A Good But Unnecessary Condition For Success In College by Richard
Richardof Louisville's entry into Varsity Tutor's March 2015 scholarship contest
- Rank:
- 0 Votes
A Good But Unnecessary Condition For Success In College by Richard - March 2015 Scholarship Essay
Leadership is the act of leading a group of people or an organization. This is a skill that is desired by many for many very good reasons. This does not, however, make it necessary. Is a person having leadership skills a necessary condition for that person to have college success? It is my contention that this is not the case. There are three measures of success in college and I believe that none of them require leadership skills. These measures are receiving a degree, receiving good grades, and future success in the workforce.
Sit down at a college graduation, and if you know a lot of the students that are walking on that Saturday, you will understand that receiving a degree does not require leadership skills. There are requirements in every field of study that need to be met. If you meet those requirements with good success then you will have had college success. Consider a history major that has passed every test, written every paper, and understood the scope of history very well. Is it necessary for him to have leadership skills to receive his degree? It seems evident that leadership skills are not a necessary condition for fulfilling the requirements necessary to receive a degree.
Next, if receiving good grades in college is examined, we find a similar situation. Working hard and getting good grades does not require leadership skills. Drive and determination for success can be found in a person who does not have the skills to lead a group of people. A math major, which learns things that few people even fathom in this lifetime, does not need to have any sort of leadership skills to receive 4.0 grade point average. He could graduate with highest honors and yet have no leadership skills. Would leadership skills help him? Maybe, if a leader is needed for projects of some sort, but maybe not. Again, it seems that leadership skills are not a necessary condition for a person to receive good grades.
Lastly, the ultimate measure of college success is future successes in the workforce. Again, there is a similar situation. If a person walks into a large accounting firm and looks around they will not just see leaders, but also people with very little leadership skills. Yet, many of those with very little leadership skills are doing incredible work with numbers that requires a degree. Similar situations happen in many work places. This is necessary. What would happen if everyone was a skilled leader working in that accounting firm and no one followed? It would be chaos and nothing would be accomplished. Is it possible for a person to be considered successful in their field without having leadership skills? It depends on the field. An accountant can be excellent at what they do without having the skills needed to lead a group of people. Leadership skills are simply not a necessary condition for success in the workforce.
College is about learning the necessary skills for the future. Sometimes this will mean leadership skills are necessary. A teacher who is not a leader would not be capable of teaching a class full of students. A person who wants to own a business and receives an education for that person better be able to lead people. Yet, leadership is not always a necessary characteristic for future success. A student can have the ambition that enables them to achieve at a high level in college and in the work force, yet not have the skills of leadership. Therefore, leadership skills are not a necessary condition for college success.