Nathaniel Smith
Bates
English 145
13 October, 2015
Why we Choose College One of the biggest questions children and teens ask themselves in America is what they want to do with their future. Among the choices they have is the decision whether to attend college. It’s a big decision. For children, it seems like an easy decision. “Of course! You need a degree to get a job.” As we get closer to graduating high school, we find out that it’s much more complex. There are other options to consider. College can be a risk. It’s expensive, and many students are advised against attending because of this. It could add very little to their career path, or it might be vital to their dream career. Each person must decide what value college has to their
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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
High school graduation marks the start of young adults’ lives, a time where they are expected to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives. Many young adults are pressured into attending college, whether they have determined their goal or not, but is it necessary? “The Case Against College,” an article written by Linda Lee, a mother who has questioned the former belief that college equals success, claims that “not everyone needs a higher education.” College, though beneficial to many, is not for everyone and should not determine an individual’s life.
College is a time in life where students attain a sense of the real world and commence a new road to independence. Despite the alluring effects of a college education, many high school students have yet to decide whether or not college is worth paying for. As time progresses, colleges are raising their demand on finances in return for a person to become acquainted with the intellectual properties for their desired career choice. Due to this dilemma, numerous teenagers have been dropping out of high school believing that college is unnecessary in order to find a job immediately. The progressive increase of financial gain in colleges have also raised some concern to the group of people that do wish to attend college, but cannot afford to obtain such prerequisite. While some may claim that college is not a valuable coming of age experience due to a personal conviction in which a college education is not able to fulfill one's goals, or appease prior expectations, college is able to be considered as a valuable coming of age experience nonetheless. The reasoning behind this is that a college experience allows an individual to discover their ambitions for the future and provide knowledge of who they are, while additionally providing a sense of purpose to their life in the future by transforming them into a more prosperous person.
A college degree is a valuable asset that could ultimately lead to a productive life in society due to the received education, but people without a college degree do turn out more than adequate in regards to societal success. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the forecasted 30 fastest growing jobs between 2010 and 2020, five do not require a high school diploma, nine require a high school diploma, four require an associate 's degree, six require a bachelor 's degree, and six require graduate degrees to get the jobs (College). In an article called “College Education” by ProCon.org,
As it is heavily believed and statistically proved by Document A, Earnings and Unemployment Rates Based on Educational Attainments (2015), the higher the degree earned, the more money attained, similarly the higher the degree earned, the lower the unemployment rate. This proves the worth of college by giving numerical comparisons of those who invested in it verses those who didn’t. The median weekly earnings of $1,730 from someone with a professional degree put up against the $678 from someone who only graduated from high school shows a very obvious difference. This information greatly supports the decision of going to college by displaying the “in the long run” advantage of college through the amount of money you can make in the future with the degree you earn
Starting in high school, students are not given equal opportunities to excel because of family background. Furthermore, the admissions process itself has its flaws—legacies, minorities, and athletes are being chosen over exceptionally gifted valedictorians. Even after college, the problems do not end; possible joblessness and student debt are unavoidable. On top of these major problems, educators and parents continue to convince kids everywhere that college is the only option to become successful, and choosing another path is heavily looked down upon. The newest generation’s life is centered around the climax of college while at the same time, more and more students are unable to attend universities because of cost or rejection, but this is a paradox. The more high schoolers work hard, the more high schoolers will get turned down to their dream schools, and the more the college admissions process effectively become a lottery, leading to “many highly talented, brilliant, creative people thinking they’re not” (Robinson). The widespread college problem has no easy fix, nor does it have a single solution. Rather than working to fix the unfixable, adults must stop putting such emphasis on the college pathway, and instead stress that there are other options. The future of the job world is unknown; there is no way to know if an expensive college education is the right choice. College, with all of its flaws, is just one option in preparing for the future; it is not necessarily the best. Therefore, the single word, “college,” should stop dividing the academic from the non-academic or the successful from the unsuccessful, and instead be considered a single path in an array of worthy
Finally is ‘’getting a good job’’ after graduation, For some jobs, If it does, then why do college grads make up 40% of the unemployment? And why do 46% of college grads work jobs that don’t need a college degree why? Most Companies crave people with experience .It’s a horrible cycle because to get experience, you need a job, And to get a job, you need experience. So a college degree just shows a prospective employee that you are willing to do hard work, you can meet deadlines, and you can plan and priorities mean something to you. That's it! A degree will get you "foot in the door" with employers,
As young adults graduate from high school, they wonder whether they should pursue a higher education or not. The debate on the cost of college and its worth has been a highly discussed topic for decades. Most kids most likely won’t attend college because they claim it’s too expensive and it’s not worth the cost. But college is more than just a building with an expensive price tag that people attend, it’s an experience, it’s a segue to personal and financial prosperity.
