The Importance Of A College Degree In College

Many young people think that obtaining a college degree is the best way—perhaps the only way—to get a good job anymore. So is it still possible to get a good job without one? According to Professor Blanche D. Blank, attaining a college degree doesn’t always guarantee success. In his published article “Degrees: Who Needs Them?”, he argues that American college is not teaching young adults the actual skills they need for the workforce, instead the education system is becoming a jumble of generalized credits that amount to a degree. College is becoming a mold for one to fit in the technological culture, rather than to release one to actively engage in the pursuit of knowledge. Blank begins building his credibility with personal experiences and

A college degree is a valuable asset that could ultimately lead to a productive life in society due to the received education, but people without a college degree do turn out more than adequate in regards to societal success. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the forecasted 30 fastest growing jobs between 2010 and 2020, five do not require a high school diploma, nine require a high school diploma, four require an associate 's degree, six require a bachelor 's degree, and six require graduate degrees to get the jobs (College). In an article called “College Education” by ProCon.org,

“What’s the key to success in the United States?”(Steinberg,2010), author Jacques Steinberg starts off his article “Plan B: Skip College” with a powerful question that has been asked by many Americans. Majority of Americans first thoughts would be higher education. The ideology that obtaining a degree is the best and sometimes only way to be successful in the American economy. This has been instilled in numerous children growing up. Steinberg states “perhaps no more than half of who began a four-year bachelor's degree program in the fall of 2006 will get that degree within six years according to the department of education”(Steinberg,2010). Students who tend to not excel in high school often take longer, or at times finish a higher education at all. These

The articles “Blue-Collar Brilliance” written by Mike Rose and “Are Too Many People Going to College?” by Charles Murray discuss the importance of education and its outcomes. Both authors talk about people’s careers on the aspect of whether a college degree made them succeed in life or it is just an expensive waste of time. Also, each article has its own opinion over the fact that some people with college education aren’t able to find jobs while others with no college background are able to succeed. Rose and Murray, both agreed on the idea that college isn’t for all just simply because of its cost, and how each person’s intelligence does not depend on their acceptance to a college; further, both authors also acknowledge the importance of blue-collar workers and their prosperity.

Many people are confused on why to invest time and money of attending college. A reason for obtaining a higher education is that a college degree can possibly earn a much higher salary than the majority of the people who have a high school diploma. College can be expensive and time consuming for the most of the people that do not have enough money and spare time to go to college. Stephen Rose, a research professor at the Georgetown University, wrote an article on “The Value of a College Degree” to explain if a college degree can be valuable to people to have. Eleni Karageorge, an author on the United States Department of Labor, wrote an article “Is A College Degree Still Worth It?” to give some details on job occupations that compares with employees having a bachelor’s degree or a high school diploma on how much they annually make on their job. Finally, Paul E. Barton, a consultant and a writer for topics related on education, wrote an article “How Many College Graduates Does the U.S. Labor Force Really Need?” on giving details on how valuable to have a college degree in the near future are needed when certain occupations are on high demand with a requirement on having a least a bachelor’s degree. We need to know why going to college is so important for anyone who wants to have professional occupations.

Great emphasis is placed on obtaining a a degree from a higher university. When you go to apply for jobs nowadays, you need an associates or a bachelors just to get your foot in the door unlike how the job world once was years ago. As a student currently enrolled at a traditional 4 year university, I knew that this was where I needed to be in High school in order have the fighting opportunity in my dream career. A lot of students are told that in order to receive a fat check in their career, you need a college degree, so then they push students in high school to take the SAT and ACT, and to focus maintaining a high GPA so that the door to a seat at a top university can be filled by them. With that being said, I’ve come to the realization that not everyone is set-up to have the opportunity to achieve these goals.

The authors also use these graphs to show the contrasts between workers with only a highschool diploma when compared to workers with a college degree. The figures contrast the differences in work-life earnings between different degrees and majors, showing that some degrees have a slim chance of paying off or being worth the cost of attendance at a college or university. These contrasts help illuminate the fact that a degree just isn’t for everyone. Many students who are pressured into attending college end up making a massive and costly mistake. The author states that “nearly two hundred schools on the 2012 list have negative ROI’s (return on investment)” (p.214). In another essay, titled “Colleges & Early Decision: An Overview,” the authors, M. Lee and M. Clapp, explore the problems and difficulties that students must face during the application process. This information further supports Owen and Sawhill argument against the current system of education by explaining how college can affect students even before

