While our school's recent job placement rates have been dismal, there

The following appeared in a letter from a university career center to recent alumni:

While our school's recent job placement rates have been dismal, there is hope on the way. National reports show that the economy has added over two hundred thousand jobs this quarter, and the capital markets seem to suggest that the economy will continue to expand rapidly. With the surge in hiring, there is no question that your Columbus State degree will lead toward gainful employment in the very near future.

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.
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The aforementioned argument, which states that the addition of jobs and expansion of economy will lead to gainful employment in the near future, appears to be fairly convincing at a first glance. However, on a closer look at the argument and it's underlying structure, a number of flaws become evident. The most pivotal of the shortcomings are the argument's inability to address it's assumptions and the lack of information to substantiate it's claims.

Firstly, the letter mentions the economy has added over two hundred thousand jobs this quarter. This number may look promising, but in no way does it suggest if this number is a net overall addition. It is possible that three hundred thousand jobs have been made defunct. The capital markets which seem to suggest that he economy will continue to expand rapidly does not mention if this expansion will be due to more jobs created. It is possible that the expansion in economy will be due to advancement in technology and automation, which might lead to even fewer jobs.

Secondly, the argument relates the expansion of economy to a surge in hiring. Even if that were true and increase in jobs were indeed a primary factor in the expansion of the economy, we have no information about the sectors which will be impacted as a result. It is possible that the courses Columbus State degree specialize in the Healthcare sector and the increase in jobs would only be in the manufacturing industry. Because of this, the placement rates of the school will remain dismal.

Additionally, the argument relates the addition of jobs to an improving economy. This cause-and-effect relation suffers from cognitive bias and fails to consider other factors while implying an effect. The argument fails to consider that other factors such as the population and immigration also play a role in determining whether an economy would be successful and whether the students of Columbus State will gain employment. For instance, if the population this quarter grows dramatically, addition of two hundred thousand jobs would still not be sufficient to improve the economy. Also, if, for example, there is a sudden surge of immigrants in the country, this increase might also offset the increase in the jobs.

Thus, the argument in it's current state is flawed in abundant ways, the most blatant of which are addressed above. Addressing them would lead to an increase in the merits of the argument and would also help to reinforce it's claims. However, as it stands, the statements by the letter can be considered no more than a biased opinion relying on missing assumptions and unsubstantiated claims.

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Good Luck