Assess The Social And Economic Effects Of Higher Education

Supporters of getting a college degree often point to the statistics that college graduates earn more than their high school educated peers over a lifetime. Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau reports that since 1977, “Adults with bachelor's degrees in the late 1970s earned 55 percent more than adults who had not advanced beyond high school. That gap grew to 75 percent by 1990 -- and is now at 85 percent.” A gap of an 85% pay difference is a huge figure and a clear reason why college is a great option for some people. But there are problems with that figure because when the number of college graduates who are either unemployed or underemployed is taken into account it changes the value of the statistic. In an article by Businessweek’s Richard Vedder we get statistics to counter that argument. He tells of how the number of new college graduates far exceeds job growth in technical, managerial, and professional jobs where graduates traditionally have searched for employment. As a consequence, we have underemployed college graduates doing jobs historically performed by those with just a highschool education. He says we have “more than 100,000 janitors with

In Catherine Rampell's New York Times essay "College Graduates Fare Well, Even through Recession," she writes an argument on whether college is worth the investment or not. In her essay, Rampell explains her position from the standpoint of agreement that college is well worth the investment. She provides a number of statistics based on the positive outcome of employment rates, post-graduation, for 4-year college graduates. Rampell gives a convincing outlook on the upside of investing in furthering one's education, resulting in a worthwhile outcome. Reading Response #4: College Graduates Fare Well, Even through Recession Written by Catherine Rampell

When it comes to achieving success in the work force and finding a fulfilling and lucrative career there are few things more important that higher education. Going to college and getting a degree is essential in finding success in the work force. The problem is when the cost of gaining that degree outweighs the financial compensation the career that follows is able to supply. Very few people are able to pay for college out of pocket. The result of this is that students seeking higher education are forced to take out massive student loans. This means that they are entering the work force

Furthermore, Leinhardt emphasizes the fact that “college graduates though hardly immune from [economic] downturns are also far less likely to be unemployed than other non-graduates” (Source D). Going to college prepares a person for higher level of stress and pushes the individual to pursue higher goals. The level of intelligence and problem solving brings a college grad recognition in all areas of

In “The Great Debate: Is College Still Worth It?” author Ricardo Azziz endorses post-secondary education by stating its economic advantage in today’s society. The author begins his article by introducing a survey done by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, which shows that the majority of college graduates believe college education is worth its cost. Not only are people convinced of the value of a college education, adults with a degree of some sort (bachelor’s degree or associate degree) tend to earn more than those without one. But also, post-secondary education gives people a better chance at achieving the “American Dream” through diligence and hard work. Azziz states that “college graduates were 5.3 times more likely to leave the bottom quintile than non-college graduates”. In addition, in times of an economic downturn, individuals with a college degree are often able to better cope with the difficulty than those without. However, amidst the benefits of college, Azziz does not forget to address the reality that attending college is still, without a question, an expensive endeavor.

Getting a “good” job is not straightforward as it used to be. In past generations, someone in an entry-level position could work their way up the ladder simply through hard work and determination; whether or not one had credentials or a diploma mattered very little. This is not the case today. Higher education is now critical to obtaining a better job because the demand for skilled labor is rising. For this reason, the value that a degree offers is higher than that of one’s actual intelligence or merit. Furthermore, workers without college degrees will quickly be outpaced in position and salary by degree

Many people are confused on why to invest time and money of attending college. A reason for obtaining a higher education is that a college degree can possibly earn a much higher salary than the majority of the people who have a high school diploma. College can be expensive and time consuming for the most of the people that do not have enough money and spare time to go to college. Stephen Rose, a research professor at the Georgetown University, wrote an article on “The Value of a College Degree” to explain if a college degree can be valuable to people to have. Eleni Karageorge, an author on the United States Department of Labor, wrote an article “Is A College Degree Still Worth It?” to give some details on job occupations that compares with employees having a bachelor’s degree or a high school diploma on how much they annually make on their job. Finally, Paul E. Barton, a consultant and a writer for topics related on education, wrote an article “How Many College Graduates Does the U.S. Labor Force Really Need?” on giving details on how valuable to have a college degree in the near future are needed when certain occupations are on high demand with a requirement on having a least a bachelor’s degree. We need to know why going to college is so important for anyone who wants to have professional occupations.