College is a great place for many to experience new things and to further education. However, college is not for everyone. According to the film Ivory Tower, college teaches people valuable skills such as networking with peers and extensive knowledge. College also provides students, upon graduation, with a degree and proper credentials. Based on a survey done by the Pew Research Center; the article “The Rising Cost of Not going to College,” states that “economic analysis consistently find that college graduates regardless of generation are doing better than those with less education,” this shows that there is a reasonable gap between a college degree and a high school diploma. On the other hand, it may not be worth the rising costs. Carolina Bird, author of “Where College Fails Us,” mentions in her article “in the current slowdown it has become evident that there were never, and probably never will be, enough jobs requiring higher education to go around,” (59-60) this shows some people's job outlook may not be aligned with their major. Jeffrey Selingo’s article “Is College Worth the Cost? Many Recent Graduates Don’t Think So,” says that “nearly half of college graduates in their 20s are underemployed, meaning the jobs they have do not require a bachelor’s degree,” this brings up the possibility of college not being beneficial to many. College can be needed because of higher salaries after graduation and providing people with the tools to succeed. On the contrary, going to

     It seems in the society we live in today, having a college degree is a necessity. Years ago it was the norm for people to just go right into a full time job after high school, if they even finished high school; they did this to support their families. In today’s society a person has a difficult time getting a decent job without a college degree. During an adults working life, bachelor degree graduates will earn about $2.1 million and a high school graduate can expect to earn an average of $1.2 million (Day and Newburger, 2002). This is quite a difference and it puts a college education in

As the gateway to the American middle-class shrinks and companies wrestle for top spots in the economy, employers and organizations seek the most prestigious young adults and graduates. In today’s modern society, this means that people with college degrees will land jobs that others don’t. Many citizens believe a college education is unnecessary to make a sufficient living. This might be true on some occasions, but a college education has a clear impact on your future. College might not be for everyone, but those who complete their education reap the benefits. A four-year college degree results in higher wages, lower chances of unemployment, improved credibility, and more job opportunities, so American teenagers should strive to get a

For a lot of people, unbeknownst to their parents or financial aid providers, the cost of college is nothing more than paying to avoid the stigma of not getting a degree. In the majority of professions, college degrees are the norm. Most—if not all—of the people hiring concluded university and are surrounded by a populace that has done the same, so bias may easily be a factor in hiring a new employee of a different educational background. These employers ruminate whether it is reflective some weakness in intelligence or in character, when this is simply not the case. College may be proven to be beneficial, but there are countless souls who go simply because they have been drilled that “they have

The reality of today’s job market is that well-paying blue collar jobs have rapidly become a thing of the past. To ensure financial stability and career development a college degree is now a necessity rather than an advantage. Statistics show that more high school students are entering college than ever before. The National Center for Education Statistics showed enrollment in colleges increasing 11% from 1990 to 2000 and then an incredible 37% between 2000 and 2010 ("Digest of education," 2012, Chapter 4). They are leaving school with more debt than ever before and total student loan debt held by the US government has exceeded a trillion dollars (Rohit, 2013).

College is a very controversial topic of the 21st century, since many students do not have the finances to attend college without being in debt. Though, with a college degree, the person is more competitive in the labor market than those with only a high school diploma as well as earning more. The U.S. Census Bureau created statistical data from those with bachelor’s degrees, associate’s degrees and only a high school diploma and with these – a person with a bachelor’s degree will make 2 million in the course of their career, a person with an associate’s degree will make 1.5 million, while a person with a high school diploma will make nearly 1.2 million in their career lifetime (“What is the Value of a College Degree?”, http://www.bestcollegevalues.org/what-is-the-value-of-a-college-degree/

Success in college starts at understanding one’s future career plans. When applying to colleges it is vital that you understand the qualifications need to pursue one’s future career plans. Choosing the correct major for the job field that you want to pursue is essential. It is also important to know what type of degree is needed for your future career plans. Learning the amount of time that it will take to earn the degree that you need can sometimes deter you from pursuing your planned career. In this paper I will be discussing my future career plans, what the job entails including work environment and education requirements.

In today's modern age people are worried about acquiring success in their lives and are constantly working to secure that goal as soon as possible. One of the most obvious routes for a person to acquire and secure this success is to attend a college that will give them the beneficial knowledge that will grant them an advantage in the world. Our society is convinced that a college education is the only possible way for a person to achieve any form of success in their careers and for a long time our society has inflated the value that a college education has held in a person’s life. However, due to many peoples circumstance a college degree may not be the correct way for a person to achieve success, and now with the availability with somany