Opinion
College & Workforce Readiness Letter to the Editor

Education Is the Key to Success

August 27, 2012 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

Many people go to college and complete degrees in fields that they continue to have a great passion for throughout their lives. While some of those people are lucky enough to get a job in that field, others must sit and wait for their opportunity. Most of those waiting will look for small-time jobs or go on for more schooling.

Failing to find a job often makes these graduates feel unwanted or causes them to say, “My degree was a waste of time.” To them I say: First and foremost, your college degree is never a waste. Education is one thing no one can ever take away from you. Stay in your field, but expand your options.

I went to college to become a high school history teacher, but right now, I’m an academic adviser and recruiter at the college level, and I absolutely love it. Had you told me that I’d be doing this when I was younger, I’d have called you a fool. Now, I’ll never look back and hope to remain here until I retire.

Parents and educators, encourage your children and students to expand their reach and to never give up looking. Have them search in places and look for jobs that they’d never expect to get, or wouldn’t have applied for beforehand. Because at the end of the day, if you’re educated, someone somewhere will call your name. And just like me, you might never look back.

Henry Laboranti

Adviser

Lackawanna College Towanda

Towanda, Pa.

A version of this article appeared in the August 29, 2012 edition of Education Week as Education Is the Key to Success

Events

English Learners Webinar How Can School Districts Better Support English Learners With Disabilities?
Join this webinar to hear recent findings from the EdWeek Research Center and discover practical strategies for improvement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
Better Tools, Not More: What Educators Say About Teaching and Technology
Optimism is up. AI use is rising. Coherence is the next challenge. Hear what the 2026 Educator Confidence Report reveals about the field.
Content provided by HMH
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Achievement Webinar
The Relationship Advantage for Attendance, Engagement, and Achievement
Relationship-building goes beyond back-to-school. Get practical ideas from district leaders and educators to strengthen student connections.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Quiz
Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Dual Enrollment?
Find out how much you know about college credit eligibility, cost, and postsecondary outcomes for dual enrollment courses.
Content provided by Pearson
College & Workforce Readiness Post-High-School Outcomes Vary Around the World. How Do U.S. Graduates Stack Up?
Globally, fewer young adults are adrift without college or careers, according to new OECD data.
2 min read
Collage of a person wearing high heels and a graduation gown stepping up stairs that are made of bar charts.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Transportation Is a Challenge for CTE Programs. How Districts Are Solving It
One district found innovative ways around this barrier.
4 min read
A school bus crosses over U.S. 160 from the Navajo Nation, left, onto the Hopi reservation, right, Monday, March 4, 2024, in Tuba City, Ariz. U.S. Highway 160 is the de facto border between the Navajo and Hopi Indian reservations and two time zones. Mind-bending time calculations is what people in the largest Native American reservation in the U.S. have to endure every March through November. The Navajo Nation, which stretches into Utah and New Mexico, will reset clocks for one hour later despite the rest of Arizona remaining on standard time.
A school bus crosses over U.S. 160 from the Navajo Nation, left, onto the Hopi reservation, right, on March 4, 2024, in Tuba City, Ariz. For school districts that offer offsite work-based learning experiences, transportation is a key challenge.
Matt York/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Why Schools, Colleges, and Employers Aren't Connected on Career-Technical Education
Too much data on education and the labor market exist in silos, a new report finds.
6 min read
South Career and Technical Academy student ambassadors and student councils hand out wristbands to new students as they arrives at CCSD’s newest high school, opening its doors for the 2025-2026 school year, on Aug. 11, 2025 , in Las Vegas .
South Career and Technical Academy students hand out wristbands to new students as they arrive at their school system's newest high school on Aug. 11, 2025, in Las Vegas. A new report recommends that school, college, and workforce leaders break down silos in their data, in order to better coordinate career-technical education goals.
Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal via TNS