Higher Education: Is It worth the Cost
Margit Brackin
Athens State University
Abstract
Studies show that students who get a college education attain a larger range of benefits, including higher wages. Likewise society derives benefits from the citizens who have access to college education. There is the societal benefit of more taxes being paid in to the government. Also a benefit to society is the fact that there are fewer persons incarcerated that have a college degree. The unequal rates of involvement in college education among different sectors of the United States society should be a concern to both individuals and government officials at all levels of the government.
Higher Education: Is It worth the Cost Benefits from
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There is a general census that higher wages and a college education are co-existent. It is believed that attending college is a qualification for being able to live a more comfortable lifestyle. (Baum & Payea, 2004). It is logical to ask if a college education is worth the expenditure, with the rising rate of tuition. Although with the aid of the grants and scholarships that are available, many students do not have to pay a lot out of pocket. It has been found that after 11 years the higher wages received by a college graduate return not only the cost of the college education but also for the four years of not being in the work force. Although it could take more or less than the eleven years previously mentioned, the fact is that over the lifetime of a typical college graduate, the pay off from the investment is worth the cost. (Baum, Ma, Payea, 2010). Of course there are other positive results from getting a degree than just the better wages. The enrichment of the lives of the student as well as those they live and work with. There is the knowledge that is obtained along with the higher self-esteem that the student receives. This is passed on to others in the life of the student in the way the person behaves both at work and at home. Of course these are really intangible benefits, you cannot easily measure these things in terms of money, yet they are the benefits, non-the-less from a higher education. (Baum, Ma, Payea, 2010). All too often the
Many people believe that a college education is a worthy investment. The ability to become a college graduate will result in making more money. There are more jobs in today’s society that require college degrees. College graduates develop more and better employment opportunities within earning a degree. Self-discipline is a major element in becoming a successful graduate. Also, college graduates are healthier and live longer. Adults-young and old, male and female-who have a bachelor’s degree or higher have twice the annual median income than someone with only a high school degree ("Do college graduates," 2014).
Ask yourself a question, is college worth it to you? If you answered no then in this case it will be beneficial for you to read this. When thinking about college you have to think more about what you want out of it rather than what you have to do to get through it. The skills that you get while attending college can be very beneficial to you. Having the critical thinking and advanced communication skills that you acquire in college. Getting a college degree and bringing what you learned to the real world will benefit you in your quest for financial success.
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
Leonhardt believes that college is beneficial and especially financially. The debt that college students go through becomes negative $500,000. After students finish college and start working they pay their debt easily. Leonhardt mentioned “Americans with four years college degrees made 98 percent more an hour on average in 2013 than people without a degree.” This statistic shows that when students start working they can pay their debt in a wisely time depending on their major.
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
People, who are able to attend and graduate college, have a greater probability of getting jobs with high salaries. College should be more accessible to more people because graduating college has proven beneficial to the economy, seeing that it helps raise the student’s standard of living by giving them a higher chance of getting jobs that pay better salaries, which in turn provides more tax revenue.
In recent discussions of Is College Worth It? By John Green, a controversial issue has been whether, people should attend college or get a job after they finish high school. On the one hand, some argue that people can get a monthly income better than if they have a degree. From this perspective, some people they do not want to attend college. On the other hand, however, others insist that people should attend college after they finish high school. In the words of John Green, one of this view’s proponents, “after graduating from college, I actually made $1 per hour less when I started working as an assistant at Booklist Magazine, but the job was better in every way” (video). According to this view, he was working at Stake and Shake and he was getting better salary than what he got after graduate by 1$ less but money is not everything in life. Then he proved to the audiences through his experience that he was more comfortable with working as assistant at Booklist Magazine even he is making less money. Because he got a better job, got the knowledge, and work on something that he like. In sum, then, the issue is whether to attend college or work without a degree. My own view is that attending college is worth it even if it will cost some sacrifices of things that we can get it in the future. After, all, I have chosen to identify as a college student at Winona State University. Though I concede that choosing the university and working to enroll and pay the
Although college tuition is a lot nowadays, graduates are “far less likely to be unemployed than non-graduates.” (D) A college degree gives you a higher chance of getting a job to assist in securing the future of you and your family while also helping paying off your financial obligations. A college degree not only helps you obtain a job, but it also increase your income. “Construction workers,police officers… make significantly more with a degree…“(D)
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
“College graduates aged 25 to 32 who are working full time earn about $17,500 more annually than their peers who have only a high school diploma, according to the Pew Research Centre, a think-tank.”(Web) Most students that graduate college agree that college is a good investment despite the cost of university increasing and job salaries staying the same.
The authors also look at some statistics and see if it would be beneficial to go to college. To determine if college is right for a person, they should look at the increased earnings for every year the person is in college. Every additional year of school, the rate of return is roughly 10 percent. When looking at the percentage of wages between high school diplomas, bachelor’s
The report “Should Everyone Go to College” by Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill states that typically, there are numerous perks for attaining a college degree; that observation is not consistent depending on variables like school, majors, occupation and individual. In the report, different factors were investigated that impact the benefits of a college degree in the course of one’s career. One of those factors noted an increase in earnings by 10% with an extra year of college education. Along with non-financial payoffs observed with acquiring a college degree like an enriched overall wellbeing. The other factor discusses how the school, course of study and rate of graduation affect the return from a college degree. The earning potential for
Source D states that “education seems to make people happier and healthier,” so it could help the college student do better in college for higher degrees for a career that earns more money. College also prepares young adults to be more mature after graduating, so they can be wiser about having a successful future. Smart choices in an adult’s career or life can be beneficial because their decisions could open up better opportunities for themselves, and their skills in life and career could be improved to become more successful. College graduates said that “their education was very useful in growing intellectually, helping them grow and mature as a person, and helping them prepare for a job or career” (Source
The aim of this article is to provide a closer insight on the actual costs of college and how the benefits of earning a degree outweigh the costs. One of the main points presented in the article is that individuals with higher education overall earn more money. College graduates are also more likely to receive pension and health insurance plans from their employers. Besides the higher earning potential, adults with higher education levels tend to have healthier lifestyles. It has been shown that the smoking and obesity rates are lower among those with a college degree. Furthermore, the article confirms that those with higher levels of education are more likely to engage in activities that contribute to a better society; for instance, voting and volunteering. Lastly, the article emphasizes that individuals with higher education are less likely to require income support or other assistance programs. As a result, our government on all levels would benefit if more individuals attending college because of the increased tax
Not only does a college degree increase one’s chances of getting a job, but it can also get a person employer-paid health insurance and pension plans. That is great considering that the