Counterintuitive Fall 2024

The Views of College Degrees for NBA Players

For me to state that I believe NBA players should work for their college degrees before, during, or after their careers, I can see where people might also disagree with me on that idea. My opponent might say that getting a degree for an NBA player is useless because they are not going to need it when they are making millions of dollars that could last them a lifetime. The reality of that is, if NBA players do not handle their money right, they could end up scraping the surface to pay their bills and having to sell their luxurious items. Some NBA players could be thinking the same thing as my opponent, “Oh I have money to buy this, it is not a big deal.” If a player says that before he makes every purchase, that money in his bank account is going to eventually disappear. The players have to learn how to handle their money correctly so they do not go broke. That’s where former NBA player Antoine Walker learned his lesson. Walker had some serious debt with Las Vegas casinos and ended up losing over $1 million in a year and later declared bankruptcy after some bad real-estate investments. Walker decided not to listen to his financial advisor and eventually paid for it in a bigger way than he could ever imagine. In an interview with Jane Wollmann Rusoff from ThinkAdvisor, Walker admits that he was stubborn with the way he wanted to spend his money and that he was young and was not thinking about his life after basketball, the way that his financial advisor was. NBA players could get a business degree, for example, so they can learn how to handle their money correctly and make the right investments if they choose. 

My opponent could be contemplating right now that the current and former NBA players can hire a financial advisor to handle their finances. The problem with that idea is that the players have to put complete trust into people they know nothing about, ultimately with their whole lives. In Rusoff’s interview with Walker, when she asks him if he had a financial advisor, he answers, “yes, but back then you don’t know who’s good or who’s bad when choosing one.” Financial advisors dealing with their money could be scamming the players or encouraging them to invest in things that will make them lose more money rather than gain. If the NBA players got a business degree and understood the ideas of handling their money, they would not have to put their trust into strangers and they could do as they please with their money. 

My opponent might also be thinking that NBA players do not need a degree when they are looking for jobs once they retire because they are simply famous and everyone should know their names. Most people are probably going to know the popular names of the players in the NBA which could give them an easier time getting jobs, but that does not automatically make them qualified for any and every job. For example, let’s say a retired player wanted to become a teacher and give back to the kids in their community. A school district is not going to hire the retired player just because they are famous and played a professional sport. They need to be qualified for the job and the school district needs to know that they actually understand the material that they will teach to the students. Not every retired athlete wants to become a broadcaster or movie star like Shaquille O’Neal or Rick Fox, others might want to fulfill another dream of theirs. 

To go along with an earlier argument of mine that the one-and-done rule is a waste of time, my opponent could see the rule as a beneficial factor that could make or break a rookie’s career. Although the one-and-done rule gives the NBA prospect a chance to play a higher level of competitive basketball before the NBA, it is a huge risk factor for unnecessary injuries. By playing a season in college, the players are giving their bodies a chance to ruin their careers before they’re even started. If a player is going to be a first round draft pick after high school, that most likely is not going to change if he plays one season in college. That player is missing out on a year’s worth salary that he could be using to support his family. The player’s family could be banking on him making over a million dollars his rookie season in the NBA to help keep them financially afloat, but everytime he steps onto a college court, there is always a chance that the dream might diminish and his families’ lives could crumble. 

My opponent might even be reasoning that not everyone needs a college degree to be successful. While they are correct and that there are many people who have successful businesses while they started from nothing, getting a college degree is more about a sense of accomplishment. In the article, “Drew Gooden fulfills promise to earn his college degree,” written by Marc J. Spears, Gooden, former Washington Wizards center, talks about graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in communication. He states “It was a relief because there was something missing in my life that was incomplete. It was getting the degree.” In 2002 when Gooden decided to enter the NBA draft, he promised his mother and his University of Kansas basketball coach that he was going to get his degree. In a Sports Illustrated article written by Stanley Kay, John Wall, current Washington Wizards player, talks about how he made a promise to his father before he died, that he was going to get a college degree. In the summer of 2018, Wall decided to return to the University of Kentucky to earn a business degree. For many players, a college degree represents an opportunity that most of their families never had a chance to obtain. Players see getting their degree as an obligation to their family and the reality that they made it in life. 

  References 

“Antoine Walker’s Crumble.”  ThinkAdvisor. Ex-NBA Star Says He Should’ve Listened to His Financial Advisor. Jane Wollmann Rusoff. June 2019. 

“Drew Gooden Getting College Degree.” The Undefeated. Drew Gooden Fulfills Promise to Earn His College Degree. Marc J. Spears. May 2017. 

“John Wall’s Return to College.”Sports Illustrated. John Wall Plans to Return to College This Summer to Pursue Degree, Fulfill Promise to Father. Stanley Kay. February 2018.

