Comments on: The Value of an Education http://blog.nietzscheanideas.com/2008/05/12/the-value-of-an-education/ Nietzschean Perspectives In Contemporary Worlds Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:24:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: smadavid http://blog.nietzscheanideas.com/2008/05/12/the-value-of-an-education/comment-page-1/#comment-27 smadavid Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:49:05 +0000 http://blog.nietzscheanideas.com/?p=6#comment-27 While in college I had little to no interest in a liberal arts education; I knew there was a supposed benefit to being "well-rounded", but it wasn't real to me. All I wanted was to work toward my career (and have some fun along the way!). So the goal was simple: pick up the necessary credits while attempting to hit that sweet spot beyond which the time invested wasn't worth a slightly higher GPA. As a result, I didn't get nearly as much out of the process as I could or should have. But what it did do was plant a seed that took a few years to start growing: Following several years of burning myself out by diving into my career and lacking any balance in life, I now find myself becoming interested in art, literature, science, religion, philosophy, etc. Were it not for the educational norms and encouragement of family, I might not have the intellectual curiosity that brought me to this point. Done right, education should instill a love for knowledge that becomes a life-long pursuit. And that’s just on the level of personal fulfillment, to say nothing of the benefits of making a contribution toward a more culturally aware, educated society. Such as a contribution this fall at the voting booth. While in college I had little to no interest in a liberal arts education; I knew there was a supposed benefit to being “well-rounded”, but it wasn’t real to me. All I wanted was to work toward my career (and have some fun along the way!). So the goal was simple: pick up the necessary credits while attempting to hit that sweet spot beyond which the time invested wasn’t worth a slightly higher GPA.

As a result, I didn’t get nearly as much out of the process as I could or should have. But what it did do was plant a seed that took a few years to start growing: Following several years of burning myself out by diving into my career and lacking any balance in life, I now find myself becoming interested in art, literature, science, religion, philosophy, etc.

Were it not for the educational norms and encouragement of family, I might not have the intellectual curiosity that brought me to this point. Done right, education should instill a love for knowledge that becomes a life-long pursuit.

And that’s just on the level of personal fulfillment, to say nothing of the benefits of making a contribution toward a more culturally aware, educated society. Such as a contribution this fall at the voting booth.

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