Is a Good Education its own Reward?

A good education is its own reward.
Describe a specific situation in which a good education might not be its own reward. Discuss what you think determines when a good education is its own reward and when it is not.

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In times of a sluggish economy and high unemployment rate, the utility of going to debt to attain a college education has been increasingly questioned. Millions of students have found themselves in a situation where they owe thousands of dollars only to struggle with getting employed upon graduation. Indeed, many have started to doubt whether a good education is its own reward. That is, for what value is an expensive Ivy League degree when one cannot even use it to find high paying jobs these days? Indeed, whether a good education is its own reward is a subjective question that really depends on the perspective and goals of the student.

The idea of what constitutes a good education is relative. Most feel that attending a top-ranked institution is a good education per se due to the quality of classmates and professors. Others feel that a good education can be attained anywhere and depends on how much the student is willing to learn and make of the experience. Whether a good education is its own reward takes into account the purpose of the student in pursuing education. If he views education as a means of developing himself as a person, the education is rewarding in itself. However, if he views education more as a means of getting employed, then the good education will not be valuable per se. That is, the education must lead to the job he has in mind in order for it to be considered rewarding.

Many people, indeed, view attaining a good education as a means to a goal. In a world where most of us must compete in the market economy to survive, education is viewed as a necessity of life. It is the means in which to feed ourselves and our family in a society of scarce resources. It is widely known that those who are less educated, in general (and with exceptions, of course), tend to not make as much money as those who have attained college degrees and beyond from respectable institutions. When a person is focused on mere survival and does not have the luxury to pursue interests outside of work and dabble in the arts, education is more likely to be viewed in utilitarian terms.

On the other hand, someone who does not worry about survival and comes from a comfortable background will more likely view good education as a reward in itself. These privileged people have the means to pursue their passions (whether practical or not) and can learn merely for the sake of learning. They have the resources to further their artistic skills, ponder about philosophy, and plan about saving the world through volunteering and working for NGOs and humanitarian organizations. They do not view their education mostly as a means of providing food on the table but more as something that will round themselves out as developed human beings who can contribute beauty to the world.

Indeed, it is natural to view things in terms of economic utility when society is undergoing hard financial times. Everything, including the pursuit of an education, must be seen through a lens focusing on which actions will get the most bang for the buck. Undoubtedly, a good education offers students intangible benefits which are not recognized immediately---including broadening points of views about the world, affecting interactions with people, etc. However, most people--out of necessity and survival--tend to view their world from a myopic perspective and expect immediate and tangible results from their investments. Education, from this point of view, must lead to the strengthening of skills that will appealing to employers and valuable to landing one's dream job.