A Rewarding Education......

With all the problems facing the country including the destruction from the divisive McPalin campaign, little things can mean a whole lot more....

For the second time this Fall, I had a former student of mine come back and talk to one of my classes. DM graduated with a degree in Accounting earlier this year, and works for a tax and audit firm where he interned in his final term in College. This morning, he took a hour off from work. He came into my office and I had a brief chat with him for twenty minutes and then he talked to my class of 25 students for about half an hour. He discussed the importance of internships, work culture, the adjustment from taking classes in College to working professionally, and other topics. I had advised DM when he joined our College as a freshman four years ago. I was amazed and delighted to see his maturity and his poise now. I was also pleased to observe how much he had learnt in the short time he has been working as a professional. Earlier in the term, I had another former student, JB, come and talk to my current students about her work. She is a 'high potential' star and is climbing the corporate ladder at one of the country's largest packaged food manufacturers. JB talked about her experiences, and how she had decided to major in Supply Chain Management. She is quite an amazing person to watch.

While the 'job' of educating the students pays my bills, the 'Education' I get is the greatest reward. Observing the products of my process, and engaging in continuous process improvement is an enriching experience- a "no brainer" reward for the thinking educationalist.

Chicago Tribune, OTOH, takes a gloomy perspective in its article "Is college worth it?" where it states that 'Money is only one of the reasons to go to college, of course. But with college costs skyrocketing and the economy worsening, the question of whether higher education is a worthy financial investment is no longer a no-brainer."