Does education improve one's life quality?

[noname223]

In my opinion it depends and helps only to a certain extent. Not all people profit of it.

Here are some arguments:

of course education often has a positive impact on the wage you will later earn, but not if you are a mental wreck like me

one thing I think a lot about, education opens doors. For example if I was not fluent in English I could not interact with people in this forum from which I profit a lot. There are some cool tricks how to bypass paywalls without internet skills this would be impossible and I think education can help to recognize red lines which should not be cross if you want to stay out of trouble

I am not sure whether higher education makes a life really more fulfiling. Some people might come to the conclusion they should have spent their time instead into family and friends

I think if you reach a certain level the utility to reach higher levels is decreasing, At least when talking about life quality.

I think with language skills you have access to more diversity, content, culture and new experiences, and having variety can be seen as fulfiling

With more education one might have a mroe healthy lifestyle which could prevent addictions or diseases

one might have better social skills and make better connections, however when the education is extremely high it can be difficult to find people to talk to who are stimulating enough


What do you think?

 

[museumofthunder]

Education generally increases access to better opportunities in life of all kinds, including in the career and social spheres. It can be difficult to progress through an education, depending on what level you get to. It may not be necessary for some-- not everyone needs a graduate education, for example. Not everyone wants that, either. But I do think a high school level education should be the bare minimum for all.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I've known people who really regretted not receiving a good education. They always felt embarassed about it. (Even though they had no cause to be- they were very intelligent and skilled.) So- it can have a debhilitating affect on confidence and self worth not to receive a good education.

That said- education is extremely expensive these days. I'm not academically educated but I did two BA degrees. I think it would have been better for me to have learnt a trade as an apprentice. In my experience, universities are very insular. They don't prepare people very well for the world of work. They often seem to see their goal as preparing the student for yet more education. Of course- that depends on the course but I personally think it is a major failing. Especially seeing as how much it costs! You need to get a job at the end to pay for it all.

I suppose it just depends on what you want out of life. Some jobs are more about experience and skills you learn on the job. Seeing as most people need to work and earn money to support themselves- I suppose whatever route is best for that job is the way forward. I wonder just how much of our education we end up using ultimately.

 

[sserafim]

I would say that in general, education improves one's life quality. However, I have a college/university degree and I wouldn't say that my quality of life is great. This is mainly due to my own shortcomings though (neurodivergences and not being able to fit into society). In most cases, a degree improves one's quality of life.

 

[Grav]

Education, as in learning something, is probably the best thing you can do for yourself. Univerisities/Colleges are useful if that's what you want, they're a form of education not the definition of it, to me. A mechanic who has learned everything there is about cars is educated. Learning how to cook, sew, train dogs, paint, speak a language, etc all add to one's life if that's what they want to pursue. It's a constant learning process, if I'm still around I think I'm going to get something from tech school for cooking; I have a BA in history.

 

[sserafim]

Education, as in learning something, is probably the best thing you can do for yourself. Univerisities/Colleges are useful if that's what you want, they're a form of education not the definition of it, to me. A mechanic who has learned everything there is about cars is educated. Learning how to cook, sew, train dogs, paint, speak a language, etc all add to one's life if that's what they want to pursue. It's a constant learning process, if I'm still around I think I'm going to get something from tech school for cooking; I have a BA in history.

Same, I have a BA as well but I don't think it was useful in preparing me for the "real world" or "working world"…it's in a useless, niche STEM field that has no direct applications to real life.

I don't think my degree was good preparation for the workforce because working life is so different from college life and the knowledge you learn in college doesn't even have any direct applications to/in real life. What you learn in college doesn't even directly apply or relate to real life or an eventual job you'll be doing. I think that college is more preparation for further study and higher education, like graduate, law or medical school rather than preparation for entering the workforce. A BA is also over saturated in this economy, most "good" jobs require higher than a bachelor's nowadays, unless you chose/you're in the right field. In this day and age, a college degree is the new high school diploma.

