In 2008 when the rate of employment rose by 10 percent (USLabor), the disparity between a college education and personal economic achievement became quite evident. In fact, during that time “… jobs requiring college degrees grew by 187,000” (ProCon.org). The recession issue impacted everyone who was seeking a job after high school graduation. In this case, a college degree becomes valuable when an individual realizes that they need a job to survive. A college education is a necessity for the current and future workforce, even though a college education is incredibly expensive, certain paths soon-to-be college students can take to lessen the financial burden. Some of the benefits are that earning a college degree increases future happiness, and self-esteem, it better career opportunities, and provides job security and satisfaction.
According to a large number of Americans who believe that a college education is not valuable, we should address this issue because our country saw its last deflation for nearly six years which makes it possible for us to be prepared for another downturn. College education protects people’s employment options. People who have survived the last recession without a college degree think that they can again. A college degree is worth any time when we try to find a job in today’s society. College can no longer be seen as a right or a choice but as a requirement. This is because most of the jobs that are generated in our community need higher education.
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Therefore, Americans should remember the significant changes that the USA has gone through in higher education over recent decades. For example, “in 1980 only one in six Americans were college graduates, whereas today, seventy percent of all high school graduates go on to college” (Cassidy). Even though the expenses are growing every year the number of students going to a four-year college is still increasing because a college degree has become more important due to its opportunities and crucial effects on the development of new jobs for the United States’ economy. In other words, the demand for college jobs and the increased college attendance feed into each other and develop an economy that needs a higher-educated workforce (Cassidy). The challenge now is the prevailing outlook that many people think that college is not important depending on how things were in the past. It is the right time to start thinking of how the college advantages make up for the disadvantages.
Although the advantages are significantly higher than the disadvantages, some facts contradict the point of the value of a college diploma. Popular university withdraws like Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates are examples that lead people to consider college worthless. People from all over the world look at these individuals that have a large influence on our lives and they start to believe that higher education does not secure you a better future. They started to think that there were better opportunities than entering a college. Some of them are; having the chance to become your supervisor, taking more time to do things that you love, and possibly influencing others. But such events are unusual because not everyone can be a genie and think about a billion-dollar idea. All three of those individuals were also accepted into prestigious schools and decided to drop out, in other words, they were already very intelligent, to begin with. These three are exceptions to the rule and they do not go against the general rule of thumb that college is a good investment for the average person. The unemployment rates in 2018 prove that people without a college degree have an unemployment rate of 3.8 %, while the ones who have a bachelor's degree have an unemployment rate of 2.0% (bls.gov). It can be assumed that a college degree helps you to find good jobs and gives you higher chances to achieve success.
On the other hand, the relationship between college education and future success is becoming more apparent. Even though it is possible to find a job without having a college degree, one will find themselves self-limited to basic jobs such as jobs in construction and manufacturing industries because as the webpage Study.com claims, “While employees with a high school education may secure jobs with good benefits, college graduates typically fare better, entering higher-level careers with greater salaries” (“How Important”). Achieving a college degree increases the future happiness of an individual because of the large variety of careers and the ability to advance more quickly into senior positions in their respective careers.
Keeping yourself healthy has a totally large effect on the capability to live a good lifestyle. Growing health problems can have a big impact on the productivity of individuals’ lives. There is a lot of research demonstrating that individuals who have higher education are going to have fewer health issues than people who do not have a college education. According to a webpage sponsored by College Education claims that “In 2008, 23% of college graduates aged 35 to 44 years old were obese compared to 37% of high school graduates” (ProCon.org). It is possible that because colleges have gyms people get into the habit of going to the gym in college and they do not break that habit after they graduate. Either way, the fitness culture found on college campuses is capable of imprinting fitness habits for college students that they will continue to use after they graduate. These habits are something that someone who has not attended college may find difficult to acquire. In other words, education is one of the things students gain; moreover, lifestyle advantages are improved.
Numerous individuals will utilize the reason that college is too costly to even think about attending as their purpose behind not going for further education. This can never be seen again as a defense because of all the options that are offered for financial aid during college. According to an article by Kathryn Flynn, “Each year, over $150 billion in federal student aid is awarded to more than 15 million students who want help paying for college” (Flynn 1). Loans, grants, and different types of scholarships are only some of the opportunities that are offered to students to assist them in reducing the cost of a college degree. Some students choose to take more classes than usual because this helps them to finish their studies before the estimated time. This option is a money and time saver. Going for accelerated classes improves our learning skills and opens up the chances to get into the desired career from early graduation. This is just one of the plenty of other solutions that assist students in saving money.
