It is sometimes argued that too many students go to university, while others claim that a university education should be a universal right. Discuss both sides of the argument and give your own opinion.

In some advanced countries, it is not unusual for more than 50% of young adults to attend college or

university

. Critics,

however

, claim that many

university

courses are worthless and young people would be better off gaining skills in the workplace. In

this

essay, I will examine both sides of

this

argument and try to reach a conclusion. There are several reasons why young people today believe they have the right to a

university

education.

First

, growing prosperity in many parts of the world has increased the number of families with money to invest in their children’s future. At the same time, falling birthrates mean that one- or two-child families have become common, increasing the level of investment in each child. It is hardly surprising,

therefore

, that young people are willing to let their families support them until the age of 21 or 22.

Furthermore

, millions of new jobs have been created in knowledge industries, and these jobs are typically open only to

university

graduates.

However

, it often appears that graduates end up in occupations unrelated to their

university

studies. It is not uncommon for an English literature major to end up working in sales, or an engineering graduate to retrain as a teacher,

for example

. Some critics have suggested that young people are just delaying their entry into the workplace, rather than developing professional skills. A more serious problem is that the high cost of a

university

education will mean that many families are reluctant to have more than one child, exacerbating the falling birth rates in certain countries. In conclusion, while it can be argued that too much emphasis is placed on a

university

education, my own opinion is that the

university

years are a crucial time for personal development. If people enter the workplace aged 18, their future options may be severely restricted. Attending

university

allows them time to learn more about themselves and make a more appropriate choice of career.