Most people want to get a good job and have a future out of high school but don’t know if it’s worth it to proceed to college because of its high cost. Every year millions of students attend college to have a chance at a better life by receiving a college degree. Every single student has to pay an immense amount of cash out of pocket to receive this diploma, which is the downside of attending universities. So Is it really worth it to spend so much money just to try and get a better paying job or more knowledge for a better future? Going to college can be helpful in many ways and can benefit students by giving them a better job, high income, more social skills, success in a passionate career, and the list goes on. Although all of these benefits are nice, it comes with a pricey cost, but it’s definitely worth it.
College and universities can be very expensive for many people and leave them in loan debt for some years but is that price all that bad. When looking in the long run, the price of college can be broken down and deducted in many ways. Scholarships and grants can reduce the cost of your tuition, as well as work-study. The average cost for a public school is about $20,000 and for a private being about $45,000. Although 45,000 a year can be pretty intimidating, that is a price for a very prestigious school. Attending a university for 4 years can take the price to $180,000 in total, but this is only to attend one of the best colleges in the U.S. Many people don’t have that type of money but it is not necessary to pay that much when there are different options like community college or public schools. It is better to go the public route for a cheaper and still be able to have a successful future. Some might still say that $20,000 a year is still a lot of money too, but after all deductions from loans, work, scholarships, and grants are made the price might not seem as bad anymore. After graduating college there is always an amount of loan debt that people don’t want to have to pay off. Once calculating how much is owed, “the average student loan debt per college graduate is just $17,126, less than the price of a new car”. Looking at the price of college from this perspective can make the price look more reasonable. Only a small percentage of students who graduated have debts up to $100,000, but these are for the student who decided to go past their under-grad studies and who usually receive a high-paying jobs making it easier to pay off these debts(Carlson). With all you get from college there should be no reason to not attend because of the price after putting it in a different perspective making it seem more affordable.
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One of the biggest reasons students attend college is for the chance to get a better job once they graduate. No student wants to work out of high school as a truck driver or fast food employee for the rest of their lives. People want to pursue a job that they enjoy and won't get sick of after 5 years. When deciding on whether to go to college or not freshmen students voted on why they would go and “the ability to get a better job was cited by nearly 85%”. (Kerr). Over the past couple of years, the educational standard for certain job positions has risen and isn’t given out to high school graduates as much as it used to. Nowadays the standard to receive a job is to carry a bachelor's degree which you can get by going to college. So going to college has a big impact on what job you get and if it will be a good one. Employers these days look for skilled workers to hire for a job and they can only assure that their employees possess these skills by requiring them to hold a bachelor's degree. “41% of employers are hiring individuals with college degrees for positions that used to be held primarily by those with high school diplomas.”(Krakoff). Now that jobs for high school graduates are getting more limited as time passes, it is worth it to invest in college to ensure that you have a good job and aren’t unemployed.
When going to college students usually have the bigger picture in mind, which is making good money. The salary increase is one of the biggest reasons why it is worth it to attend college. Going to college can help your chances of having a high-paying job. Research done on the salaries of people with different education shows that people who have a high school diploma make about $36,000 annually compared to a bachelor's degree making about $60,000 annually on average (Krakoff). This shows that the annual increase in salary is worth it because of the college education gained. Employers are willing to pay more to holders of a bachelor’s degree because with more knowledge a person can bring more value to a job.
Conclusion
Looking at the price of college can change the minds of many people. Some people don’t want to pay just to go to school for 4 more years when they could already start making money. Some people are too lazy to attend college in hope of a better future. Just like any investment into a company that can help your future, paying for college is also an investment that can help your future in the long run. You are investing in a job, retirement, financial security, and success. There are so many benefits to this investment. After asking students who have graduated college, 65% of the people that have already paid off their loans said: “earning their degree was worth it”(Kiersz). Not only is going to college worth it but it was proven that attending and paying for college comes with a 14% return, which is great compared to other investments. Even though the cost you have to pay for college is a lot, that price is so high because of the huge opportunities and benefits that come with it.
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