The Importance Of College Education

When one thinks of going to college, what usually comes to mind is the amount of time and money achieving a higher education requires. Many people often question whether or not seeking an education after high school is worth all the effort. Although going to college may sometimes seem difficult and unnecessary, it has been proven to be an important, beneficial chapter of young adults’ lives. The value of a college education is extremely profitable to one’s life and career due to the job opportunities it offers, the skills it allows you to learn, and the benefits it can result in later on in life.

Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill report that bachelor’s degree holders make on average around 10% more than those with high school diplomas. They also write that a college education improve one’s standard of living. Gaining a bachelor’s degree is not accomplishable by everyone due to different reasons, so only a select few will be able to receive these benefits, given colleges’ selectivity.

College is a very important stepping stool to your future, too your life. Others might say it’s not worth the money, that plenty of people were successful without college, I disagree. Only very small hand full of people make it without a degree.

To begin with, college graduates have a higher salary than high school graduates. Actually, in the article “Is College Worth the Price Tag?” they explain that high school graduates only make 62% of of those with a 4-year college diploma (sec. 5). Although

As the evidence substantiates, college is worth the time and money. In this situation, worth means of high value. College has been proven to yield people a better financial future. In this time period, where jobs are hard to acquire, attempting to obtain a quality, well-paying job is nearly impossible. As displayed by the Hill, the average high school graduates salary is $35,615 per year. Meanwhile, the average college graduates yearly income is $65,482; this evidence was taken from a US Congress census; again from the The Hill. This exhibits the fact that college graduates, on average, make 48% more than high school graduates. Having a little advantage in pay is beneficiary in this time period. By going to college people are not only thinking about themselves, but for the better of their family. In the case of someone coming from a menial background, going to college can change their monetary needs. In the same way, only 260,000 people with college diplomas are working in minimum wage jobs. Around 72,000,000 or 33% of the adults in America have gone to college, proven by another US Congress Census. That means that 1 in every 277 people who attend college have a job paying minimum wage. Furthermore, a Georgetown University study has shown that 99% of the post 2008 recession jobs, have gone to college graduates. After reviewing this piece of evidence, going to college is a major bonus in the job market. A college degree of any sort can help in most leagues of study. Many employers noticed the college degree, and almost immediately hire that person. According to evidence number 15, the unemployment rate for someone who went to college is 3.8%. On the contrary, the unemployment rate for someone who only attended high school is 12.2%.

to be employed than non-graduates” (Leonhardt). Besides this information, few other documents, also show that people who have a college degree, “on average, makes 20,000 dollars more per year from those with only a high school diploma” (“Is College Worth It?”), and “have less chance to be unemployed” (Leonhardt). As a result, the people who are

Graduating college helps people get more job opportunities with a better pay. The average salary for a college graduate is $45,327, and someone with a high school diploma or less is $25,000. Along with salary, 35 percent of job openings require at least a bachelor's degree, 30 percent require an associate's degree, and only 35 percent require a high school diploma. The unemployment rate for college graduates is 8 percent and the unemployment rate for high school graduates is 24.5 percent. Going to college also gives people more independence.

Another way that a college degree can improve the quality of one’s life is by increasing your earning potential significantly. Individuals that have a high school diploma are often stuck with minimum wage jobs that have very little earning potential. The only way for those people to increase their earning potential is to hope for a raise, which comes with extremely hard work and dedication. However, those that get a college degree have much more opportunities to increase their earning potential. The increase in pay with a college degree can be seen in many different ways. One way to see the increase in earning potential is by observing its short term effects. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, those with a bachelor’s degree earned $400 dollars more per week than those with just a high school diploma (Ebersole para. 6). The increase in pay can also be seen described over lifetimes. The earning potential of those with a high school diploma is $1.2 million, compared to $2.1 million with a bachelor’s degree. Those with a master’s degree could earn even more, with an average of $2.5 million a lifetime (Ebersole para. 6)

