Saturday 12 September 2015

Is higher education mandatory?

It is very evident that in recent years many graduates want to pursue their higher studies. Many countries around the world have brought international programs with attractive scholarships and better funding to encourage eager minds. This incentive has made many students to opt for higher education rather than to start working full time after their graduation.

In professional courses like engineering, medicine or business management, the graduates are taught only the basics and as a result get only the overall idea of the subject. Even though internships and projects are provided as a part of the curriculum, the depth of knowledge required cannot be obtained at the graduate level. A postgraduate degree or higher education would help one to specialise in their subject of interest and thereby would help them to be the master in handling their situations relevant to their subject. Moreover, in today’s competitive world, there is an inevitable pressure for a candidate to be the best, which has made higher studies mandatory for better professional placements.

Even though, in higher studies, one is trained to become a specialist, there are certain jobs like auditing, doctor, teaching which requires long years of practice to become an expert. Nothing can match work experience that aids in acquiring practical knowledge. The bookish knowledge that one would get by studying higher education can never match a hands-on learning and on-site experience. An illiterate fisherman would be able to navigate around the sea; where as a marine engineer has to study to do the same.

Thus, the requirement of higher graduate degree completely depends upon the field of study and complexity of the subject. In addition, at times, work experience cannot be replaced by higher education.