Benefits Of Higher Education For The Displaced Blue Collar Workers

The higher a degree one has the more money they make. As one’s degree goes up, as does their earning gap. “...individuals with a four-year college degree earned about 43% more on average than those with only a high school degree...” (FRBSF Economic letter). The more education you have the more money you make. If you have only a high school diploma then you will make significantly less. College is an investment and it pays itself back the farther you get in the working world. “...the difference between earnings continues such that the average college graduate earns over $800,000 more than the average high school graduate by retirement age...” It also drastically lowers the rate of unemployment, ” (FRBSF Economic letter). You are earning close to a million dollars more than you would otherwise with a degree. Making money is key in survival, this day and age. The more money, the more power, and success in the business world.

Data from the U.S Department of Labor shows that college graduates have lower rates of unemployment. The rate of unemployment with a bachelor’s degree is 2.7%, while the rate of those with a high school education is 5.2% (Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics). This depicts that those who earn a college education have a better chance at getting a job. Their data also shows that those with a college education have higher salaries. The median weekly earning for those with a college degree is $1,156 and the median weekly earnings for those with a high school education is $692. That’s a $464 a week difference and $24,128 a year difference (Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics). Not only are college graduates getting jobs and making more money, but they are also healthier and happier. Professor Phillip Trostel, reports college graduates are four times less likely than high school graduates to smoke and are more likely to exercise, wear a seat belt, be a healthy weight, and go to the doctor’s (Want to be Happy and Healthier, Merisotis, Jamie).

In “Blue Collar Brilliance,” the author, Mike Rose, challenges the assertion that intelligence and ability is measured by the amount of education one completes through his personal experiences, observations, and beliefs. In doing so, Rose suggests that blue collar workers actually require more intellect than assumed.

    For example, when you have a college degree, you make more money hourly, weekly, and annually. According to the National Association of College and Employment, they have found that for the 10 board degree category ranking from  engineering to communications, 2016 graduates are projected to have an average salary of $50,556. 5% from 2014 earned $48,127 and is gradually increasing while high school graduates only make $30,000 per year. This shows that people who attend college, get a better pay-day than high school graduates.

Recent high school students are debating whether to or not attend college, should consider the benefits of attaining a college degree. For many low or middle income students, this a route to gain opportunities to improve their economic circumstances. An article, “Pathways to Prosperity,” states in 2008, workers with bachelor's degree make about 65 percent higher than high school graduates and workers with associate's degree make about 73 percent more than high school dropouts.. This is evidence obtaining a college degree can be an opportunity to have earnings higher and significantly increase one's income.

Many college students choose to also get more than one degree while attending college to earn more income and further their education. College graduates have the choice of get higher level degrees and training resulting in earn even more income based on the different higher level degrees earned and training received (this means the more degrees and training you have the more income you may receive). People with higher level degrees and training earn more money that those without degrees. In 1996, for example, workers with bachelor's degrees had median annual earnings of about $36,000, while college graduates with more advanced degrees earned around $40,000 (Mittelhauser 3). This is a four-thousand dollar difference in income; this is only one of several examples of how people who graduate college make more money than the average high school graduate and that of people with lower-level degrees. The median annual wage for a bachelor’s degree in 2010 was $63,430. While the median annual wage for a person with a doctoral or professional degree in 2010 was $87,500 ("Employment by Education and Training Assignment, 2010 and Projected 2020"). This is almost a twenty-four thousand difference income just based off of median annual wage of different degrees. The income difference from college graduates than to those of high school graduates is great. College graduates are getting better wages and job openings than those of high school graduates (“President’s Perspective:

The articles “Blue-Collar Brilliance” written by Mike Rose and “Are Too Many People Going to College?” by Charles Murray discuss the importance of education and its outcomes. Both authors talk about people’s careers on the aspect of whether a college degree made them succeed in life or it is just an expensive waste of time. Also, each article has its own opinion over the fact that some people with college education aren’t able to find jobs while others with no college background are able to succeed. Rose and Murray, both agreed on the idea that college isn’t for all just simply because of its cost, and how each person’s intelligence does not depend on their acceptance to a college; further, both authors also acknowledge the importance of blue-collar workers and their prosperity.

Many high school students, and perhaps their parents, often wrestle with the question: Does a person with a college degree make more money than one with just a high school diploma? Can I earn more money with a college degree or by going straight to work after high school? Is it worthwhile to go to college? Research shows that yes, those who have a college education usually do make more than those with only a high school diploma do.

Journalist David Leonhardt, in his article “Is College Worth It? Clearly New Data Say,” argues, through the use of statistical data, that from both a financial and economical perspective, that pursuing a higher education is beneficial. Leonhardt provides data from the Economic Policy Institute that states that, “Americans with four-year college degrees [made] 98% more an hour on average in 2013 than people without a degree.” Furthermore, on average, college graduates make “about $32.60” an hour while the average wage for those who did not pursue higher education is “about $16.50.” The disparity in wages should be a sufficient reason for pursuing a higher education. Yet, Leonhardt concedes that there is and will always be a percentage of graduates that will be unsuccessful in finding employment. According to Leonhardt, this unfortunate

Students all over America are asking if college is worth it in the long run. Many people are bringing up the fact that “only half of the jobs landed by these new graduates even require a college degree” (Rampell 293). But according

In contrast according to Owen and Sawhill education in regards to a bachelor’s degree, graduates could make $12,000 more than high school graduates at the age of 23. When they are 50 they could make upwards of $46,500 more. So education pays off overall in

In the essay, “Blue Collar Brilliance” by Mark Rose he confronts the view that intelligence can be judged by the amount of schooling a person has completed through their lifetime. He suggests that blue-collar and service jobs are just as good, if not

In our society individuals’ intelligence is classified depending on ones educational background. Many careers do not require any type of higher education, while others demand specific knowledge and degrees to prove someone’s competence. Since a long time ago our civilization has been divided in to the working class also known as blue collar, and the administrative class also known as white collar, meaning those who have a higher income than many in the blue collar class, and do not have to get their hands dirty during their work. When individuals graduate from high school they have two simple options when it comes to careers; either to continue to peruse a higher education by studying hard and knowing that they might not

According to the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA), when an individual attains a degree from a higher education institution, average annual household income increases while the unemployment rate for each degree attained decreases. For example, someone with an associate’s degree may make an average yearly salary of $32,000, whereas an individual with a bachelor’s degree could earn an average salary of $44,000 every year. As the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) points out, “In 2014, the median earnings of young adults with a bachelor’s degree ($49,900) were 66 percent higher than the median earnings of young adult high school completers ($30,000) (NCES, 2016).” In terms of median earnings by educational attainment, this represents a significant amount financially. For instance, those adults with a bachelor’s degree could earn a potential 2.268 million dollars compared to 1.304 for those who have a high school diploma (Carnevale, Rose, and Cheah, 2009). With regards to employment, the demand of hiring qualified, educated workers is expected to increase. Carnevale, Smith, and Strohl (2013) predicts that of the 165 million of those expected to be employed by 2020, 65 percent of them will require postsecondary education and/or training beyond a high school diploma (Carnevale, Smith, & Strohl, 2013). Moreover, Jarboe explains, “The trends and statistics prove the importance and benefits of higher education and its relationship

As for the moneymaking, the first 5 years aren’t looking so great, but after that, on average, a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree earns $30,000 more per year than a high school graduate, or about $500,000 more over a lifetime. Actually, any type of education past high school will have you earning more, whether it’s some college, an associate’s or anything higher.