I do appreciate the fact that I was able to get an education and college degree though. College is so expensive here in the US so I'm grateful that I was able to go to a good university and that my parents paid for my education. I just wish that I had chosen the right major and field instead. It's honestly me who's the failure and hasn't made something out of myself.

 

[アホペンギン]

My father pulled me out of school to educate me better but just ruined my quality of life by ruining my mental health. I think education bettering quality of life completely depends on the situation.

 

[sserafim]

My father pulled me out of school to educate me better but just ruined my quality of life by ruining my mental health. I think education bettering quality of life completely depends on the situation.

I'm sorry to hear that your mental health was ruined. Honestly for me, college with ADHD and ASD (so double the executive dysfunction, lol) was a struggle, but I still think it was worth it. My classes were so hard that they literally contributed to my anxiety, and gave me depression. College literally destroyed my mental health. I honestly was on the verge of dropping out in my last year (couldn't take it anymore) but I'm grateful for the fact that I stuck it out and was given the opportunity to even go to college because the jobs you can get with a bachelor's will probably give you a higher quality of life/life satisfaction than the ones you can get with only a high school diploma.

I have to be objective here, but I do think that in the long run, education does better quality of life though. Data shows that bachelor's degree holders earn more than those with only a high school diploma, and a college degree gives and allows you the freedom to pursue more kinds and varieties of jobs and careers. Basically a college degree gives you more options, and leads to better outcomes.

 

[the_last_race]

It's a double-edged sword, though one side is sharper. Ignorance is real bliss, if you're an uneducated goblin - you can make kids, work a petty little job, never thinking further than a day forward. When you educated (and I'm not talking formal education: diplomas are more often just pieces of paper rather than indicators of real knowledge) your eyes are opened to two things: total fucked-upness of life and fundamental meaningless of it all. All the statistics say the same thing: more educated people tend to leave less children, they tend to be depressed, as soon as life standards in a country going high enough for a common citizen to educate themselves - fertility drops drastically. Sometimes i wish i were an ignirant hillbilly, living somwhere on a farm, married since 18 and with dozen children living this life with zero worries about future and current global processes.

It helps you but in return it chips out your sanity, it's like a pact with the devil.

 

[Ligand]

Level of educational attainment is strongly correlated with quality of life. This is partially caused by the education itself but also by the increased level of social status, increased average salary, and larger/more powerful social networks gained from people during higher education. Education is one of societies most tried and true forms for gatekeeping good lives.

 

[passivethought121]

Typically it does but it doesn't guarantee it. While one could have a good job and not live a life in poverty, a degree doesn't equal a good job. And even if one does have a decent job, they may be so stressed that they hate living.

While not having education can lead to only having a low paying job and struggling with money, that isn't always the case. Many people have gotten money without a degree, or they live in an area where you don't need to be making much to survive.

 

[Spike Spiegel]

I believe it depends what you are willing to classify as education. If we are speaking in the formal sense of education like public school, secondary education, or trade schools, I feel it comes down to the individual and their circumstances . As many have pointed such education may have cornered them into a careers they don't enjoy, or have crippling debt, or even a job that draws the ire of society. Yet is also may give them new chances in life, so in this sense I do not think there is a clear answer to "does education improve one's life quality? "
However if we look at education as simply wanting to better ones self then in the long run I believe it does improve ones quality of life. For example there are many temples and monasteries in the world with monks and followers who are happy with their quality of life and use their spiritual education to improve their life. This is a rather extreme example but humans are constantly educating themselves weather they realize it or not. From getting better at a video game thus enjoying it more to trying a new food from a different culture. There may be moments where the quality of life is not improved, for example if you try a new food and don't like it. However I feel in the long run there is a substantially greater net positive to learning and educating your self than trying to avoid it.
I believe a more apt question is what is the best way to seek education. Or even how should we spread education and learning, again this does not need to be in a standard class rooms or zooms.