Should Students Only Learn Practical Skills?

Greg Jones

The purpose of a university is to prepare it's students for a career in a field of their choosing, however students in universities across America often find themselves learning information they will never use in their chosen career. In academia, the question of whether schools should only teach practical things has persisted for hundreds of years. And although academics are no closer to resolving the issue of practical versus theoretical, students across the nation continue to ask why they must learn so much extraneous information.

The fact of the matter is that most classes taken by college students are not applicable to the jobs they will be occupying in the real world. The Princeton Review recently admitted that many courses offered by colleges are not applicable to any job that students may hold after college (HERE). The idea that a college student who is majoring in English or mathematics will need to know how to do general chemistry is somewhat ridiculous. The reality of the situation is that most general education courses required by today's universities are not practical for the careers students are pursuing.

Students actively pursuing degrees at America's universities cannot be absolutely certain what job they will hold when they graduate from college. But it can be certain that the degree they recieve will have some input into what job they eventually choose. With this in mind, it is important to note that degree programs across the nation are forcing students to take courses that are not practical, and will never be used in whatever job they choose to pursue with their degree (HERE). The general education requirements of most universities, while allowing for flexiblility if a student chooses to change majors, end up teaching students things they will never need to know. The fact of the matter is that many low level classes taught to college students do not teach practical skills that are applicable in the work force. As a result, students should only learn practical skills in college.