Four Year College Analysis

Chris Matthews article titled 'Why college isn't for everyone, explained in a single chart' does exactly what the title suggests and evaluates a a chart from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York that shows the Annual Wage by Education, 1970-2013. The three wage groups in this chart are bachelor's degree: median, bachelor's degree: 25th percentile, and high school graduate: medians. The chart shows that although the 'bachelors degree's median' earns higher wages than 'high school graduate's median', the 'bachelors degree's median' wage is not higher than the avergage high school graduate. However, Matthews still believes that a 4-year college degree is still valuable, even for the bottom quarter of earners. However, the cost of a degree has

Freeman Hrabowski’s informative essay explores all the benefits that one might gain from attending college. College opens doors to many different and unique experiences in the workforce as well as the networking world. The more people one knows in college, the more options they will have when deciding what they would like to pursue in life. Hrabowski goes on to say that, “Yes, colleges prepare people for jobs, but more critically, they prepare people for life. A

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.

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

For decades, students have been told that college is the next step after high school graduation. Society reiterates this by glorifying individuals that have completed a degree and looking down upon those who do not have one. The problem is that many students have not acquired the necessary tools nor have the motivation to be successful while pursuing post-high school education. Some argue that college provides the foundation of liberal studies that will improve career opportunities. Charles Murray disagrees in his essay, "Are Too Many People Going to College." He states, "Most people should be getting the basics of a liberal education. But for most students, the place to provide those basics are elementary and middle school." (Graff, 238) This raises the question, is a four-year education the best option for all students. College provides many benefits that would be difficult to find elsewhere, such as, writing skills or cultural growth, but college is not meant for everyone. A college education does not guarantee a prosperous career, instead, gaining work experience or completing a trade school is a more intelligent option for the majority of potential students.

In 1980, Americans with a college education earned 30 percent more than a high school graduate, whereas in recent years, people with a college education earned roughly 70 percent more than a high school graduate. (582). They argue that the average income for a person with a higher education continues to increase. Additionally, the lower class will see a raise in their income and in turn, that will raise the overall standard of living. Meanwhile, “the premium for having a graduate degree increased from roughly 50 percent in 1980 to well over 100 percent today.” (583).

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

After people graduate high school the next step is college, but which type of college is the better choice. Either a community college or a four-year college. That’s a personal question depending on several factors such as financial status, major of interest, job placement, and demographics. After that’s all figured out, then comes the important step of applying to the college. Having further knowledge on the differences between a community college, and a four-year college may help a student understand what’s the next step.

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.

Everyone of us has wondered if we were going to go to a four year college at some point of our life right? But is it worth going to, is the question we should be wondering.Some students may wonder if a four year college is worth spending four years of their life on. On the other hand, some students may have their minds set that a four year college isn’t worth spending their time on.However, a four year college education is worth spending four years for, to help students with their future careers.

We have the free will and capacity to make good and bad choices in life. Sometimes making a decision is difficult, but we must remember to always be ready to face the outcome of our choices. Just like college, we must be ready to face the results whether they may be good or bad. As the saying goes, if there’s a will there’s a way. Choosing a four-year college to earn a bachelor’s degree will give us an edge over those who pursue an associate’s degree from a community college, online school, or those who immediately enter the work force.

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 education pushes an individual to their academic limits, resulting in intelligence that can be used in many different situations. One must be able to think and

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:

Adults aged 18 and older holding a bachelor 's degree earned an average of $51,544 in 2004, compared with an average of $28,645 earned by those with a high school diploma—or about 73% more. Multiplied over the course of a lifetime that could translate into a difference in income of hundreds of thousands of dollars. (“Value of a College”)