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Gabriel Ramos
English Composition 1100
Dr. Aimee Krall-Lanoue
14 October 2014
Education vs. the Good Life
Education and living the good life relate because someones education is the foundation of
what they will become in the future. The number of people who compare having good education
to living the good life does not compare to the number of people who say that education affects
their life. People do not think about how far education has gotten them in their life and how it is
affecting their life. Education and the good life relate because the higher education you have the
more likely you are to get a good job, the school you go to reflects on where you live, the support
given to you at the higher levels of education affects how much you enjoy your life and the less
struggles it may bring.
Growing up as a student you always heard how going to college will lead to better future
and help you be successful in life. It was something planted into everyones head that you
needed to go to college, that it was the next step in your academic career. According to USCs
center for higher education policy analysis, college graduates earn more than twice as much as
high school graduates. Some studies have found that college graduates with a bachelors degree
earn 80 percent more per year than those with only a high school degree. That data was
collected from a statistic on average annual salary. Although having more money doesnt
automatically make a person live the good life but the assurance that you have enough money to

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pay all your bills, will make someone less stressed and more likely live the good life. Going to
college doesnt automatically promise you will get your dream job and work there as long as
possible but the chances of getting a job are higher than a person who didnt attend college.
Statistics show that Individuals who attend college are employed at higher rates and with
greater consistency. Individuals without a high school degree are three times as likely to be
unemployed than someone with a bachelors degree, according to the USC center for higher
education policy analysis. With that information it is safe to assume that going to college can
only help someone get any type job compared to someone who didnt go to college. Someone
who is unemployed and struggling to make end meets is more than likely not living the good life.
Someone who does have a job and money is more likely living the good because of the security
they have that they will always have a pay check coming in as long as they are still employed.
Going to school and getting an education can only help someone to meet more people
and live the good life. Many people define the good life as having friends and family there to
support you. If you go to school, you are more likely to get involved in activities that will help
you meet people. A survey by Public Health services indicates that those with a college
education have longer life expectancies, they also tend to exercise more and play more sports. If
a college student joins a club or a team, they will automatically meet new people and start
friendships with them that will help with living the good life. Going to college and meeting new
people can only help build someones character and help them find what their good life is.
According to USC center for higher education policy analysis, college students have higher selfesteem and more self-direction. Many college students or teachers would argue that going to
college only helps build someones self-esteem because students are put into situations that force
them to talk to new people. Education and the good life relate in this situation because going to

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college helps build characteristics that help someone open up and meet new people that in a way
help someone live the good life. Education is almost necessary to live the good life due to the
fact that many define living the good life as, having a tight inner circle of friends.
Not only does going to college or having a higher education almost promise that you get
a job after graduating but the type of job that a person can get with a college degree is something
they actually want to be doing. Coming out with a college degree is almost life changing in the
possibilities there are when looking for a job, Individuals who attend college have greater work
opportunities and tend to have skills that can be easily applied in different work settings and
different geographic locations. In other words, they have many more work options, which helps
stabilize their income in changing times, (CHEPA). Keeping a stable job or knowing that it will
be easier to keep a steady paying job will only increase someones chances of living the good life.
According to USC center for higher education policy analysis, college students tend to have jobs
that are more meaningful and interesting and allow them more freedom to make decisions at
work. With these types of jobs a person is doing something they really want to do not settling for
something else. The basic stereotype would be that someone who didnt graduate high school
would end up working at McDonalds, not working a job that is meaningful to them or allows
them more freedom to make decisions.
Education affects the good life because without education anyone would struggle going
about their regular lives. Someone wouldnt assume the more education the better your life
would be but people would assume that having good education leads to a better life. Someone
with an education is much more respected in life than someone without, Education on the other
hand is the dynamic side of philosophy. It is the active aspect and the practical means of
realizing the ideals of life. Education is a sacred necessity of life, both from the biological and

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sociological point of view. (Sharma). What Anika Sharma is saying is that without education
someone wouldnt be able to fully understand their life, somethings would just not make sense
to them. Without education you would miss out on the life lessons taught in school. For example
how to pay your bills and manage you checking balance are all things taught in school that
someone without an education would struggle doing. If someone doesnt understand what is fully
going on around them how are they going to live the good life? Although one would argue that
they are living their good life but another would argue about all the things someones is missing
out on due to their lack of education.
Other people can affect someone living the good life just like how teachers effect how
someone is being taught. A teachers job is to teach their students the information necessary to
pass the class or to be successful. If person decides to act rude or be disrespectful to another
person it keeps them from enjoying their life or living the good life. The necessary conditions
should be fulfilled so that the child is allowed to go in a free atmosphere with the ultimate aim of
becoming a happy and a rightly adjusted person of the society, (Sharma). The way someone is
taught or the things they are taught affects the way they view their life. Growing up everyone
was taught the Christopher Columbus discovered America and that is why you get a day off of
school to celebrate Columbus Day. Later on in life you found out the truth and that he did not
discover America and their really shouldnt be a holiday to celebrate what he discovered. It was
set in a childs mind that it was right to celebrate Columbus Day, because it was what the teacher
said. Teachers affect a young persons mind to believing what they told them. Teachers need to
do what their job description is The philosophy of the teacher is reflected in the child by his
method of teaching. So the course of life of the child is definitely influenced by philosophy,

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(Sharma). This explains that a teacher heavily influences a child and could affect their way of
living the good life.
Someones education heavily impacts the way they live their life and if they are living the
good life. From these sources it seems that education can only improve someones chances of
living the good life, because they higher education you have the more likely you are to get a
good job, the school you go to reflects on where you live, the support given to you at the higher
levels of education effects how much you enjoy your life and the less struggles it may bring.

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Works Cited
College, and Readiness. "Affirming the Goal." Affirming the Goal (2011): 1-30. Print.
Sharma, Anika. "Relationship between Education and Philosophy in the Modern World." Relationship
between Education and Philosophy in the Modern World. Preserve Articles, n.d. Web. 22 Oct.
2014.
U S C C E N T E R F O R H I G H E R E D U C At I O N P O L I C Y A N A Ly S I S. "Why Is
Education Important for Your Future? How Can Education IDAs Help You Reach Your
Education Goals?" Center For Higher Education Policy Analysis (2008): 1-4. USC EDU.
CHEPA, May 2008. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.