College Education : What Is The Purpose Of College

A college education has been viewed as the key to the American dream. There are many opinions on the purpose of a college education from obtaining new information, becoming a more well-rounded individual or preparing for the workforce. Originally, the college education was primarily used to become more educated to provide services to society; however, the college education is perceived as an expectation and mandatory in becoming a useful person in society and workforce. The purpose of obtaining a college education to obtain the skills necessary to become a well-rounded individual in society.

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).

Andrew Delbanco’s essay “A college Education: What is its purpose?” gives three reasons why college still matters. Delbanco teaches at Columbia University, where he’s the director of American studies and has written several books on the meaning and benefits of college. Delbanco, begins his essay by discussing what college means to each individual student. He states, “For many more students, college means the anxious pursuit of marketable skills in overcrowded, under resourced institutions. For still others, it means traveling by night to a fluorescent office building or to a “virtual classroom” that only exists in cyberspace.” (1) Delbano successfully uses pathos to appeal to his audience’s emotions, his personal experience and anecdotal combine to persuade his readers to consider or realize the importance of receiving a college education, however his essay contains minor flaws that can counteract his claims.

College graduates, on average, make a whopping one million dollars more in lifetime earnings than those with a high school diploma. Those with a college degree now make $17,500 more per year than those without — a wage gap that's doubled in recent decades. Those without a degree are four times more likely to be unemployed.One of the biggest and most important reasons for anyone to attend college is the upper hand it gives with regards to jobs and career. A college graduate has a higher chance of landing a job when compared to an individual with a high school qualification. Further, a college graduate also has better options and opportunities to progress in their

The major reason of going to college is to get a good job. College prepares us with academic knowledge in order to succeed in the future. Many people think that a higher education is essential to prepare a person for their future. As

If you are like me, the decision to attend college is a practical one. Our society values higher education as a function of credibility and potential, and thus by extension, so do our institutions of labor, as they are the primary mechanisms used to acquire wealth and power. Earning a college degree will make me considerably more attractive to employers than I would be without one. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014), the unemployment rate among those with bachelor’s degrees was 3.5 percent, compared to 4.5 percent for those with a 2-year degree, and

Having a college degree is not only a something anyone can frame, it can have value, along with other benefits as well. According to the Get Rich Slowly website, it states that “on average, those who have a college degree earn almost twice as much as those who do not” (Roth, 2008). Employees with have a higher lifetime earnings with a degree, making roughly a million dollars in their lifetime (Roth, 2008).

Yet many people don't seem to see it as a learning experience but instead a necessity to get to reach or stay in middle class. To me, the purpose of college is simple to help citizens to not only reach their maximum potential but to become better citizens. This can be achieved in college not only by our rigorous coursework but by the guidance of our professors.

For a well-paying and/or professional job, a college degree is essential. According to Labor Department statistics by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington as stated by Leonhardt, “Americans with four-year college degrees made 98 percent more an hour on average in 2013 than with people without a degree.” A higher income is what most people expect when attaining a degree, but most jobs require

First, a college education can open many doors in a person in search of a career. People who have obtained a college degree are normally hired at a higher pay rate and considered to be much more employable. That means that a college graduate would be more likely to be offered the job position than another someone didn't attend college or didn't get a degree. The college will also help in

What is the purpose of college? Collectively, most would posit it is to prepare young adults for life and to give them the necessary tools to succeed in whichever field they wish to pursue. Colloquially referred to as “real word skills”, there are some aspects of life that, historically, college hasn’t prepared students for. The administration at Xavier University keenly recognized this and decided to do something about it. Enter: Goa. Goa is a class designed to prepare college students for the aspects of life that typical college classes do not. Its goal is to prepare freshman for the real life challenges of college and beyond. This program, in theory, fills a seemingly much-needed gap in the education of twenty-first-century college students. As a student of Goa, I can say first hand that the university is well intentioned and that a class such as Goa may be needed; however, Goa falls short in its design and execution. It is because of this failure that Goa should be reevaluated and recreated to better suit the needs of incoming freshman.

The article “The Benefits of Having a College Education” supports this point by stating that, “As a new graduate.. those in hiring positions will base an opinion of you largely on your college education… If the education on your resumé looks impressive, they are more apt to see you as a hard working, competent young person” (McGuire). McGuire is highlighting the potential that college education gives a person. In job situations, people with college educations are regarded as more valuable than intelligent students who didn’t go to college. Even a genius won’t necessarily get a good job if they don’t attend college because a college education is a basic signature of approval that business employers look for.

The benefits of a college degree are not just for money, but also a college degree will also give a person more career options. A person with a college degree will have more career options than someone without a college degree because employers will see that one has a college degree and think that person knows what to do and can do the job well. Employers want the best person for the job and a college degree looks really good on a person’s resume (Ten Great…). In a survey that was casted to see what employers look for, those employers said that they wanted people that have dependability, reliability, a good attitude, the ability to read comfortably, the ability to think more consciously, computer skills, and the ability to communicate clearly whether it be spoken or in writing (Knowledge and…). Along the path of getting a college degree, one will also learn these skills and attributes.

Why is college so important? A few years ago, most people only obtained their high school diploma and would receive any job in the market, but colleges have become the twenty-first century key to success. Jobs are now being given to those who are more educated and college provides this extra education. It is not the same as high school. High school education consists of a more general knowledge, which is a small amount of information about all the topics, but college is focused on the major. College graduates have more comprehension in their area than those with a high school diploma. As President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.” (Chicago Tribute). His point is that the more educated a person is; the higher goals they can obtain. College is the best way to succeed because it provides more education about deeper knowledge and moral value. It also opens up more job opportunities, and practical knowledge about the discipline and enlightened understanding.

Let me ask you a question. Have you ever been questioned about your dream career, or what you want to achieve as an adult, or even now. Chances are you have, but, did you ever take the time to really think about that question and finally distinguish that you want to be an Astronaut or a Surgeon or maybe even a Scientist? Well, if you did then there’s almost no doubt that you’ll need to attend college to acquire the certain level of skills you need to become that person that you dream to be. Obtaining a college degree will almost guarantee that more and more opportunities will come knocking on your door because a college degree is a stepping stone to success and companies and businesses are very much aware of that. Success is what people are looking for and a degree verifies that you qualify to achieve great things. Oh, and did I forget to mention that that vast majority of people with a college degree make a lot more money than people with just a High School diploma or being a High School drop out for that matter. However, aside from qualifying for an immeasurable amount of career options, a College education has shown to help with communicating with others, which might not just help with job benefits, but also with relationships on another level.