In today’s society, multitudes of our high school graduates are being pushed and excessively encouraged to attend college. Attending these colleges has negatively affected many college graduates, such as providing attendees debt and wasted resources on attaining a college degree. However, the pros considerably outweigh the cons on the worth of a college degree. College is worth the cost because it gives graduates' ample opportunity and success, larger wages than that of non-college graduates, and gives graduates life-skills that will stupendously bene/fit them not only in the work force, but also later in life.
When students reach their junior and senior years of high school, they are faced with pressure from teachers, counselors, and parents to choose and apply to colleges. Instead of succumbing to the pressure, some students choose to pursue careers with no degree necessary or careers in the military. Other students are still left contemplating whether or not college is worth the financial strain. When other factors such as future career earnings, personal growth, and potential friendships and relationships are considered, it becomes clear that college truly is worth the cost.
One of the most commonly known benefits of a college degree is having more job opportunities than somebody who doesn’t. An employer would rather hire somebody with a college degree than somebody who doesn’t.
Choices people make while they are young can affect them for the rest of their lives. From a very young age, children are asked what they want to be when they grow up, and they are told they can be anything they want to be with hard work and dedication. Countless children say they want to be doctors and lawyers, but they are unaware of the financial burden they would take on to achieve these dreams. Going to college is not a simple as it may seem while guidance counselors promise it is the only way to be successful in life it only leaves students in debt and jobless. A college education is a key to unlocking the doors to these sought out professions but most of the time individuals can not afford the “key to success.” College is not for everyone
From birth to death, from day to dawn, children are always told that the absolutely must attend college. Without a degree, they may as well throw their entire life away; no job, no salary, no family—only poverty and misery. Many take this advice to heart, and spend countless amounts of dollars, time, and effort on obtaining their diploma. However, many find themselves in a rut—they have graduated their post-secondary school, but now they cannot obtain a job! Regrettably, this exact situation happens to several thousands of individuals every year. As a result, people often find themselves debating on whether or not college is valuable enough to pour hundreds of dollars into. College is worth the investment if one enters the program with the right experience, finances, and connections to make the most of it.
I would like to attend college because I want to be able to demonstrate not only to myself but to my family that we can do what we set ourselves to do. I would to do go far in this life and accomplish my life goals. Without college, I will not be able to do my goals. My goals are to graduate from college, one day own my own land so that I can own my own agricultural business, and have my home there too, and I want to be a high school Spanish teacher as well. Another reason as to why I want to attend college is that I want to be able to show my little sister that anything is possible, we can do whatever we set ourselves to do, as long we do not give up we will be able to accomplish great things in life. My teachers have also been a great influence
First, the United States Department of Education doesn’t prepare the new generation of undergraduates for a college degree. Meet the requirement to university right after graduating high school is difficult for the students. Most undergraduates go to community college because it lot cheap and the university is further expensive to earn a degree. The tuition in state university has increased dramatically than a community college. One realistic American dreams seem a distant memory from our childhood’s dream. While the tuition has increased and it takes longer for students to graduate. On the average, it takes very long time for college student graduation to earn back what they’re spent on the college tuition. Additional, moreover college students’ graduation has been earning less over the years while the tuition has
In today’s society, American youth are facing a major crisis. The government’s statistics show that a large percentage of young men and women are joining the ranks of the unemployed. The most startling fact is that many of these individuals are recent college graduates. Many studies stress the importance of a college education, calling it an “economic investment” and the “most important choice made in a person’s lifetime”. Indeed, the decision to pursue college education is important, but many people do not consider the risks of doing so. While going to college seems like a noble pursuit, it is simply not feasible for this generation of young people, as the astronomical expenses, fierce competition of the job market, and the increasing obsolescence of the college degree are major deciding factors against the idea of getting a college education.