Education is today more critical than ever. College has become virtually a precondition for upward mobility. Men with only a high school diploma earn about a fifth less than they did 35 years ago. The gap between the earnings of students with a college degree and those without one is bigger than ever.

A college education is necessary to get a job that pays well, or to get any good job. Any, and every job that is ‘worth’ having requires some type of higher education, whether it relates to the job or to show general experience, a degree is required. “This calls for greater access to a college or university

In today’s society, the idea of receiving a college education has been pondered quite a bit as to whether or not it is actually worth it. According to Michelle Adam, many people “…today believe that getting a good education is key to success in our society, this revealed surprising issues that challenge the notion of higher education being worth its price tag” (59). Naturally, many high school graduates apply for college right before or after graduation. Others decide to go into the work force, armed forces, or simply remain unemployed. The question that many people debate about is, is a college education worth it in the long run? Though some people believe a college education will benefit ones’ career, others believe it will cause a mass

The authors also use these graphs to show the contrasts between workers with only a highschool diploma when compared to workers with a college degree. The figures contrast the differences in work-life earnings between different degrees and majors, showing that some degrees have a slim chance of paying off or being worth the cost of attendance at a college or university. These contrasts help illuminate the fact that a degree just isn’t for everyone. Many students who are pressured into attending college end up making a massive and costly mistake. The author states that “nearly two hundred schools on the 2012 list have negative ROI’s (return on investment)” (p.214). In another essay, titled “Colleges & Early Decision: An Overview,” the authors, M. Lee and M. Clapp, explore the problems and difficulties that students must face during the application process. This information further supports Owen and Sawhill argument against the current system of education by explaining how college can affect students even before

In recent years, the UK has seen many major changes in the Higher Education which has affected the graduate labour market in many ways (Wilton, 2010). In 2013 there were 12 million graduates in the UK; a ‘graduate’ is classified as a person who has left education with qualifications above an A-Level standard, such as a university degree. In April to June 2013 there were 31 million people in the UK who were not enrolled on any educational course (ONS, 2013).

The article “A College Degree Isn’t Enough” by Kiplinger Knight, December 1, 2013 is a persuasive article because the author believes a college degree isn’t enough to land a job. Others may think otherwise. The author has this point of view due to the fact increasing number of employers have grown skeptical of degrees and other traditional credentials. Companies didn’t care much about a college degree or any achievement for that matter. Therefore, began a trend toward employer testing, which is fueled by a backlash against the high cost of four-year colleges and mounting student debt. Universities have been just too much money. A similar attitude is driving the trend toward condensed, tailored education, such as vocational training or an associate's degree from a community college. The way the author argues is informative and clear but the position he takes is disagreeable.

In the competitive world today, having a college degree might not benefit a student as much as before, thus opening up numerous questions concerning its necessity. Not only is the number of students desperately trying to enroll in college increasing, but the tuition shoots up as well. However, will college enrollment necessarily be enough to increase your chances of attaining job security? The answer is hotly debated amongst adults and students alike, which opens up the second option for students, that is, joining the work force. Although this option is generally shunned by the new generation, the tough economy and slow restoration makes it quite a desirable choice at the moment. Joining the work force is a hard decision to make as it

In today’s’ society, success is often measured by academic and professional achievement. Higher education provides more opportunity and freedom. Statistics verify that generally, the more highly educated have higher earnings and there is a significant difference between wages earned by employees with College degrees and those without. Higher education is often perceived as a means to a ‘better life’ .Though many recognize the benefits of higher education, the rate at which students leave in their first year of College is still very high. Students leave their first year of College for