Some people think that universities should provide graduates with the knowledge and skills needed in the workplace. Others think that the true function of a university should be to give access to knowledge for its own sake, regardless of whether the course is useful to an employer.

Whether a university’s role should be to prepare graduates for specific jobs or simply to educate them without a particular vocation in mind is a debatable issue. I believe that universities fulfil both purposes. The essay will

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discuss the function of vocational courses, followed by a discussion of more traditional tertiary education. Some students have a very specific job in mind when they enrol at university. Medicine, dentistry, and accountancy have clear career paths and they allow people to focus on and

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undertake a certain profession upon graduation.

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suits those who have decided on a career and it avoids them wasting time studying a more general subject like English.

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, in the United States, you must complete four years of higher education before you can study law and many feel that these four years is a waste of time, that would have been better used focusing on their chosen discipline.

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,

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is not suitable for everyone and many people have no idea what job they would like to do when they are 18. For these young people, it is better to do a non-vocational course,

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as philosophy, and simply add to their intellect without a career goal in mind. If they were forced to study a more practical subject, they are more likely to quit or become disillusioned because they don’t see the point of their chosen subject.

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, The Times recently reported that only 50% of law graduates actually want to become lawyers at the end of their studies. In conclusion, the function of a college is to both prepare students for the workforce and provide knowledge and which one a person chooses should depend on their preference at the time.