Why Education Really Is The Only Chance For The Future
It’s easy to say that education is the key to the future. It’s been an old saying for generations, but it’s now more of a reality than every before. It’s been a saying in America for generations, but unfortunately, it hasn’t been put in to practice, or at least to great affect. America has lagged behind in almost every category among developed nations, and its poor educational infrastructure has made it an easy target for developing countries to pull ahead. In the face of such insurmountable odds, it’s hard to understand why America isn’t taking a more aggressive stance on education. It’s not just the future of our children, but the also the future of our nation.
As millions of children drop out of school and enter a “service” oriented job market, it’s hard to watch as young adults try to compete in an increasingly competitive global market, especially when they don’t have the tools necessary to do so. What many Americans may not realize is that we’re in a transitional phase. The information age is on it’s way out and we’re rapidly entering, what some are calling, the Shift Age. We’re at a crucial point in human history where technology and humanity is reaching a great confluence.
It’s a multilayer issue when you try to describe what education means to our country. Many have found great hope in going to facilities of higher education, like the University of Phoenix, to better their lives and create more opportunities for their children. Yet, the fact remains that though many have done so, millions still are working without a way to better their economic situation. It’s not just the citizenry’s fault. College is expensive and there are few assistantship programs out there to help those who want to seek a form of higher education.
For the most part, America seems content to look to the past and remember the former glories of days past. Millions of people express anger and frustration that industry jobs are being sent overseas in increasing number but they don’t ask the most important question: why? It’s for one simple fact; it’s cheaper to build or produce something overseas. In the meantime, as we complain that the high paying jobs of the past are gone, we haven’t transitioned out economy and education system to reach it’s full potential. The next step for America is in the field of innovation and technological advancement. We have yet to realize this, and in the end, it’s going to hurt us.
We must reshape the educational landscape and become leaders of another kind. Though it’s ironic that we have one of the worst public education systems, we concurrently have the best universities in the world. There are multiple resources with online mba programs for Americans to regain a leadership role. Only now we have to focus on technology innovation rather than production and manual services. Only then will we have the tools to compete in today’s global economy.
