College Success Essay

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

A college degree is a valuable asset that could ultimately lead to a productive life in society due to the received education, but people without a college degree do turn out more than adequate in regards to societal success. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the forecasted 30 fastest growing jobs between 2010 and 2020, five do not require a high school diploma, nine require a high school diploma, four require an associate 's degree, six require a bachelor 's degree, and six require graduate degrees to get the jobs (College). In an article called “College Education” by ProCon.org,

Imagine a store only sold two sizes of the new shirt you wanted. In today's society that is the perfectly painted picture on college education. College has become an option, a granted privilege, and no longer a necessity. Jobs such as small business owners, Web developers, and Wind Turbine Technician no longer require a college degree. College education is still worth it because college, ¨encourages students to think, ask questions, and explore new ideas, which allows for additional growth and development and provides college graduates with an edge in the job market over those who have not experienced a higher education¨ (McGuire). A college degree is an essential tool in an adult's life because of prominent health, labor market balance, and overall career success.

As it is heavily believed and statistically proved by Document A, Earnings and Unemployment Rates Based on Educational Attainments (2015), the higher the degree earned, the more money attained, similarly the higher the degree earned, the lower the unemployment rate. This proves the worth of college by giving numerical comparisons of those who invested in it verses those who didn’t. The median weekly earnings of $1,730 from someone with a professional degree put up against the $678 from someone who only graduated from high school shows a very obvious difference. This information greatly supports the decision of going to college by displaying the “in the long run” advantage of college through the amount of money you can make in the future with the degree you earn

What does it mean to be successful? Many people look at the word success from different views. The dictionary defines success in two ways: the accomplishment of one’s goals and then the attainment of wealth or position. I believe you can be successful in two ways as well: you can be successful in your career and you can be successful by doing what makes you happy and living a fulfilling life to your standards. You don’t have to have a huge mansion on top of a private hill looking over the ocean to be defined as successful. When asked what it takes to be successful in college, that’s a different story. To be successful in college is to reach your academic goals in a productive way. I am in college to obtain a

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

College is a great place for many to experience new things and to further education. However, college is not for everyone. According to the film Ivory Tower, college teaches people valuable skills such as networking with peers and extensive knowledge. College also provides students, upon graduation, with a degree and proper credentials. Based on a survey done by the Pew Research Center; the article “The Rising Cost of Not going to College,” states that “economic analysis consistently find that college graduates regardless of generation are doing better than those with less education,” this shows that there is a reasonable gap between a college degree and a high school diploma. On the other hand, it may not be worth the rising costs. Carolina Bird, author of “Where College Fails Us,” mentions in her article “in the current slowdown it has become evident that there were never, and probably never will be, enough jobs requiring higher education to go around,” (59-60) this shows some people's job outlook may not be aligned with their major. Jeffrey Selingo’s article “Is College Worth the Cost? Many Recent Graduates Don’t Think So,” says that “nearly half of college graduates in their 20s are underemployed, meaning the jobs they have do not require a bachelor’s degree,” this brings up the possibility of college not being beneficial to many. College can be needed because of higher salaries after graduation and providing people with the tools to succeed. On the contrary, going to

In this day and age, an increasing amount of employers are requiring a higher level of education in order to hire people. Having a degree allows adults to have multiple choices of when, where, and how they work. Because of this, college graduates have new and improved employment opportunities. In a recent study of young americans, 58% of college graduates and people with some college or associate's degree expressed being "very satisfied" with their jobs, compared to only 50% of high school graduates and a drastic 40% of people without a high school diploma. For many people, working at a job you are fond of is crucial for living a quality life. Having a degree aids in increasing the amount of choices when selecting a career path you will enjoy. Because of this, college graduates have lower poverty rates than ever before. The 2008 poverty rate for bachelor's degree holders was 4%,

College degrees are becoming ever more a standard in my industries, just to get into the door with certain companies. Even when degrees might not be required to get a decent job, marketing can take over and make you think that you need to get a college degree or you won’t land that dream job. Brill states that on the average, we are continually reminded, the earnings of college graduates are substantially higher than those who have obtained no more than a high school diploma. Almost everyone nowadays is feeling the pressure of keeping up. An unprecedented percentage of high school students (67.5%) are attending college at a great financial sacrifice to themselves and their families (1999). Brill also goes on to

Recent college graduates who are working full-time earn about $15,000 more annually than their peers, who have only a high school diploma. Jobs that only require a high school diploma or GED will not pay as much as the jobs requiring employees to have a bachelor or even higher, so graduating college with a degree is almost required in today’s society. Consequently, students are forced to choose the lesser of two evils: pay the great price to go to college with the possibility of suffering an enormous amount of student debt, or earn far less over a lifetime and undergo a greater likelihood of being unemployed for long periods, without the prospect of finding a reliable job. When looking at the two options, college still seems to always win because despite the recent struggles of college graduates, investing your time in a college degree may be more

As the evidence substantiates, college is worth the time and money. In this situation, worth means of high value. College has been proven to yield people a better financial future. In this time period, where jobs are hard to acquire, attempting to obtain a quality, well-paying job is nearly impossible. As displayed by the Hill, the average high school graduates salary is $35,615 per year. Meanwhile, the average college graduates yearly income is $65,482; this evidence was taken from a US Congress census; again from the The Hill. This exhibits the fact that college graduates, on average, make 48% more than high school graduates. Having a little advantage in pay is beneficiary in this time period. By going to college people are not only thinking about themselves, but for the better of their family. In the case of someone coming from a menial background, going to college can change their monetary needs. In the same way, only 260,000 people with college diplomas are working in minimum wage jobs. Around 72,000,000 or 33% of the adults in America have gone to college, proven by another US Congress Census. That means that 1 in every 277 people who attend college have a job paying minimum wage. Furthermore, a Georgetown University study has shown that 99% of the post 2008 recession jobs, have gone to college graduates. After reviewing this piece of evidence, going to college is a major bonus in the job market. A college degree of any sort can help in most leagues of study. Many employers noticed the college degree, and almost immediately hire that person. According to evidence number 15, the unemployment rate for someone who went to college is 3.8%. On the contrary, the unemployment rate for someone who only attended high school is 12.2%.

“It is virtually impossible to compete in today’s global economy without a college degree” (Scott). These days it’s easier to get a job if you have graduated from college. Not everyone continues their education, but it’s harder to be employed. Although some believe you can make it without a degree, many say it’s a better choice to go to college.

College education is one of the most worthwhile and profitable goals in the U.S. simply for its potential to allow better choice and opportunity in life according to an analysis of census data released Tuesday. Research by the Pew Center has concluded that 18-25 year olds with just a high-school diploma earned 38% less than the average salary of people their same age with a bachelor’s degree. In addition, this is a 19 % decrease since 1965, and the trend is projected to increase. This data

“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand,” Vince Lombardi. Since I could fully understand the concept of working and maintaining a job, I started anticipating the day that I could fill out applications and take a step towards becoming an independent person. My infatuation with working started once my older sister got a job. I seen her being able to buy things herself, and I was amazed by how free she seemed. As soon as I turned 16, I started filling out applications. I would check my emails and calls constantly hoping that I would receive a call back from a store. Finally, a store called back and a week later I became a proud member of the Party City team. Throughout my first few weeks at Party City I fully understood how it felt to be out of your comfort zone and how crucial it is to expand yourself as an individual.

When I graduate highschool, I will be attend Georgia Southern University on a full ride with soccer and academic scholarships. I plan to receive my degree in business and marketing, and with that degree and marketing experience, I will become a marketing manager. I am excited to start this new chapter of my life and can’t wait!