In the story " Should Everyone Go to College" , Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill effectively express that college is for some but not for all. Different factors determine its worth, including one's career choice and one's major. The amount of money obtained and "profitable" after college depends on one's future occupation. Thus, college could be "profitable" for some people but not for everyone.
For example, the rate of return is a key factor in determining if college is worth it or not. Studies have shown that for every extra year one attends school they are projected to make around a ten percent more salary. For example: if the average income is around thirty thousand dollars, then one year of college would accumulate ten percent more, so around thirty-three thousand dollars, and in more specific terms for a four year degree, one would expect to make a twelve thousand dollar increase, so the expected salary for a four year graduate would be around forty-two thousand dollars (Owen and Sawhill 309). Furthermore the difference in degrees also affects the amount of money you receive as well. On a much larger scale the Hamilton Project research estimated lifetime
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The engineering field has the highest paid major, whereas the education field has the lowest paid major. "According to Census's calculations, the lifetime earnings of an education or arts major working in the service sector are actually lower than the average lifetime earnings of a high school graduate" (Owen and Sawhill 216). That statistic should really be taken into consideration when determining whether or not college is "worth it" or not. Making less than a high school graduate, on top of the expenses from college would make college not "profitable". In contrast, a mechanical engineer is projected to make around thirty-five thousand more a year than one with only a high school diploma. Different majors can make different amounts of
The higher a degree one has the more money they make. As one’s degree goes up, as does their earning gap. “...individuals with a four-year college degree earned about 43% more on average than those with only a high school degree...” (FRBSF Economic letter). The more education you have the more money you make. If you have only a high school diploma then you will make significantly less. College is an investment and it pays itself back the farther you get in the working world. “...the difference between earnings continues such that the average college graduate earns over $800,000 more than the average high school graduate by retirement age...” It also drastically lowers the rate of unemployment, ” (FRBSF Economic letter). You are earning close to a million dollars more than you would otherwise with a degree. Making money is key in survival, this day and age. The more money, the more power, and success in the business world.
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
Stephanie Owen's and Isabel Sawhill's report "Should Everyone Go To College" debates whether or not college is the right option for everyone. They begin with the fact that not all degrees or college graduates are equal. Choosing the right degree has a lot to do with the success of a college graduate. People who choose to go to college need to look at the job outlook for the degree they want to get while attending college. Those who choose a degree that has a lot of jobs and opportunities for success will find that college could possibly pay off. The people that do not do their research before getting their degree might struggle finding jobs and be forced to take a job that they could have had without a college education.
According to the article, “New school year,old story: Education pays”, it shows the difference between the types of jobs you can have if you go to college or not. For example, if you go to college, you will have a better chance of getting a life changing job. If you don’t go to college or graduate college, it is less likely of you to get the job you want or the job that has a good profit for you. Even though college does sound so great, it will lead you to a successful life in the future.
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
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:
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
According to the article Is College Worth it? Clearly, New Data say by David Leonhardt, Labor Department statistics by the Economic Policy Institution in Washington released that the “Americans with four-year college degree made 98 percent more an hour” on average than “people without a degree” (1). However, this claim automatically assumes that the degree caused the higher earnings and failed to consider the fact that those who complete college are already more likely to be financially successful whether they attend university or not. In “Alternative Funding Resources for Higher Education”, Nicolas Barr responds to Leonhardt’s assumption of lower or free college tuition increase productivity by providing his research that shows that first, “education beyond a basic level does not increase productivity” and second, “that firms seek high-ability workers but unable to distinguish them from those with low-ability” (719). He explains that the assumption that higher education increases productivity is false. That does not mean that higher education is not associated with an increase in productivity, it simply means that there are more influences like “natural ability and family background” on the productivity of a student (720). Furthermore, Critics such as Leonhardt claim that “college degree is worth $1 million over the lifetime of a worker” (2). However, he failed to calculate the worth of each major. There are so many other factors to consider such as unemployment rate, the demand, and the salary of each job. For example, it assumes that a Bachelor of Arts in art history has the same outcome than a Bachelor of Science in quantum
In “College Helps Students Dream of More Than a Salary,” author Drew Faust states us how college opens minds and opportunities for students. It pays off from the four years you are going to attend. The author mentions how students who attend college end up making more money than anyone. They make about 60%-70% more than anyone with and without a high school diploma. Drew Faust suggests that college graduates often live a longer life and be successful. For example, be more active and own a home once they are done with their studies. In addition, he remarks on how students’ lives change in perspective and explore, meaning, they will learn different places, languages, and their way thinking. Students will also be meeting people from different
David Leonhardt explores the question of whether or not college is worth it in his article. He discusses the challeneges that college graduates often face that make many students wonder if its all really worth it. Because there is growing concern regrding things like student debt, the struggle to find work and being stuck in a job you feel overqualified for its easy to draw the conclusion that college just isnt worth the trouble. However, Leonhardt goes on to explain why not only college is valuble, but why having a four-year degree has probably never been ore valuable. Leonhardt sites data based on an analysis of Labor Department statistics by the Economic Policy Institue in Washington which shows
As kaufman states in her article, “Yes, college is worth it, and it’s not even close. For all the struggles that many young college graduates face, a four-year degree has probably never been more valuable.” In today’s studies, it has shown that the pay gap between college grads compared to others has reached a high point, with college students making 98 percent more an hour, which has increased from 89 percent five years ago. If more high school students planned on going to college and graduating the pay for these students would decrease. As many teenagers do not choose to face the challenge of college, the pay for those who do graduate increased.
In Stephanie Owen’s and Isabel Sawhill’s article “Should Everyone Go to College” the return on the investment in college is briefly broken down. The article “Should Everyone Go to College” opens up with a widely known claim that a college degree is necessary to enter the middle class. Owen and Sawhill test this claim by comparing the return on an education of general types of degrees and colleges. The article states that on average high school graduates make around $15,000 less a year than graduates with a bachelor’s degree. To further the prove the return on your investment in education the articles states that by the age 50 a person with a bachelor’s degree makes around $46,500 more a year than a high school graduate. This accumulates to
Society believes that a college degree is a requirement into entering the middle class. According to the essay “Should Everyone Go to College,” by Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill higher education is not a great investment for every student. In my opinion, Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill are right, college is not a good investment for every student because everyone’s circumstances are different.
In the “What's the value of a college education? It depends” article published in CNBC on Friday, 19 Jun 2015, Jennifer Barrett argues that the cost of attending collage increases more than the past while the value of being graduate decreases. He adds that the graduate student can has a work that make them earn a lot many and it depends in many factors.
As for the moneymaking, the first 5 years aren’t looking so great, but after that, on average, a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree earns $30,000 more per year than a high school graduate, or about $500,000 more over a lifetime. Actually, any type of education past high school will have you earning more, whether it’s some college, an associate’s or anything higher.