One of these solutions is going to a 2-year community college, which can spare a huge number of dollars over the long road. Entering a community college never affects whether one will go after a future position. This is because that considerably after those 2 years of community college you can still accomplish a college degree from a University. Attending a community college is an effective way to save money. Texas Southmost College emphasizes that “Many students are discovering they can save thousands of dollars by enrolling in a community college for the first two years before transferring to a university” (tsc.edu). The community college has the same academic options as an expensive University does. Additionally, smaller classes are more useful because the information can be quickly adapted for students and they can create a connection with the professors. The community college has huge amounts of benefits, but the most important one is that huge amounts of money are spared. Enrolling a two-year community college costs $3,440 per year, whereas attending a four-year college costs $9,410 per year (College Costs). As you can see a community college is more expensive than a University.
Besides this often money problem, we do not understand how much money taxpayers might waste if they did not enter college. Young people without employment, training, or education are more likely to be violent and receive public health care at an additional cost from the government (ProCon.Org). It is important to look at this viewpoint because people are truly concerned about the financial side of attending college. People have to understand the potential expense a non-student can have on the economy. Our State becomes increasingly concerned with the high price of prison, costing society tons of money. Furthermore, it is known that there are fewer crimes committed by educating people. This is because when you are educated and do not work, you are more likely to engage in illegal ways of making money. Education is so powerful in reducing crime that it has been suggested that the training of prisoners would make them far less likely to go back to prison after they are released (Riggs). To solve these two problems, this step should be put into operation. This will logically solve the problem of losing money in prison charges and perhaps raise the number of educated people.
There are not a lot of people going to college because it feels like a big challenge for them. If we eliminate some barriers in people’s way will increase the number of successful and educated Americans. Some of the hurdles can be financial debt, transportation, and high tuition costs. This may be the first group to be seen as often in high school and college. The first move is to obtain solutions to the growing reasons that people do not enter college. An example is having a certain way to travel every day to campus. We have a lot of ways to get there, but some more effective ways are to provide free public transit passes, and Uber and Lyft discounts for students. Brainstorm incentives are also important to encourage students to stay at school. These incentives could be decreasing tuition costs every year of attendance. These types of issues are important to solve because they are both involved in the willingness of people to study. One way to solve a common money problem is to attend college while they still live at home. This can be helpful because they pay much less. After all, “Dormitory housing can cost as much as $4000 - $5000 per year.” (tsc.edu). Sometimes this can be challenging for those who want to enter a college because they do not get to live the full college experience. Not being able to obtain the full college experience will still not detract a student from obtaining their degree which is arguably the most important part of attending college. However, the community college offers plenty of opportunities and saves us thousands of dollars for the first 2 years.
Above all, college is becoming more and more important. It is the right time to stop using the excuse that college is too expensive because out there are so many chances and options that make college life easier in all its aspects. This excuse is meaningless because, owing all available money-saving opportunities such as community college, scholarships, and grants. If you go to college, you can get a full paying job which helps you to pay off your loans. Another common argument is that to get a good job, college is not needed. Even though this is partly true, if we want to live a decent life with higher-paid positions and a range of career opportunities, education is crucial. It is when people know more about themselves and realize what they want to do with their lives. People should focus on one aspect college education is vital to stability and social development.
Works Cited
- 'Advantages of Attending a Community College. “Texas Southmost College, 29 Mar. 2018, http://www.tsc.edu/index.php/new-students/advantages-of-attending-a-community-college.html
- Cassidy, John. 'What’s the Real Value of Higher Education?' The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2015, http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/09/07/college-calculus
- College Costs: FAQs, https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/college-costs/college-costs-faqs.
- Flynn, Kathryn. '15 Facts about Financial Aid Eligibility.' Savingforcollege.com, 29 Mar.2018, https://www.savingforcollege.com/article/15-facts-about-financial-aid-eligibility
- “How Important Is a College Education?' Study.com, 4 Nov. 2019, https://study.com/education.html
- “Pros & Cons - ProCon.org.' College Education, 30 May 2018, http://college-education.procon.org/
- Riggs, Mike. 'Why Prisoner Education Is Key to Reducing Crime.' CityLab, 9 Sep.2013, http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2013/09/why-prisoner-educationkey-reducing-crime/6812/
- “Table A-4. Employment Status of the Civilian Population.' U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.1 Nov.2019, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t04.htm
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