In "Some Lessons From The Assembly Line", the author Andrew Braaksma, is identifying an alternative to higher education. His work at the factory teaches him that people grossly underestimate the value of their time and education. While doing this he is not dismissing the value that the assembly/production line and factory adds to the world but instead acknowledging the privilege of engaging in and getting the most out of a higher education.
In "Some Lessons From The Assembly Line", the author is acknowledging and I agree, there are different paths for everyone. He acknowledged in the writing the life lessons he learned in the factory are just as valuable as the lessons in his college classes. I agree with the statement, "As frustrating as the work can be, the most stressful thing about blue-collar life is knowing your job could disappear overnight." He is acknowledging the people that make their livelihoods and depend on the factory jobs are living with the threat that their jobs may not be there in the future.
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Until someone has worked in a factory it is hard to imagine the dedication it takes to get up early every morning and go to a job that you don't love. When you work on an assembly line you are working under time and quota restraints. The second section that stuck out was the hard work that factory workers perform, at times for long hours and is done for a much lower pay than what you would expect. If you are putting in 12 hour days it would seem that your paycheck should reflect
However, this is where the divide lies; continuing in school or getting a job (which the reason why most students go to college; to get a better job with higher education). Bok is trying to explain the positive and negative sides of adding vocational
In her essay “The Value of a College Degree,” Kathrine Porter attempts to persuade the audience of the benefits of having a “higher education,” while on the other hand, the author of “The Case against College,” Linda Lee says from her experience college is not for everyone. Both Lee and Porter have great arguments, but Lee’s argument that college is not for everyone is slightly more compelling.
In Some Lessons from the Assembly Line by Andrew Braaksma, my first interpretation of this article was that the authors main point was that decisions you make today, will affect your future. After rereading and careful analysis, the authors main point has changed. The author is not speaking of what my first interpretation was, but he is stating you cant learn everything in school. As I re-read the article using what I have learn, I see that he is explaining lessons that he has learned outside the classroom. He explains his first person accounts of the differences he has experienced between school and factory life, also giving his readers examples of these lessons learned outside of school.
In society today, a college education is often seen as a “the next step” in a young adult’s life. Whether they actually know what they would like to earn a degree in, they feel the need to continue their education as almost everyone around them is pursuing post-secondary education of some sort. It is often argued that a college education is not necessary to get ahead because of the manufacture based workforce that is up and coming in America, however, there are many benefits to having a post-secondary education such as a higher rate of pay and more job opportunities.
The rise of college tuition along with room and board have lead many to believe that college isn’t worth the money. This among with the other factors of how getting a job into society is more difficult and that a college degree no longer competitive due to the high abundance of them. On the other side, many others urge the importance of a degree. They bring up how more jobs today require degrees, the return investment, and many other things.
In the article, “What Is College For? (Part 2)” written by Gary Gutting we see a description of his ideal vision to improve education and the intellectual culture of our citizens. Mr. Gutting emphasizes that preparing students for employment should be the job of the elementary, middle and high school rather than college. He argues that higher education is basically unnecessary for the practice of many professions.
Why is it that in today’s society, people merely believe that a person can be successful if they have a degree from a higher education? In the article “The Case for Working With Your Hands” author Mathew B. Crawford talks about his life as a mechanic and the decisions and revelations that got him there. Crawford claims that a good job is defined to meet an individual’s passion and to see the “effects of the world” (Crawford). Crawford is saying that a person does not have to have a degree to have a good job. With Crawford’s claim, in the article titled “The Case for Working With Your Hands,” that a person should find a job that satisfies their own passions and desires I would agree with the author’s stance based on my own personal experiences as well as his information he presents.
During reassessment for article "Some Lessons From the Assembly Line" by Andrew Braaksma (2005), I concluded similar notations, and judgements. What I developed from the material is that life has moments of bliss, nativity, and hardships. This was related by sharing experience spent at a summer job at an assembly line, clocking hours, and followed going back to college life after their time at the summer job. Also, Mr. Braaksma, expressed that college life was lenient in contrast to the summer position, emphasizing on a lack of security, complacency causes injury, and an education is valued. However, individuals tend to lack in society, within school, and even the valued education will show within the production of work. In turn, also causing a lack of security, complacency, and a worthless education. With that, an education need to be valued, and developed throughout to ensure continued success.
