James grieves

James Grieves 2252960 EN 110 Achieving Academic Excellence Writing Assessment 5_06 02/22/2013 The pursuit of a higher education has never been high on my priority list. Armed with barely an eighth grade education and tremendous ambition, I was able to achieve professional success in the absence of a college education. My heroes have always been men who have achieved great success with out an education; Henry Ford, Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, and Richard Branson. With the recent downturn in the economy and I found my self seeking employment I realized that not only was I was missing many opportunities due to my lack of a degree, but if I had a degree it is highly possible that I might have been retained from a previous employer as opposed to being laid off. Obtaining a college degree will allow me to be more competitive in the market place, provide me with a great sense of achievement and personal fulfillment, gain more knowledge, and challenge me intellectually. According to written testimony submitted by Anthony P. Carnival, Director of The Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, it is estimated that approximately 47 million jobs will be created in the American economy by 2018, with an additional 14 million new jobs and 33 million jobs replacing workers who leave or retire. It is estimated 33 percent of those jobs require a bachelor’s degree. Another 30 percent will necessitate an associate degree or at least some college training. Only about a third of those jobs will be available to people with a high school diploma or less. Those jobs will most likely be in three lowest-wage job categories: food and personal services, sales and office support, and manufacturing and construction. While in the past having a college degree was not required to establish a successful career, in the present economy it is essential for me to be competitive. In the process of searching for a job, I have lost count of the missed opportunities that I was more than qualified but did not meet the educational requirements. I am certain that value of these missed opportunities, if quantified could pay for two or three Ivy League educations. I realize that having a college education can give me a competitive edge and further my career. I am confident that gaining a college degree will also provide me a great deal of personal satisfaction, achievement, and self-fulfillment. I am anxiously looking forward to the day when I look at the education section of my resume and see my educational achievements fully achieved in writing. My goal is to someday have bachelors’ degree in either Architecture or Engineering and use that knowledge to better my career as a Project Manager. Sir Francis Bacon said, “ knowledge is power, ” Ultimately, college is important to me so that I can obtain as much knowledge as possible. The pursuit of this knowledge will be a hefty challenge, that once embraced will give me a great sense of personal satisfaction. I no longer view obtaining a college education as something trivial, to something that should be highly valued. References Anthony P. Carnival (2010). Summary of Written Testimony Submitted by Anthony P. Carnevale, Director of The Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce A Stronger Workforce Investment System for a Stronger Economy Retrieved from http://cew. georgetown. edu/89239. html on (2/21/2013)