The Pros And Cons Of College

A lot of people will argue, that college is too expensive. Not everyone can go to college, for financial reasons. Also, they may get into college, but end up having to leave because they cannot afford the remaining balances; or, they received financial aid, but end up having to take out loans they are going to be paying back forever. It is like once they graduate they will be working mostly to pay off their student loan debt. This also discourages some students. In some cases, they will not even take the initiative to try because it is so costly. I do not understand why it cost so much to want to better yourself, and possibly put us in debt for the rest of our life just to receive a higher education. Not only has the cost of college risen over a period of time, but it continues to go up. Yes, they have alternatives for paying student debts, but what if you do not qualify? Lastly, you are not guaranteed a job just because you graduate and have a college degree(s).

“In fall 2016, some 20.5 million students are expected to attend American colleges and universities, constituting an increase of about 5.2 million since fall 2000” (National Center for Education Statistics). That number seems to be rising each and ever year, and it almost seems as students feel like they have to go to college directly after high school. Maybe it is because they feel that they have to fit in, even if college is not for them. Although some students attend college for academics, sports, and other reasons, some students attend college for no apparent reason; with that in mind, students should take into consideration the time and money that is put into going to college.

In the last decade, students and parents alike have begun to question the effectiveness of receiving a college education. Stories of students graduating college with outstanding student loans, being unable to find a job, or feeling overqualified for a position continually increase. In the same manner, the number of students apprehensive about refraining from entering the workforce for an additional four years while simultaneously spending thousands of dollars for an education that in the end may not assure them a job with an adequate income, increases. The issue then is to determine whether or not the cost of college is worth the outcome.

The cost of college is becoming outrageous because they are rising tuition, trying to make their campus more appealing to the students that attend as well as incoming students, and government loans have astronomical interest rates. Students are having to come up with all of the money themselves. It is hurting the students after they graduate because they are in so much debt before they even start their career. Some students wonder if going to college is worth it or if finishing high school would be enough for them. The amount of debt students are accumulating by going to college makes others wonder if they want to start a career already thousands of dollars in debt. Going to college may seem like a no brainer for some, but others struggle with the thought of “being in the red” right out of college and trying to find a high paying job that will help them pay back their loans and borrowed money, especially in the economy now.

That doesn’t mean it’s always in someone’s best interest to go to college. “By telling all young people that they should go to college no matter what, we are actually doing them a disservice,” wrote Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill in “Should Everyone Go to College?” (Downey N. pag.). You should always consider your intended occupation. A degree doesn’t always promise to make you more money than if you only had a high school education. Recognizing tuition cost is out pacing inflation, you have to make sure your degree is worth the time, money, and effort you’re about to put into it. ‘’With fast-rising tuitions and stagnant wages, fewer of us are immune from borrowing to pay for our university education. And delaying or forgoing college while we save is a difficult option: according to the Center for American Progress, weekly earnings for workers with a bachelor’s degree were $1,066 in 2012, compared to $652 for workers with a high school diploma. Those without a degree are nearly twice as likely to be unemployed. For many, going to college, then, is simultaneously a rational economic choice and an economic disaster’’ (Clark N. pag.). Often if a four-year degree isn’t right for someone they might try a different, cheaper route such as; training certification, a trade school, or online courses (Downey N.

College becomes an experience where a person has to depend on him or herself and get a feel of the independence granted by the “real world.” While they might still be dependent upon them financially, a lot of students choose to dorm on campus and are no longer living under the direct supervision of their parents. Decisions they make are on their own prerogative, and the consequences of mistakes or ill-informed decisions are to be dealt with alone. The hope is that college will provide a student with the proper tools to gain employment after his or her stay, but often parents and students pay thousands of dollars to attend college, and taking out loans without absolutely no guarantee of knowing if the college education will result in sufficient employment in the future. There is much reasoning behind my opinion that college should not be as expensive as it is, and should be made more affordable for a larger amount of people. Elaborating on what was previously mentioned, there is no peace of mind when it comes to getting a successful job after college, and a person will be stuck paying back loans for the rest of his life. This will perpetuate a vicious cycle, as a person will be paying loans back, not being able to afford school

There are only a handful of high school graduates that know exactly what career path, they want to go to school for and get their bachelors degree within a 4 year span. Majority of the high school graduates today are unsure of a career path to chase, leaving most going to a community college. For almost all students, it is necessary to get a part time job to help pay for school necessities. Stress is added to those who have a full school schedule (12 units/credits or more) and also have +30 hour work weeks in order to pay for school. When students decide to transfer to 4 year colleges/universities, most cannot afford $20,000 to $25,000 a year for tuition. To build onto the stress from community college, transfer students now have to worry about the cost of their newly acquired student debt. After completing their Bachelor’s Program at their chosen 4 year, students acquire roughly $80,000 to $100,000 in student debt, not including the cost of living expenses. Even after all the costs and schooling, careers are not promised to graduates. Millennials are forced to take any job after graduation, in order to pay off these debts, even if these jobs are not in their related degree. Millennials today have a hard enough time worrying about how to pay back their loans, not to mention the increase in the cost of living.

