Is College Education Still Worth The Investment Summary

From Kindergarten snack time to elementary school recess, middle school P.E. to the high school football games; we are trained in the mold of our educational system. According to the majority of American students, the next step in this “cookie cutter” system includes a further pursuit in a college or university education. Many people in today’s society question whether it should really be that way. Some vouch that the college education is not only a clear step to career success but in the progression of intellect. Others show how those without a college degree can still make decent salaries while saving the money they would have spent on schooling. We as an audience see that with the costs of college on the rise and the benefits of degrees …show more content…
His writing interests and topic reflect his personal career and background. Joseph Slife is an adjunct instructor in the Department of Communication at Emmanuel College in Georgia. He earned his B.A. from LaGrange College and later pursued and received his M.A. from the University of North Carolina. His article was found in the October edition of Sound Mind Investing in 2009. This is a Christian Financial Newsletter that I found published on the group’s website. The article is titled “Is College Education Still Worth the Investment?” The newsletter’s name hints at financial discussion, so it can be concluded that Mr. Slife’s intents were to help direct those considering investing in a college education. Again, his likely readers are similar Christians, who may be looking into a college education, particularly high school graduates and their …show more content…
Aside from the differing view-points on the same topic, differing methods and approaches were used to persuade the reader. I began noticing how subtle these techniques are, and how effective they can be. While both authors presented a variety of rhetoric, I believe Slife to be the most effective and persuasive. His arsenal of rhetorical techniques was far-ranging and thorough. He did not merely depend on the statistics and important quotes of others alone, but presented a range of legitimate facts and logic. The major piece of rhetoric that helped persuade me was his personal experience as a college professor. Not only does it surprise the reader to hear a college professor deterring students from helping pay his salary, but also provides substantial proof in favor of his arguments in an un-refutable way. I was also impressed with the effective use of values and ideals with the religious reference. As a Christian these truths that I already hold were presented. It decreased my doubt and alienation from the author and helped put me in a similar state of mind. I feel an audience exposed to both articles will clearly see the breadth of Slife’s persuasion techniques as compared to