Whether to pursue higher education through universities or vocational training centers is one that scholars have debated, and there is no specific solution to the question. However, according to Roger Scruton and Mike Rose, although parents rely on universities to bring their children up with enough intelligence and life skills, that is not usually the case; such students often graduate with minimum to no knowledge of surviving in society. Regardless of them sharing a central focus, Scruton and Rose have similarities and differences in their arguments. Based on this topic, this paper compares the ideas of the two authors and shows that higher learning pursued outside universities is often better and more productive.
In terms of credibility, Rose’s article, I Just want to be Average, is more credible because of his level of experience in writing. The beginning of the article describes him as an experienced poet and an award-winning writer. That level of credibility means that Rose is a reliable writer; therefore, his work is credible and reliable. Additionally, Rose went through vocational training after a school wrote him off, implying that he is in an excellent position to say that universities do not bring brilliant graduates (Rose, 180). However, Rose is through a vocational training institution means that his argument may be biased because he would side with the path he went through; for this reason, his opinion may be flawed and biased. Rose explains the hard work of the teachers in the vocational centers. He explains how the teacher would get more challenging if one class got tougher, making sure that no student would give him trouble (Rose,19). As much as Roger Scruton may be a good writer experienced in philosophy, his opinions may not be as credible as Rose’s. The reason is that his not highly experienced in the field of research like Rose. Also, his reading is not peer-reviewed so it may have elements of fallacies (Gupta, np). As a result, his argument may be flawed and contain insufficient information. Also, he may be right that universities do not produce experienced enough students because he bases his arguments on a neutral point of view. Ruger argues that he has encountered university colleagues who have expressed conservative views and dissatisfaction with how the universities operate. Generally, I see that Roger Scruton believes universities should focus on vocational training, while Rose’s article argues that universities should provide a well-rounded education. I think that both universities and vocational training have their advantages and disadvantages. I think that it is essential for people to have a well-rounded education so that they can think critically and solve problems (Kondracki et al., np). People need to have the opportunity to receive training in a specific field to qualify for certain jobs.
In both readings, the main idea evident throughout is a theme of comparing higher education through universities and any other form of higher learning outside universities. Directly and indirectly, the readings highlight that most universities are not usually productive as most people expect them to be because most students often graduate with degrees in soft subjects, which may not be helpful enough in the broader society (Hopkins et al.,30). Ruger argues that there are better ways to manage the transition from adolescence to adulthood rather than spending the family’s savings on resentment of the four-year course. The authors show that vocational training is often better than universities. (Hodge et al.,210) (Akbulaev et al., np).
Even though both readings have similar themes, the perspectives of highlighting the central theme differ. Ruger quotes that young James goes to the University to study sciences and math, avoid promiscuous sex and taking drugs, makes right pals, etc., rather than intellectual skills. The parents feel that the experience is worth the significant expenditure. Scruton generally says that universities are not doing a great job directly, which is why he wrote the article. Rose addresses the theme indirectly. Rose, in the article, was to show and share his personal experience of being part of a vocational training institution. Both readings show that vocational institutions are better than universities, but the authors show different ways (Arinaitwe,16).
Scruton portrays a higher level of understanding of how much universities fail because he shares examples of figures that parents pay for the tuition fees and accommodation in universities which is about $40,000, yet their children graduate with minimum degrees. Including such figures in the article implies that Scruton carried out enough research before deciding on writing the article and sharing his ideas about the credibility of most universities (Sinnot,3). On the other hand, it is difficult to determine whether Rose clearly understands the theme because he did not formulate the article to discuss the credibility of universities but to share his personal experiences and how his life changed after attending vocational institutions rather than universities. I think the essay is fair in comparing the two articles. I agree that it is difficult to tell if Rose understands the theme of university education, as he does not seem to focus on that particular topic in his article.
Regardless of the differences, the articles do an excellent job of describing that universities do not do enough. Both pieces show that getting more knowledge on life skills and other things is essential information that universities cannot teach compared to vocational institutions (Haltia et al.,544). As mentioned above, although the articles share the central idea, directly and indirectly, they unify at the end because they both induce a similar notion and perspective in the reader’s mind. Both opinions are valid, and it is essential to have both options available to people. I think that getting more life skills and knowledge is always good, but I also think that people should have the option to go to University if they want to.
In conclusion, the articles are excellent examples of the notion that has gone on for years about the credibility of universities and vocational training. Additionally, the pieces have helped give insight and assurance to a conflicted person about the two learning institutions. Also, the credibility of the authors and the articles make the main themes more reliable and the information they deliver more assuring. Lastly, despite the differences in the readings, they share the same idea.
Works Cited
Akbulaev, Nurkhodzha, Ilkin Mammadov, and Samir Shahbazli. “Accounting Education in the Universities and Structuring According to the Expectations of the Business World.” Universal Journal of Accounting and Finance 9.1 (2021): 130-7.
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Gupta, Amod. “On credit and credibility: guest authors, ghostwriters, and everyone else in between.” Indian Journal of Ophthalmology 69.1 (2021): 3.
Haltia, Nina, Ulpukka Isopahkala-Bouret, and Annukka Jauhiainen. “The vocational route to higher education in Finland: Students’ backgrounds, choices and study experiences.” European educational research journal 21.3 (2022): 541-558.
Hodge, Steven, et al. “Higher Education in Vocational Institutions in Australia: What is Going On?.” Equity and Access to High Skills through Higher Vocational Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2022. 189–214.
Hopkins, J., N. Malleson, and I. Sarnoff. “Some non‐intellectual correlates of success and failure among university students.” British Journal of Educational Psychology 28.1 (1958): 25–36.
Kharasch, Evan D., et al. “Authorship and publication matters: Credit and credibility.” Anesthesiology 135.1 (2021): 1–8…
Kondracki, Anthony J., et al. “The Link between Neuroticism and Everyday Cognitive Failures Is Mediated by Self-Reported Mindfulness Among College Students.” Psychological Reports (2021): 00332941211048467.
Rose, Mike. “I just wanna be average.” Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing (1990): 161–172.
Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter, and Claire Simmons. “Some common fallacies in arguments from M/EEG data.” NeuroImage 245 (2021): 118725..
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