College Versus Education : College Vs. Education

From a young age, most kids have been brainwashed to believe that college is the only path to success in life. Is it? Is college the right choice for everyone? Or are there better alternatives? These are questions that have been asked many different times but it seems like there has been a lack of a clear-cut answer. There are many different things to consider when looking at colleges as the only path to success.

Some people think that getting a college education is not really a good idea anymore. According to Abel and Deitz, “In recent years, students have been paying more to attend college and earning less upon graduation—trends that have led many observers to question whether a college education remains a good investment” (2014, p. 1). If the student cannot find a job that pays a decent amount of money, after graduation why should the government ‘fund it?. College costs are rising each year. Future generations may not be able to go to college because tuition will be too high. But Abel and Deitz

One must consider their choice of major, cost of school, where they are attending school, and a variety of other factors. Depending on the situation college may not be a smart investment (Owen and Sawhill 209). I agree with this notion that some people are not meant for college, but we as a society still push the idea of college which creates conflicting thoughts in the mind of a student. When discussing the benefits of attending college the biggest supporting reason revolves around further expanding one’s knowledge in order to earn a higher income. They use ethos in their appeals but they fail to provide evidence of this. They may show numbers that are skewed showing the difference in salary of a high school graduate and a college graduate but they don’t show the majors that earning that high income. They don’t show the number of college graduates without a job and how much debt they are in. Owen and Sawhill do a tremendous job in their report of giving us those numbers and statistics to back up their

David Leonhardt, the author of “Is College Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say,” makes the controversial argument that even with college debt increasing substantially in the United States it is still worth earning a degree. Leonhardt uses a variety of relevant figures and statistics to support his claim of the irreplaceable value of a college education. The majority of statistics used by Leonhardt concern the earnings advantage of college graduates as compared to their counterparts who decided not to attend college. Among the first issues Leonhardt addresses is the growing concerns prospective students and their parents have with attending college such as underemployment after graduation, debt, and unemployment (Leonhardt 33). To refute these arguments, he cites statistics from the Labor Department concerning inequality of income distribution; these statistics were

Even though the rise in the number of college graduates had positively impacted the American economy by leading to the growth of the pay gap, yet it’s still not enough. The reason is that the short number of college graduates is mainly due to the lack of

College is a dream that almost every American wants to come true, however, with the extreme rise in the costs of tuition it is a dream that has quickly turned into a nightmare. “Tuition at a private university is now roughly three times as expensive as it was in 1974, costing an average of $31,000 a year; public tuition, at $9,000, has risen nearly four times,” (Davidson). “For the average American household that doesn 't receive a lot of financial aid, higher education is simply out of reach,” (Davidson). That is why many students have begun questioning the worth of a college degree and if the amount of debt that is received upon exiting college is all for the better. And considering that costs have risen much faster than the rate of inflation, many are starting to believe that college just isn 't necessary any more. However, according to White, economically, the answer would still be a yes. “While unemployment rates for new grads and experienced workers alike have fluctuated throughout the recession and recovery, the earnings premium that college-and advanced-degree holders enjoy over their peers who didn 't attend college has remained relatively stable, and in some instances, grown, according to the report that was released this week,” (White). A study was shown that many college grads are able to get earnings that are significantly higher than those who did not get enough education or only hold a high school diploma (White). Even

All of this information draws many people to the same conclusion: college is unnecessary. They assume that college is too expensive, or that it doesn’t adequately prepare people for the real world, or that the time spent in college can be used for significantly better things. This thought process is entirely fair. Ultimately, a college education isn’t necessarily for everyone, as the high number of dropouts

College graduates can pull in higher paying employers, therefore the states can benefit by earning money off of these employers. Some children’s families cannot manage to help pay for the fees, housing, meals, books, supplies, and personal/transportation expenses, even with the pell grants and other scholarships being offered to them. Sixty percent of college students stress about not having enough money to pay for school, the other percentage are worried about not having enough to pay their monthly expenses on top of school (“College”). This in return may put a burden on society from becoming booming with well advanced and bold civilians due to the lack of interaction with college level wisdom. Student’s should all have a chance at further promoting their lives to flourish at what they believe they want to become, without having to deal with the later emotional struggles of money. Although graduates may pull in higher paying employers, the

Even excluding success in the job market, a college education seems to simply make people happier, due the psychic income earned when accomplishing their degree. I believe this last fact alone gives proof that college is a good thing. But many people, it seems, think differently.

In today's world college is a major aspect of our society. However, many argue whether or not everyone should actually go to college. Not everyone should go to college for two main reasons. Not everyone that goes to college can graduate because they don't take it seriously or they are just not smart enough and they end up just wasting money. Second, not everyone can afford college and depending on what job you get, you might acquire so much debt it will very hard to pay off later and college might not be worth it.

Studies suggest that fifty percent or more of new jobs that will appear in the upcoming decades will require their employees to have a postsecondary education (America’s Promise). However, the rising price of a college education is preventing many students from achieving their goal. This only adds to the number of unemployed young adults and the number of Americans living in property. People always say if you’re tired of being poor then do something about it but it is not as simple as it used to be. In the past thirty years the cost of getting a college degree has increase by 1,120 percent (Mosbergn). Not only that, but if you do manage to get a degree after you graduate you are often left paying off student loan debt. As of 2013, the amount of student loan debt to be paid off has surpassed one trillion dollars. Another reason why many student opt out of going to college is because they believe it is a waste of time. While that may not be the case for all students a recent poll showed that forty percent of college graduates are unemployed and left struggling to pay off a student loan alone with no job

While going to college can help you succeed in life, it is not for everyone. Some people already know what they want to do after high school and don’t need a college education to accomplish it. On the other hand, others do attend college to find what they want to do and it just ends up being a waste of time and money. College should not be required for every high school graduate.

People with college degrees are paid 80% more than people with only a high school education. When the college degree is from a more prestigious school, that percentage increases even further (McArdle). Even President Barack Obama acknowledged this in a 2012 speech, saying that “The incomes of folks with a college degree are twice as high as those who don't have a high-school diploma” (Lemann). While a college education is a good investment for the long run, the cost of college is not a positive. The price of goods has risen due to inflation over the past decade, but during that time college increased drastically. The rates have nearly doubled, but the things that students learn still remain the same. If students are paying so much more

Critics often argue, The evidence is overwhelming that the single most effective mechanism for narrowing the gap between the wealthy and the poor in the United States is a college education. Despite the idea, during high school teachers are saying a lot about college, then they are stressing if they got in. Also parents and gardens are asking questions about the college they want to go to. Then you are getting letters in the mail about college. For example,(McArdle n.p.) We all seem to agree that a college education is wonderful, and yet strangely we worry when we see families investing so much in this supposedly essential good. Our families spend so much time and money on your college fund and or high school graduation. Megan Ardle quotes, “that kind of education has gotten a whole lot more expensive since I was in school, and jobs seem to be getting scarcer, not more plentiful.” The jobs you want with your college degree is getting scarier, is it worth it? Another thing, All the student loans people owe adds lots of stress later in life. College has a lot of stress problems. Therefore, It's clear to see college adds way too much stress on

According to an article by Andrew Rotherham, “only 40 percent of Americans felt that colleges provided an ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ value for the money” (2). I think those that believe their education was wasted haven’t given enough time for the benefits to become apparent. Also, other factors have contributed to their troubles financially, including the troubling modern economy. As David Leonhardt, Pulitzer Prize winning editor at The New York Times, says, “education is not the solution to all of the economy’s problems” (16).