Kathleen Parker The Diminishing Returns Of A College Education Summary

People are told from a young age that the only way to lead a successful life is to go to college. Although there is no denying of the economic advantage post secondary learning can provide for a student, college isn’t necessarily the only available option. Options like trade school or vocational training are other reasonable choices. However, trade school is not seen as legitimate as a traditional four year college, and a trade school student is not seen as having a secure future. The majority of people fail to realize there are hundreds of well paying employment opportunities that do not require the time, money, and effort needed to get a college degree. Not only does the negative perception of trade school hurt the futures of students, it ultimately hurts the nation’s economy. In order to eliminate the stigma surrounding non traditional schools, students and parents should be exposed to trade schools and the benefits of pursuing a vocational career.

In the essay “College Value Goes Deeper Than the Degree” author Eric Hoover claims a college education is important to one 's well-being so they can get a job and be productive in other parts of life. Promoters of higher education have long emphasized how beneficial college’s value and its purpose. Many believe the notion that colleges teach students are life skills to apply anywhere, they also work hard to earn a degree and learn specific marketable skills which they can use to get a good job. Though obtaining a college education and a degree is helpful in countless of ways, it is not necessary to pursue a college degree in world where a college degree is seen different now, people without turn out fine, the growing average of debt that students who attend college have to pay off and people without a degree can obtain many jobs that do not require college degrees.

Learning a trade profession is a better option than college for many young adults. Today’s society is in need of trade professions to function. There has been a high number of young adults choosing college over learning trade. This has created a ‘skills gap’ in the US causing a shortage of ‘middle-skilled’ trade workers like machinists, electricians, plumbers, and construction workers. (ProCon.org) To work in some trade professions, one must go to a trade

Rather than associating it with financial woes and four more years of backpacks and tests, further education should be credited with helping the development of one's social skills, personal growth, and becoming a well rounded and prepared member of society. One of the most prevalent issues with sending one to college is cost. Although the majority of Americans say higher education “fails to provide students with good value for the money they and their families spend”, 86%, the majority of GRADUATES say that personally, college was the best choice (Source F). On a student to student basis, stepping out of the present and looking at the bigger picture may be the

According to MyBudget360, college tuition has skyrocketed over four hundred percent since 1984. Now, the average tuition rate for private universities in America is over $31,000 and over $9,000 for public universities. Not only that, but thirty-seven million Americans have outstanding student debt and thirty-seven percent of college students look for a job requiring no higher than a high school diploma AFTER they graduate. Tuition has tripled, graduates have outstanding student debt, and in addition to that, graduates look for menial jobs where even a high school diploma is not necessary. College expenses definitely adversely affect students and graduates in the long run.

Advocates of this form of higher education contend “a college degree is certainly no guarantee of financial success, but it is nearly a prerequisite for moving up the income ladder if you're poor” (Rampell 1). While college has the ability to aid in the advancement of a person’s financial standing, it proves to be a fruitless investment for some students. Even with the accreditation a diploma offers, millions of graduates struggle to earn a salary that ensures the benefits of their major investment. Academic philosopher Gary Jason insists “the rising price of college tends to erase the potential returns of a college education for students of only average ability” (Jason 1). The essence of Jason’s argument is that with a multitude of programs available as an appropriate substitute, college proves to be a waste of time and money for students pursuing careers that do not demand a diploma. The financial burden of college is growing, and in some cases, it cancels out the benefits. Believers in the college dream’s claim rests on the questionable assumption that all students will successfully obtain a diploma and follow a career path that will result in profits from the

In her Newsweek article “On the Coming Burst of the College Bubble” Megan McArdle, a Washington, D.C. journalist focuses on the concerns of the crippling financial struggles that college students continue to face. In this intricate article McArdle captures the essence of this crisis. Critical in her reading is recognizing that for some, the school system works, yielding decent jobs and an effective rate of return on investment; for the vast majority, however, too many college graduates are suffocating under a mountain of accumulated debt, with very limited opportunities for employment and no acquired skill. Why then do the vast numbers attend college? Many people believe that one must get a college education in order to gain the benefits that were assumed would go along with it: “an education that would last a lifetime, a better job, and

Attending college does not change the outcome of a graduates wages compared to someone with only a highschool diploma. There are still more people that get jobs with a degree than those without. A big part of a successful future is having money, and college graduates don't earn enough to handle all of the things they have to pay for, including their debts for attending college. Firstly, “Since 2000, America’s young college graduates have seen wages, adjusted for inflation, deteriorate” (Shierholz). Students go to school expecting to earn far more than those that didn't attend college but they usually don't because of the way the money and costs of things change. Secondly, “Now, with unemployment expected to remain above 8% well into 2014, it will likely be many years before young college graduates - or any workers - see substantial wage growth”

Marleen Clapp, a doctorate holder in higher education administration from Boston believes “In many aspects, a four-year college degree has essentially replaced the high school diploma as the necessary preparation for a career in the modern information economy. Higher-order skills, including critical- and creative-thinking abilities, are often required to compete globally” (Driscoll, Clapp). In this day in age, a high school diploma can only get an individual so far. The importance of college in the United States has been continually growing. While the importance of getting a higher education has grown, college tuition prices have risen as well.