Data from the U.S Department of Labor shows that college graduates have lower rates of unemployment. The rate of unemployment with a bachelor’s degree is 2.7%, while the rate of those with a high school education is 5.2% (Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics). This depicts that those who earn a college education have a better chance at getting a job. Their data also shows that those with a college education have higher salaries. The median weekly earning for those with a college degree is $1,156 and the median weekly earnings for those with a high school education is $692. That’s a $464 a week difference and $24,128 a year difference (Employment Projections, Bureau of Labor Statistics). Not only are college graduates getting jobs and making more money, but they are also healthier and happier. Professor Phillip Trostel, reports college graduates are four times less likely than high school graduates to smoke and are more likely to exercise, wear a seat belt, be a healthy weight, and go to the doctor’s (Want to be Happy and Healthier, Merisotis, Jamie).

One question that pops up a lot asks, “is college really worth it?” This can be a difficult question to answer, but it shouldn’t be because college is absolutely worth every dime. Carlson (2013) noted, “There has been a lot of evidence to suggest that college is indeed worth it, and plenty of studies and pundits lining up to tout the evidence.” The average total cost of a bachelor’s degree in 2012 ranges from $22,300 to $43,300 at public and private institutions respectively. Yes, this is a rather large amount of money, but the value of education is priceless. More and more high school graduates are deciding to attend college and that is a great thing. Money shouldn’t be the deciding factor whether someone decides to attend college or not. The main reason why people attend college is to have a better chance of success. A college degree is the main key to success because it provides better and more job opportunities, creates a healthier lifestyle, and establishes a well- rounded society.

Many people believe college is very expensive but also believe it’s necessary. College is worth the outcome is; you could get jobs with higher pay, when through with college you will have a sense of freedom, and many people believe it helps them grow.

College graduates usually earn more money than non graduates. In the video "5 Ways Ed Pays", it is stated college graduates "Earn 63 percent more in hourly wages' compared to non graduates. This shows that going to college will make you more in hourly wages than the non graduates. Having more money would allow for a better future for you and your family. Additionally, in the article" New School Year Old Story: Education Pays" by Bureau of labor statistics current Population Survey. It states "Workers with a bachelor's degree earned about 415 dollars more a week than workers whose highest

A person with a college degree/education makes “98% more an hour on average” (Leonhardt), than people without any college education at all. The individual would also make more a year “a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree earned $30,000 more per year than a high school graduate”(procon.org). “America's 400 Richest People list were college grads” (procon.org), the individual with a college degree could end up being on the list or maybe even close to making it.

One cannot deny that a degree does not always guarantee a job to pay that salary. Certainly, it can depend on one's job or who that person works for that determines the salary. Despite this idea, having a college degree definitely gives a much better chance for a larger pay. For example, New York Federal Reserve Bank economists Jaison Abel and Richard Deitz in a study calculated the annualized the return investment on a four year degree. They found that associate and four-year degrees remain solid investments. Return on investment for the money put into a college degree over a graduate's career, pegging it at about 15% for current graduates. with a bachelor's-degree (Peters and Belkin,

College helps people achieve financial stability. When people get their college degrees, they earn more money. Studies from the The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce found that “individuals who only finish high school could look forward to earning about $1.3 million over their lifetime[...]associate degree holder may earn around $1.7 million and a bachelor’s degree holder, about $2.3 million.Those with advanced degrees, including master’s, doctoral, and professional degrees may earn $2.7 million, $3.3 million and $3.6 million, respectively” (Beckstead). People that don’t go to college earn less than half the salary of people that do go to college. The more college experience and degrees people have, the better the chances of making more money. Data collected from a report by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association showed that “high school graduates earn an average of almost $30,000 per year. Bachelor’s graduates earn an average of just over $50,000 a year. And those with a higher level degree (master’s, doctorate or professional) average nearly $70,000 per year” (Benefits of Earning a College Degree). While the amount of money people earn differentiates from the career path that is chosen, it is statistically proven that people get more money when they have a college degree. According to a chart from the Economic Policy Institute from years 2007-2014,