In Andrew Braaksma 's essay “Some Lessons from the Assembly Line,” he tells his personal insights, lessons learned and experiences, while he works a temporary summer job in a factory located near his hometown during college summer break. Braaksma describes his deep appreciation for receiving his education as he attended college and seeing what his life may have been like working a blue collar job in a factory if he did not go to college. As the majority of college students, Braaksma works during the summer to pay for his college books, beer as well as to reduce his summer housing expenses. More importantly, Braaksma chooses to move home and work at the local factory while his classmates are busy working in food service or at a local retail store. Obtaining a higher education will take him far in life without the threat or possibility of having to work a blue collar job in a factory.
Could you make it in the grind of the assembly line in the blue-collar world? In reading Braaksma's "Some Lessons From The Assembly Line", the main idea is how important college education is, which is conveyed in a number of different ways. The author looks at the experience they had at assembling line job on their summer break and how awful it was. Comparing it to the easy-going lifestyle as a college student. The article’s main claim of education being an important avenue to take is an important lesson to be taken seriously because of the author’s negative view of the assembly line, positive view of being at school, and the value the author holds in education.
Opponents may argue that pursuing higher education is an investment for the future that will aid in one’s future finances, however, the costs of college, both opportunity and monetary, far outweigh the benefits. Nemko also addresses the counterargument by accentuating that many college graduates serve jobs below the value of their degrees because they pay more through the stories of Jill Plesnarski and Brian Morris.
The article "Some Lessons from the Assembly Line" by Andrew Braaksma, gives you ride a through the life of a blue-collar worker and the importance of investing in yourself with a college degree. The author discusses how spending summers working as a blue-collar worker at a factory in his hometown, makes him appreciate the opportunity to attend college. The author explains what his life would be like had he not decided to obtain a college degree and add value to his life. I can relate to the author from my own personal experiences with my job and learning how valuable a college education could be. I have missed several opportunities to advance and move up with my company because I didn't have a degree. Now that I’m in school I can also
The articles “Blue-Collar Brilliance” written by Mike Rose and “Are Too Many People Going to College?” by Charles Murray discuss the importance of education and its outcomes. Both authors talk about people’s careers on the aspect of whether a college degree made them succeed in life or it is just an expensive waste of time. Also, each article has its own opinion over the fact that some people with college education aren’t able to find jobs while others with no college background are able to succeed. Rose and Murray, both agreed on the idea that college isn’t for all just simply because of its cost, and how each person’s intelligence does not depend on their acceptance to a college; further, both authors also acknowledge the importance of blue-collar workers and their prosperity.
In recent discussions of “Is College Worth It?” By John Green, a controversial issue has been whether, people should attend college or get a job after they finish high school. On the one hand, some argue that people can get a monthly income better than if they have a degree. From this perspective, some people they do not want to attend college. On the other hand, however, others insist that people should attend college after they finish high school. In the words of John Green, one of this view’s proponents, “after graduating from college, I actually made $1 per hour less when I started working as an assistant at Booklist Magazine, but the job was better in every way” (video). According to this view, he was working at Stake and Shake and he was getting better salary than what he got after graduate by 1$ less but money is not everything in life. Then he proved to the audiences through his experience that he was more comfortable with working as assistant at Booklist Magazine even he is making less money. Because he got a better job, got the knowledge, and work on something that he like. In sum, then, the issue is whether to attend college or work without a degree. My own view is that attending college is worth it even if it will cost some sacrifices of things that we can get it in the future. After, all, I have chosen to identify as a college student at Winona State University. Though I concede that choosing the university and working to
The title of the article is "Some Lessons From The Assembly Line" by Andrew Braaksma. After reading the article it made me realize how important it is to have an education and how fortunate I am to be able to have one. It makes me want to stay in college because I see how it is a struggle for some people today to find a job with decent pay. Braaksma's goal for writing this article was to teach his audience about the value of education. He discussed the value of his work experiences. He also mentioned that the most stressful thing about working in a factory is knowing that your job could disappear overnight. Braaksma experienced this himself when one of his co-workers had told him that the unit they were working in would be shut down within the next six months and moved to Mexico, where people would work for lower pay. Braaksma makes an effective argument about the benefits of receiving a college education by using personal anecdotes and imagery.