prospects of obtaining gainful employment and the ability to rise within that employment.
3. Regarding the impact of education on students, they must learn how to manage life. College is a controlled setting, where for the most part, students’ lives are semi-structured. College should be the setting where students address issues such as fatigue and find ways to overcome or cope so that they are effective when they are beyond the semi-structured college environment. When I was a student, there was less-emphasis on student services such counseling, advising, career development and one had to find these services themselves. With the abundance of student services, students must take advantage of them because post-college society will expect them to be ready; therefore, higher education must prepare them to be ready.
4. I define success by the standards and goals that I have set for myself. Meaning, that I do not define my success by expectations set by others. I think of myself as meeting many of my goals and in a position to meet the multitude of remaining goals. From a capitalist view, I would not be considered middle-class, given my salary; however, when looking at success through an intersectional lens of race and education, an African American man… who is now Chair of a department, would be considered successful.
