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

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
Assessment Webinar
Measuring What Matters: How District Leaders Are Redefining Student Assessment
In this panel discussion, district leaders and systems experts will examine the gap between the outcomes we want and the systems in place.
Content provided by Otus
Early Childhood Webinar Selling Into Early Learning: New Survey Data and Strategies for Marketers
Selling into PreK? Get fresh EdWeek Research Center data and strategies to position your products and reach the right early learning buyers.
Artificial Intelligence Webinar AI and 'Techlash' Are on a Collision Course. How Should Schools Respond?
Learn what strategies and tactics schools can develop to encourage smart and responsible AI use, while also enforcing tech guardrails.

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

College & Workforce Readiness The CTE Program Answering the Question ‘Why Do I Need Math to Be a Firefighter?’
Integrating academic learning into career and technical education comes with challenges.
13 min read
Cass Career Center
Layton Heaper, a senior in the welding program at the Cass Career Center in Harrisonville, Mo., works on a project on Sept. 29, 2026. Through the school's integrated academics program, students learn and apply English and math skills related to future careers.
Melissa Lukenbaugh for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness As Students Explore Alternatives to College, Are Counselors Ready to Help Them?
A new survey finds growing interest in non-degree pathways post-graduation, but schools are struggling to keep up.
3 min read
Kendall Gray (left) and Gala Davis (right), both guidance counselors, catch up and talk in Davisí office at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas on March 6, 2025.
Kendall Gray, left, and Gala Davis, both school counselors, talk in Davis' office at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas on March 6, 2025. A new survey polls school counselors about student career readiness.
Liz Rymarev/The Dallas Morning News via TNS
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