STEM is Far More Substantial Than The Liberal Arts

The path to a rewarding career is an uphill battle. When a person begins their college education, the preparation for achieving their dream career also begins. A college education is an important factor in economic and career trajectory. Furthermore, the demand for candidates with college degrees is expected to only increase in the future; which has led to an increased interest of high school graduates who plan on continuing their education at a 2 year or 4 year institution. According to the study “The Condition of Education 2011,” conducted by Susan Aud, William Hussar and Grace Kena from The National Center for Education Statistics, with “68% of all high school graduates enrolling in college and a total of 21 million students enrolled in 2010,” it is evident that a large portion of Americans have chosen to pursue a college education in order to obtain a well-paying job and ultimately achieving long-term career success in today’s workforce. Thus high school graduates and college students believe that investing in their future by obtaining a college degree is essential for increasing their earning potential and improving job prospects. The value of a college education has never been more important and the close relationship between college attainment, employment prospects, salaries, and job satisfaction is stronger than ever.    

Although, there is plenty of evidence that a college degree is in fact worth it, the question then becomes is majoring in liberal arts more beneficial than STEM and vice versa. Advocates for liberal arts education argue that the curriculum generally does a better job of improving their graduates’ soft skills in the following areas of problem solving, critical thinking and communication, which employers demand in the labor market. Liberal arts education prioritizes interdisciplinary learning which gives students the ability to thrive and develop soft skills which translates to many different career fields. Furthermore, as society transitions into the digital age, more soft skills are essential to fixing the problems that technology cannot compute alone.       

However there is no doubt that STEM careers make a difference in society; ever since the Cold War, when the U.S and the Soviet Union both encouraged students to go into STEM fields in order to expand their militaries and industries. Today, due to globalization, there is a new drive to create advancements in technology, infrastructure, transportation and medicine- to name a few. According to the study “Occupational Employment Projections to 2018,” conducted by T. Alan Lacey and Benjamin Wright from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “it is projected that by 2020, a 34% increase in professional, scientific, and technical services will take place.” 

Hence, current economic conditions as well as the supply and demand of candidates with particular degrees and skills are also important factors that influence career trajectories. According to the study, “How Liberal Arts and Science Majors Fare in Employment,” conducted by Debra Humphreys and Patrick Kelly, “currently demand in the labor market for graduates in engineering and some professional fields, including health-related fields dramatically exceeds supply, while demand for most graduates in liberal arts and science fields is roughly even with supply.”

However, STEM is more in demand than the liberal arts because our world depends on it. The economy and our general well-being is supported by science, technology, engineering, and math. STEM jobs are abundant and growing in which professionals working in STEM fields are less likely to be unemployed than their non-STEM counterparts. Employers are eager to hire candidates who can problem-solve and think analytically which are skills at the core of STEM curriculum. The heavily globalized economy is in need of candidates who possess the knowledge and skills that drive innovation. The candidates who have brought innovation to the table are those equipped with science, technology, engineering and math abilities. Due to the important role that STEM-related skills play in the advancement of new technologies and the continuance of economic progress, potential candidates are encouraged to develop STEM skills needed in the workforce while in school.

Another important debate is whether liberal arts degrees or STEM degrees provide the best return on investment. Liberal arts advocates argue that earning a degree from a liberal arts college pays off in the long run which is shown in the study “ROI Liberal Arts Colleges Value Adds Up Over Time,” conducted by Anthony P. Carnevale, Ban Cheah and Martin Van Der Werf, from Georgetown University. According to the study, “the median return on investment for a liberal arts college degree is 40% below other colleges 10 years after graduation,” however, “after 40 years the ROI on a degree from a liberal arts college is 25% higher than all other colleges.” Liberal arts advocates further argue the increase in ROI is due to the value of soft skills and credentials becoming more prominent by employers over time.  

However, according to the study “Career Corner: The Value of a STEM degree,” conducted by Youngstown State University, “STEM majors earn on average $43,000 upon entering the workforce compared to all majors which comes in at $33,000.” Furthermore the study projected that STEM majors also see the largest wage growth over the course of their careers. The study also reported that when it comes to job prospects for recent grads, “newly minted engineers have been the most heavily recruited and highest paid in the class of 2012, with a median salary of $58,581; followed by computer scientists at $56,383.”The problem-solving capabilities of engineers and computer scientists put them in demand across the U.S economy.   Thus careers associated with STEM are the highest paying and offer the best opportunity to pay off student loan debt.  

STEM fields are more substantial than the liberal arts because they bring more value to society. STEM careers promise stable and high-paying employment for graduates amongst the rapid advancement in technology. STEM advocates point to the high number of unemployment amongst liberal arts majors but liberal arts advocates claim that a deep understanding of the humanities and the development of soft skills are just as important. However, there needs to be more emphasis placed on STEM subjects because we live in a technological world that requires technical skills in order to continue functioning. Due to the fact that technology is in almost every aspect of life and as the work environment changes, STEM knowledge and skills grow in importance for a variety of workers in the labor market.         

                                               References 

Aud, S., Hussar, W., & Kena, G. (2011, May). The Condition of Education 2011. Retrieved April 11, 2020.

Carnevale, A. P., Cheah, B., & Van Der Werf, M. (2020). ROI Liberal Arts Colleges Value Adds Up Over Time. Retrieved April 11, 2020.

Humphreys, D., & Kelly, P. (2014). How Liberal Arts and Science Majors Fare in Employment. Retrieved April 11, 2020.

Lacey, A. T., & Wright , B. (2010, December 22). Occupational Employment Projections to 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2020.