After high school, there are so many possible roads to take. Whether it be going into the military, college, work, and or travel the world there are many endless possibilities. All of the seniors that graduate will most likely continue there scholar career at some sort of college, which is a good choice to make because once the graduates know what they want to be they can go and pursue it at the college level. Even though college can be expensive it will be worth it in the end when you graduate with a degree and use it with your everyday lifestyle. People who choose to go to college right after high school and not have a gap year is the right choice because they can get their careers started and not behind a year, they don't spend extra money on travel expenses, and once people stop going to school they will lose the motivation to go back to college.

The ridiculously high costs of college have enormous impacts upon both students currently in college as well as their parents, loved ones, and also other potential college applicants. Because of it's astronomical increase, the cost of college has become the primary deciding factor in many college students' major; it's not so much about whether they'll actually like the career they're pursuing, but more about practical things like how long it will take to them to achieve the degree/get a job, how much it will put them and their family into debt, and how much they'll be making (so that they can quickly pay back their stupendous student loans)? Thousands more potential college students are so deterred by the ridiculous prices that they avoid college all together.

The key to living a comfortable life in today’s world is having a college education. Life has gotten much harder and the job market has become more competitive without a four year degree. Having to work two or three jobs and both parents of the home working to put food on the table. People are barely making it with a bachelor’s degree now and are finding themselves needing a master’s degree to get a better job. College tuition has been increasing at a steady rate. Many students are finding themselves not having equal opportunity to attend college due the high tuition cost. A large number of students that do attend find themselves with a huge amount of student loans to pay. Colleges have raised their tuition greatly, created unequal opportunity and create loans that take years to pay back.

In the essay “College is a Waste of Time and Money,” by Caroline Bird, Ms. Bird explains her beliefs that college is a waste of time and money and how people only go either because they are told to, or because they are not ready for life. She believes college students are all living in sadness and if they would invest money for years, instead of getting an education, they would get more money than if they were to build a career and work until the retirement age. Ms. Bird also explained the shrinking job market and how people waste their time on unnecessary classes, earning a degree in which they will not be able to find a job.

“We have three cats. It's like having children, but there is no tuition involved” (Reagan, 2017). This might be the way to go for today’s millennials futures. College tuition has become a great financial burden over the course of a few years. After high school, students have many different career options such as: being apart of the workforce, joining the military, and of course. . . going to college. Many who choose the workforce and the military over college though is almost always for the same reason though. College is just too expensive. Living in too much debt could lead to lots of stress in life, and no one wants to stress about getting a higher education just to make it through life. Many students who do choose college over the workforce

At one point in time the idea of going to college was a dream come true. Young adults could look forward to the idea of living on their own where all they have is themselves and a warm blanket of independence surrounding them in a comfortable embrace. The concept of ‘college’ and what it encompassed at one point was pure joy because it allowed people (between the ages of 18 and 24) to find themselves and to truly establish a name for themselves. But as of today, in the year 2015, that is certainly not the case. Constant setbacks on education is making the increase of student loans outrageous. Recent studies have shown that the total amount of student loans have reached an all-time high of 1 trillion dollars. However, living in the United States, going to college and accumulating a large sum of debt

The major reason that colleges is worth the cost is because of the higher pay wages that are offered to college graduates versus the lower pay wages for those who do not graduate college. When deciding on whether to attend college student loan debt is often a key determining factor. The government classifies jobs into certain groups or zones based on their various requirements: education and experience. The higher the work zones the more money you make meaning more requirements you have to meet these are often the jobs where a college degree is necessary. While the lower the zones less requirements are needed (Draeger). Draeger validates my point that students don’t want to go into an enormous amount of debt to attend college when he states, “As long as a student is able to borrow minimal funds ($20,000), college easily remains a worthwhile value. Borrowing $20,000 a year for the next four years places a huge burden on the students when they graduate as they are forced to begin making payments on their student debt within six months of them graduating. In today’s society with some jobs being limited to the number of worker’s students are not able to find jobs immediately after they graduate and within those six months so they are forced into taking a lower wage job that are not in line with their major nor require as much knowledge that they have acquired by attending

Has College lost its value over the recent years? I disagree with the thought that college has lost its value. College is a very valuable entity that happens to come with a lifetime supply of compensations. Although, college can be financially straining in the short term, it can be very rewarding in the long term. College engagements can help integrate college students into real life circumstances. Deciding whether college is the path for an individual is based on important everyday factors. Determining is college valuable, why must one want to attend college, what/who is the reason for an individual wanting to attend college, and what is it that an individual is trying to pursuit. The values of vary person