I came across a quote in the past week, one that links the training of children to the realization of ambition and future potential.

For the most part I think it’s a great thought. I would just make a change with the first few words. I would take out training and insert the word education.

Some people might think I’m being overly particular. Many of them think education and training are basically the same thing. They think the main reason to go to school is to become employable.

I believe the two concepts are different. I think they have different purposes and different outcomes for the learners.

Training generally involves teaching someone how to do fairly simple tasks. Most of the time it centers around repetitive tasks. It often occurs when someone starts a new job that’s at the entry level or the intermediate stage of the hierarchy.

One of my nieces earned a four-year marketing degree in 2024. Her job search led her to work for an insurance company in a call center.

The job had marketing in its advertisements, so that was her incentive to apply. I can’t claim that it was false advertising because work in a call center is technically marketing, It’s just that you don’t need a four-year degree to do that type of job.

It’s not the kind of thing a four-year graduate would ideally want. My niece took the job to make ends meet but continued her job search. It paid off this spring. She became director of marketing for a sports association.

Her situation was an example of how there’s often a big difference between what most people want to do with their lives and what most employers want to pay people to do.

It doesn’t lend itself to morale in the workplace. Employers are the only ones who can change it. They need to find better, more creative ways of using their human capital.

There’s nothing wrong with simply wanting to get through school as soon as possible and go to work. Those students don’t need a four-year degree.

The degree is more than just a preparation for employment. Those who seek the four-year option don’t just develop as students. They also develop as people.

I learned that when I enrolled in graduate school 20 years ago at Southwest Minnesota State University. I expected that it would be different from my undergraduate years.

I thought I would simply go to class, do my assignments and earn my master’s degree. Instead I found that there was a social element to graduate school that was extremely valuable. Many classmates became friends.

Some of them have stayed in touch. It’s an example of what education is all about. It can offer experiences that enrich someone’s life. It can also help in the search for the right kind of career opportunities.

Education is supposed to make someone more aware of the world, more open minded and more able to communicate idea with others.

With those assets, it’s easier to transfer skills into different professions. If people with a degree find themselves with a lack of opportunity in their jobs, it could easily be possible to make a career move. It might be a related field or it could also be something new.

It’s too bad when people have to say no to that kind of change because of life’s realities. They might have student loans. They might need housing and money for car payments. They might start a family.

In the end it comes down to what someone wants most out of life. Even for some with four-year degrees, a boring job might serve it’s purpose by giving them the money they need to cash flow their expenses.

In high school everyone starts to make choices. It’s the right time to sort through the possibilities, and to choose options that can lead to financial security and creative rewards. It’s important to go beyond a fear of failure. They should also think of the potential for success.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent