The Importance Of College Education

During their high school career, students may begin to question the importance of a college education. They might find themselves asking, “Why is it important to go to college?” The answer is that, more than ever, attending college provides opportunities for graduates which are not as widespread to those who have not received a higher education.

Is a college education worth it? Students that go to college spend several years and thousands of dollars for an education, but will that education really help them with their future lives and careers? Sure, a college education might give you more opportunities with higher paying jobs and it might be the big challenge that you completed on your path to attaining the “American Dream,” and yes, a college education does help you obtain interpersonal communication skills with your peers to build social skills. But, many college graduates don’t even get into jobs that require college degrees, many students don’t even graduate from college and spend more money for an education they aren’t even getting, and student loans are creating a financial crisis. A college education isn’t the right choice for everyone, as many students graduate with a large amount of debt and limited job opportunities.

I know the importance of obtaining a college education, but more exciting to me were the on the job opportunities to improve processes within the department. The flexibility of my team lead position at Mass. Eye & Ear was what really helped me thrive; I saw a problem, I came up with a solution and produced results. I understand the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. I created flow charts for team members to demonstrate their daily tasks effectively. I created e-mail templates and documents for the team to streamline their processes. I used a range of tools such as Microsoft Word and Excel to execute my ideas.

The decision of whether or not to attend college can be difficult, especially given the tremendous costs associated with tuition, books, and campus living. Moreover, getting a good job or earning an attractive income is not necessarily guaranteed with a college degree. The decision of whether or not to attend college must come from within, and must transcend thoughts about money. For me, going to college represents a genuine personal feat. There are three main reasons why college education is important to me. First, I would be the first person in my generation to receive a higher education. My going to college therefore represents a new precedent in my family. Second, I love learning and want the opportunity to expand my personal and academic horizons. Third, the career path I have embarked on is one that requires a college education in order to succeed. Therefore, a college education is important to me because of personal and professional reasons.

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

In this day and age, an increasing amount of employers are requiring a higher level of education in order to hire people. Having a degree allows adults to have multiple choices of when, where, and how they work. Because of this, college graduates have new and improved employment opportunities. In a recent study of young americans, 58% of college graduates and people with some college or associate's degree expressed being "very satisfied" with their jobs, compared to only 50% of high school graduates and a drastic 40% of people without a high school diploma. For many people, working at a job you are fond of is crucial for living a quality life. Having a degree aids in increasing the amount of choices when selecting a career path you will enjoy. Because of this, college graduates have lower poverty rates than ever before. The 2008 poverty rate for bachelor's degree holders was 4%,

Many college graduates “discover that the so-called great career opportunities have been outsourced or automated,” (Photo with caption) leading to them working in jobs that do not even require a degree. Degrees do not guarantee that someone will be prepared for a certain job. A blogger named Rob mentioned that many of his acquaintances have “graduated from college with a “business” or “criminal justice” degree and absolutely no idea how to get a job with it. Most end up starting on the bottom rung of some company, about where they would have started without a degree,” (Rob). Required college attendance for all students could possibly deplete the value of a degree. College does not guarantee “intellectual capital for the business market,” (Rob) but would be a waste of resources.

However, many more opportunities are presented when one consider colleges. A college education doesn’t guarantee a job, but it does allow for the ability to look for jobs in more places. Students don’t even need a clear goal when they start, and may consider going to college with the intention attending classes in various fields to discover their interests. In particular, it is often the high paying jobs that require a college education, as college graduates tend to earn much more with higher credentials. According to Rodney K. Smith, former president of Southern Virginia University, “the average weekly income” is “$1,038 for those with a bachelors degree,” while only being “$626 for those with a high school degree” (29). Those with a college education are much more likely to find employment. Unemployment is a common concern as we are currently in recovery from a recession. Employers often prefer to hire employees with a college education. When looking at unemployment statistics, “10.3% of those with a high school education” are unemployed, while “5.4% of those with a bachelor’s degree,” and “2.4% of those with a professional degree” are unemployed. This is exemplified when you consider that many engineering companies turn first to Cal Poly graduates when looking for new employees. With the job market being so competitive, it is important to have more

It has statistically been proven that people with a degree are less likely to be unemployed as well as having more opportunities at a higher skilled job with better pay (Source D). It is true that a college education does, in fact, open up options to high end jobs such as ones pertaining to law and medicine; although, when stepping back and examining what it takes to achieve such degrees is where many people start to weigh their options. Past high school, many people choose to pursue careers beyond even the basic four years of their undergrad and onto, sometimes, four more years to become certified in a certain area. The prospects of leaving college with such a degree are extremely desirable--high wages, flexible hours, and a passion for a subject--but considering the costs of that many more years of school, many students often abandon their dreams in favor of paying off a smaller loan. Many claim that “paying off that debt made it harder to pay other bills...it has made it harder to buy a home” and due to these situations, students often question whether the price tag is worth it (Source

High school seniors have many choices to make. One important choice is whether or not to go to college. Harvard as the first college founded in 1636. At this point only 4% of young people attended college (Anderberg, Jeremy. “Is College for Everyone?). As of 2013 there are about 14 million students enrolled in a 4 year institutions, and that number is expected to jump to around 20 million in the next few years (Anderberg, Jeremy. “Is College for Everyone?). College is hard and is not for everybody, but is it worth it? A college education is worth it in many ways it will lead you to success, way easier than a high school diploma. A college education gets you better financial success, gives you a much healthier life and greater success, and college graduates have more and better employment opportunities.

Most parents encourage their children to achieve a college degree because they believe it is a passport to success. Nationwide it has been known in order to get ahead, go to college. College helps young adults socialize, be independant, and allows them to find themselfs. College graduates have been known to posses higher employment rates, and greater work benefits. Also, college can be a huge milestone in one's life. That being said, these are most likely the reasons why the majority of high school parents across America, choose to send their kids to college. College may also help students achieve a greater knowledge on their career path. Then again college may limit career options, when students get strapped into thinking they have to

College Education is an institution of higher learning. Harvard University is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States; it started in 1636. Colleges began to be established for two reasons. First, most were founded by religious denominations. Second, colleges were the pride of the community evoked by the revolution, the strange American pursuit of progress, and migration to the west. However, some people are against college education because many college graduates are employed in jobs that do not require college degrees, a college degree is no guarantee of workplace benefits, and college stress can lead to health problems and other negative consequences. College Education should be important through life because

My issue is the debate if college education is worth it. Many people think going to college is the ideal thing to do but there is also people who think college is not worth all the time and money. In 2016, the employment rate was highest for young adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher, 88 %. College prepares young adults for the real world and everything they need to know. Typically, college graduates have higher employment rates and have a better chance at benefits and better pay but also student loan is crippling as the years go on and a college degree is no promise in the workforce.

To begin, taking college courses and obtaining a degree will be a huge factor in earning a favorable job. For instance, with a higher education, students are more qualified for a job, so it reduces the stress and likelihood of being unemployed. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “In Jan. 2017, the unemployment rate for college graduates aged 25 and over with a bachelor's degree was 2.5%, compared to 3.8% for those with some college or associate's degrees, 5.3% for high school graduates, and

Many upper school students all over the country are probably asking this question a lot which is, is college even worth it anymore? Well, I’m here to tell you it very much is. A few reasons college is worth going to is education pays for its self, you owe it to yourself to want an education, college gives you option, college could lead you to create the next big thing, and finally no matter what you do with your life you’ll need a college education to do it. Now that you know my ideas let me explain a little more.