On the wake of the current economical crisis, career options seem bleak for college graduates who get stressed after spending large amounts of money on college to obtain a degree and discover that their efforts won’t lead them far, it’s especially a problem for the students who have taken loans to study in colleges. Such situations don’t bode well for students who wish to have a stable career which is why students have now rapidly begun taking up trade schools to help establish their career. Most of these colleges teach work specific skill sets to students and in most cases there’s a job waiting for the students at the end of studies.

Education becomes a part of most every individual’s life starting at a very young age. A majority of children are introduced to preschool or kindergarten around three to six years of age and school becomes a major role in their childhood. The idea of education being the only pathway to lead to a happy successful life is burned into the mind of young students. After growing up with education being an important role in their life these, now adults, feel obligated to continue with a postsecondary form of education. At this point, individuals start to question if attending a college is worth the risk of a lifetime of student loan debt. They also try to decide whether or not a college degree will result in a more financially stable lifestyle or if they are better off going straight to the workforce. The price of college has increased dramatically throughout the years which causes talented individuals to believe going straight to the workforce is the only thing they can afford and profit off of. If the price of college is what is keeping talented individuals away then that issue should be fixed. Most people argue that college should be completely free or that the prices should be lowered. When considering how a change in price for attending college would affect tax payers, students, teachers, and the education quality it becomes obvious that the cost of college should not be messed with.

In the video “are college degrees worth it” it shows that a lot of people that go to college can get up to $27,000 in student loan debt which you wouldn’t have to worry about if you did not go to college in the first place. The average cost of college tuition is $60,000 as states in “are college degrees worth it”. Some people will not even use their college degrees and they are paying that much money for a college tuition just to find a job that doesn’t even require

While this is a common refrain from the highly educated, the reality is not so simple. The problem is that taking out a loan for college requires a leap of faith that is not entirely justified. Yes, it is true that a college graduate, on average, earns close to a million dollars more over a lifetime than a high school graduate. But there are two trick words in that sentence. First, you have to graduate from college, a feat that barely half of those who start college currently achieve within six years. Second, the high economic returns to education are an average. Actual salaries of college graduates vary enormously because of career and life choices, skills, geography, fluctuations in the economy, and plain old luck.

Another statistics presented by Collegeboard shows that "In 2010 11, about 57% of public four year college students graduated with debt. They had borrowed an average of $23,800 (in 2011 dollars)" (Student Loan Debt Statistics). $23,800 is not a small amount to much of the middle class today, and unless graduating with a bachelor's degree increases the chances for employment, it's simply not worth it. In fact, a 2012 study from Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce titled "Hard Times: Not All College Majors are Created Equal," shows that "Unemployment figures show the jobless rate for recent college graduates with bachelor's degrees has been running at an unacceptable 8.9 percent" (Loose). An average of $23,800 in loans to support a 4 year college attendance plus an unemployment rate that is above national average, " considering the national unemployment rate in March 2012 was 8.2 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor." (Loose) just points to the undeniable fact that joining the work force serves as a better alternative for students today. Students attending work force will have a solid advantage over college attendees by not only able to avoid the high cost for college tuition, but also developing practical skills that benefits their work experience.

According to Katey Troutman, 04 Apr. 2016, the average middle class family makes about 52,000 a year. At most public universities, only about 19 percent of full-time students earn their bachelor’s degree in about four years. Studies show that only 59 percent of students who began as freshmen at a four-year college in the fall, received their diplomas within six years. Across the nation, only about 50 of more than 580 public four-year institutions graduate a majority of their full-time students on time. Most students are smart enough to go to a community college to get their general education done, and then go onto a bigger college to finish getting their degree. The problem with community college is that five percent of full-time students earned an associate degree within two years, and 15.9 percent earned a one to two-year certificate. Most students that end up finishing college, end up going in debt. Depending on the college that some students want to go to and how long they want to go for, even if they are paying for about a third of their college tuition, that probably won’t pay for all the years that they want to go to college. The only problem with that is there are some parents out there who expect their kids to pay for college themselves. According to “When should you start saving for college? - NerdWallet”. 09 Sekar (2014.) Students should have their parents saving money for college before they are even born. From 2009-2010, the average tuition at a public four-year university was $15,000, and at a private school it was $35,000. College has doubled in price in the past decade, than what it was back