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Should Everyone Go To College Isabel Sawhill Analysis

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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 …show more content…

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

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