The Importance Of Community College Education

One of the biggest complaints about a college education is the large price tag that comes with it. A national survey found that 75% of adults in the U.S. think that college is too expensive to afford, showing that a majority of the people in the U.S. agree that colleges should lower prices (Source F). As Source A says, college is about learning but the goal in life is to earn a living (Crawford). This means that while you need to earn a living, college isn’t the only route you can do so. There are careers that don’t require education beyond high school and you can still make a respectable income. It’s easy to see that not enough people realize you don’t need a college degree to get a good job.

Trying to achieve your dreams and reach your full potential in a town that has little to no guidance for youth, especially African American men, is a daunting task. Too often, young men from my hometown are given limited options for their future. The education system made us feel as if we were only created to work in trade career fields, or sign our lives away for four to six years to the various branches of the United States Military. College was a luxury that many, including myself, thought would never be an option.

In the essay “College Value Goes Deeper Than the Degree” author Eric Hoover claims a college education is important to one 's well-being so they can get a job and be productive in other parts of life. Promoters of higher education have long emphasized how beneficial college’s value and its purpose. Many believe the notion that colleges teach students are life skills to apply anywhere, they also work hard to earn a degree and learn specific marketable skills which they can use to get a good job. Though obtaining a college education and a degree is helpful in countless of ways, it is not necessary to pursue a college degree in world where a college degree is seen different now, people without turn out fine, the growing average of debt that students who attend college have to pay off and people without a degree can obtain many jobs that do not require college degrees.

A former president, Theodore Roosevelt, once said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are,” but yet more than 30% of students don’t attend college the following fall after graduation. As of right now, college is only an option for students, not a requirement. But as technology increases, and jobs become tougher to get a hold of, college is more of a necessity and definitely worth the price tag. It has long term benefits and increases the chances of a successful future. College is definitely worth the cost for the reasons that college graduates have a higher salary than a high school graduates, more and more jobs recently require a college degree, and college graduates more likely to have health insurance and retirement plans.

One of the many problems with making college free is that college, in time, needs to be paid for by someone or something. With the government having the idea that college should be free, these same people wouldn’t be taking the hard payment; You would, through government taxes. As Alex Groves says in his article, “Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a free ride. Every program requires a source of funding, and free education is no different.” (para 5). Groves is a college student himself working on his last year

Approaching the end of senior year everyone was receiving acceptance letters to all well credited schools, like Rutgers, The College of New Jersey, Fordham, and many others, but there were some people, like me, who were opening letter from community colleges to attend. I quickly realized that I did not take high school seriously and was lackadaisical with my studies, causing my grades to suffer, ultimately leaving me no choice, but to go to community college. In hindsight, going to community college was not a regretful decision, and it has shaped me into the person I am now. People from all sorts of life come to community college for many different reasons, mainly similar to mine, to redeem their high school-self and get better grades.

In today’s society, the idea of receiving a college education has been pondered quite a bit as to whether or not it is actually worth it. According to Michelle Adam, many people “…today believe that getting a good education is key to success in our society, this revealed surprising issues that challenge the notion of higher education being worth its price tag” (59). Naturally, many high school graduates apply for college right before or after graduation. Others decide to go into the work force, armed forces, or simply remain unemployed. The question that many people debate about is, is a college education worth it in the long run? Though some people believe a college education will benefit ones’ career, others believe it will cause a mass

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

Attending a community college usually makes people cringe. It is not the first pick of an average high school student. Community colleges are hardly ever advertised however, the traditional four-year schools are. Throughout all four years of high school the word university is drilled into student brains so exploring the idea of attending a community college does not stand a chance. The football and basketball teams, the sororities and fraternities, to having the bragging rights for attending a well-known university is what students imagine when going to college. Even though students transfer from community colleges into four-year schools, the idea of attending community college is perceived to be the easy way out or a lack of effort. In the

In every nation, education has an important influence on the improvement of its economy and politics. For the United States of American, community college becomes one of the main factors to determine how the country moves forward. Using table 101.20 from Digest of Education Statistics of the National center for Education Statistics, from 2000 to 2014, the increase in college enrollment has been contributed by increases in the traditional college-age population and rising enrollment rates. But increasing costs of tuition and different expenses each year have become huge obstacles for students to focus and maintain their education status and achievements. This issue brings up the controversy about whether community college education should

I always said I wouldn’t attend a community college because of the stigma. I foolishly figured it was self-degradation because I was the valedictorian of my high school graduating class. My friend even joked, “Wouldn’t it be hilarious if you went to a community college?” I gulped and vowed to myself to never attend a community college. Yet, here I am, unashamed. I actually regret not initially attending community college.

Many times the reputations associated with community college is that they are “less academically serious”, “the lazier choice”, or that “anyone can get in.” But as times start to change and different factors are put into consideration, these accusations are not true. In fact, community colleges may actually seem like the smarter choice especially to start off with.

Is college worth the cost? A question frequently asks by many students and parents who wonder as college cost increase and job employment is hard to get by. This question of course led on to many other questions such as, is a college degree really worth the investment of time, money, and energy? Or is a college degree really worth becoming enslaved to student loan debt after graduating? Once upon a time, the importance of attending either a university or community college has been an option or privilege that one gets to choose; now it has become rather a necessity. If we were to take a closer look, we will realized that most of us are raised and conditioned to believe that one needs higher education in order to succeed in life. This type of mindset, although highly debated, is believes that a college education increases the qualities life of the students, and society as a whole.

Many of my friends will tell you I have a story for everything. They will also tell you that it was a mistake for me to go to community college. They are very narrow minded when it comes to the idea of what community college. They believed the stereotypes that it is easier and for uneducated people. But that is not completely true, therefore I ignore them. I may be the one who goes to the community college, but my best friend who is away at a university still calls me for homework help. I have a story for everything and am very talkative, resulting in English being my favorite subject.

In the beginning of 2015, Obama gave his annual State of the Union address. Within the address, he discussed that he would like to see free community college for students. This means that all students wouldn’t have to pay for tuition for two years as long as they followed some guidelines, maintaining 2.5 grade point average and being at least a part time student. President Obama has proposed this because he said, “this plan is your chance to graduate ready for the economy, without a load of debt” (qtd. in Mason). Although the thought of free community college for students is awesome, it will have too many negative aspects that outweigh the good.