The Pros And Cons Of College Education

As with any college student, the idea of not having to pay for school sounds quite perfect. Average student loan debt has increased at a constant rate since 1993 and peaked for 2015 graduates at $35,000 according to the Wall Street Journal. The same report shows two other key factors. While 70% of students leave college with student debt, the need for a college degree has never been more important. Unemployment rates between people holding a bachelors degree or more sits around 2%, while people with only a high school diploma is over 5%.

Attending college or pursuing a higher education is worth it because a degree ensures a stable, well paying job and provides a better quality of life. In Document A, “Earning and Unemployment Rates Based on Educational Attainment, 2015” compiled by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, a higher educational degree, such as a Doctorate or Professional degree, corresponded to a lower unemployment rate with a higher pay, while little to no educational degree corresponded to a higher unemployment rate with a lower pay. This means people who received a college degree had a better chance of finding and retaining a well-paying job because they are typically skilled in one profession that cannot easily be replaced, such as a doctor or engineer.

Undoubtedly, college is expensive for students because many students cannot afford to pay their tuition from their wages and salaries. According to Matthew Reed, and Debbie Cochrane, “69% of graduates from public and private institutions accrued a student loan debt with an average of $28,400 per student.” Next, the graduate will start to pay back loan with installments; as a result, the balance will accrue interest which means the student debt will increase. Regardless of employment status, a student loan has to be repaid, yet employment is not guaranteed upon completion. Many graduates struggle to get jobs because they lack the experience which is needed by the employers, so some graduates will become jobless, while others

Throughout the year’s higher education has become more popular and the number of students grows each year. Unfortunately, the amount of money it costs to finance your education grows as well, and along with that comes student debt. Student debt has reached an all-time high in the United States of America, and according to CNN, the amount of debt has reached 1.2 trillion dollars. The Institute College Access has said that at least 70 percent of all students are in some type of debt directly corresponding to their college education. Not only is the demand for educational degrees growing in the work fields, but the amount of debt a single person has coming out of college. There is not one state where the average amount of debt is under $22,000.00 and the national current average of debt is $28,950.00 says the Institute for College Access. In a recent study from the Institute for College Access the amount of debt in a 10-year time period, 2004-2014 rose from 65% to 69%, while average debt at graduation rose at more than twice the rate of inflammation.

When students graduate from college, they graduate with more than just a degree; they graduate with debt. Currently, there is about 1.3 trillion dollars of student loan debt circulating out among approximately 44 million borrowers; the average debt of a graduate in 2016 being $37,000. Over the past three decades,

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%.

The question here is, is college worth it? Many people question this especially high school students who are about to graduate. This debate is still taking place today. The common misunderstood saying is, if you have a degree you will then have a good job. But this is not the case because in today’s society there are so many people with degrees who still cannot find a job. The rate of unemployment is increasing rapidly on a yearly basis. High school students see it this way, if I can’t find a job with a degree then it’s not worth the time, and from there on they quit after high school. On the other side of the debate college education is no longer an option or a privilege, but rather it has become a necessity. The rate of students going to college is increasing every year plus the number of colleges being build is also increasing. In my believe college provides me with higher education that will help me in the future whether it’s with a job or an experience. College education means everything to me and my family because my parents left their home country and immigrated to the United States in order for me and my siblings to have a higher and better education. For me there are numerous reasons why college education is worthwhile, while other people might clearly disagree. About “80% of college graduates say yes college degree is worth it” (debate website). You do not need a college degree to become successful, there are many different paths to take. This study will

     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

Going to college comes with many benefits. However, you only gain them if you graduate. “The data make it clear that getting a college education is still a good idea – college graduates earn more, and are more likely to have a job in the first place – and is especially important for some Americans” (Rotherham). As Rotherham stated, data shows college is the right choice if you wish to have it easier as an adult getting a job and a higher salary than high school graduates. Although, some think college isn’t worth it because they think it’s like high school, except you have to pay for it. “You might think college is just high school continued, but it’s not. College opens doors for you… It can change and shape you in ways you can’t imagine” (bigfuture). College gives you many opportunities high school can’t. That is a reason why many students choose to go.

Another potential benefit of receiving a college education is the ability to qualify for better paying jobs. With the minimum wage at $7.25 an hour a full-time employee working forty hours a year can make roughly $15,080 dollars a year not including taxes. With the cost of living increasing its no wonder education has become a higher priority for Americans; they can’t afford the American dream without the proper funding. According to the Pew: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/11/01/how-wealth-inequality-has-changed-in-the-u-s-since-the-great-recession-by-race-ethnicity-and-income/

High school graduates without at least some college under their belts now hold just 18 percent of the good jobs, down 10 percentage points during the same time period,” (Fain 3). People with a four year college degree have gained 55 percent of well paying jobs in 2015 compared to in the nineties where it was lower. Going to college is a good start to help decrease unemployment rates and also increase chances of working well paying jobs. College education can help with getting stable jobs, leading to increased income and better financial support for one’s family.

Ten years after the financial crisis, the nation is finally back on its feet. However, higher education systems across the country are struggling to catch up. In Louisiana particularly, the government has left the higher education system to fend for itself, with no authority to raise tuition.

Young adults are forced to make many stressful decisions nowadays. Many of these important decisions will arise during and around the high school years. Although most all of these decisions will have an impact on their future, the choice of whether to go straight to college or into the workforce will have the greatest. Many soon to be high school graduates spend lots of time researching and attempting the find the best path for themselves. Most come to the conclusion, for various reasons, high school graduates benefit from higher education and, thus, these young adults should avoid immediate entrance into the workforce.

College is a time when people begin to live alone, party, get a better education while having fun and accumulating debt. A huge problem for college students is debt, the moment they sign up for college most students sign away their debt free life, and rarely, if ever, escaping debt in the future. What puts students in debt? Tuition, college tuition puts students into debt. Universities have scholarships, work studies, grants, and loans to help out their students but sometimes they are not enough, you have to pay loans back and then find money to pay the rest of the money off. Can you reduce the price of college tuition? There are a few ways you can reduce the price of tuition on a personal level. Many people give tips on how to help students not go into debt so they can afford to live.

College in 2017 is described to most as a rite of passage. We go through 12 years of basic education to be able to get accepted into a 2 or 4 year college. Once arriving there, professors usually have two different ways of talking to students. These would be described as the theories to why we have college. While some students and even professors believe that college is all about expanding your mind, the alternative perception of higher education is a preferred way to look at and experience college.