By BYRON REINS
CARDINAL NEWMAN HIGH SCHOOL, SENIOR, 17

Schoolwork is about the last thing teenagers wish to do because there are so many options that are more entertaining. They could chat on Facebook, watch TV, socialize with friends and do so many other activities. According to the Christian Science Monitor, as of 2010 the standard four-year graduation rate from high school is down to 68.8 percent in the U.S. I believe a major contributor to this is a lack of interest in school despite its importance. Education is extremely important, and it is a necessity to success later in life.
In high school, many teenagers see no point in trying to get good grades in school because it’s just a waste of time, right? But after they graduate and begin looking for a job, many will wish they had persevered. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a person with a college degree will earn twice as much as a person with only a high school degree. According to the U.S. Labor Department, 90 percent of the fastest-growing jobs of the future will require post-secondary education. In addition, if a person does not have a high school diploma, they cannot even get into college. For example, if a person works very hard and makes the grades to enter a premier college, they will have a better chance of landing a high-paying job.
Monetary gains are not the only reason to focus on school. Without a good education, it is more difficult to have an informed opinion and to communicate intelligently. Plato said, “If a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life.”
Without an education, a person is vulnerable to deceit and manipulation because they are less able to discriminate truth from falsehoods. Without a formal education, it is difficult to separate right from wrong. A person might not even have a concept of right and wrong. Education furthers a person’s social development as well. Thus, education is an integral piece to a reasoned, sensible, ethical and virtuous person.
The reward of an education is what you can accomplish with it. As defined by dictionary.com, education is the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment and generally preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.
A formal education provides a person the opportunity to do anything and be anyone, no matter the status of his or her birth. As stated by Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world.”
Education is one of the major issues facing our nation. Unfortunately, in California many school programs are facing cuts due to a lack of funds. I believe education is the most important process in life and should be treated as such. While school may be boring, teenagers should persevere to reap the rewards later in life.