Why We Should Not Go To College

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.

Supporters of getting a college degree often point to the statistics that college graduates earn more than their high school educated peers over a lifetime. Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau reports that since 1977, “Adults with bachelor's degrees in the late 1970s earned 55 percent more than adults who had not advanced beyond high school. That gap grew to 75 percent by 1990 -- and is now at 85 percent.” A gap of an 85% pay difference is a huge figure and a clear reason why college is a great option for some people. But there are problems with that figure because when the number of college graduates who are either unemployed or underemployed is taken into account it changes the value of the statistic. In an article by Businessweek’s Richard Vedder we get statistics to counter that argument. He tells of how the number of new college graduates far exceeds job growth in technical, managerial, and professional jobs where graduates traditionally have searched for employment. As a consequence, we have underemployed college graduates doing jobs historically performed by those with just a highschool education. He says we have “more than 100,000 janitors with

One must consider their choice of major, cost of school, where they are attending school, and a variety of other factors. Depending on the situation college may not be a smart investment (Owen and Sawhill 209). I agree with this notion that some people are not meant for college, but we as a society still push the idea of college which creates conflicting thoughts in the mind of a student. When discussing the benefits of attending college the biggest supporting reason revolves around further expanding one’s knowledge in order to earn a higher income. They use ethos in their appeals but they fail to provide evidence of this. They may show numbers that are skewed showing the difference in salary of a high school graduate and a college graduate but they don’t show the majors that earning that high income. They don’t show the number of college graduates without a job and how much debt they are in. Owen and Sawhill do a tremendous job in their report of giving us those numbers and statistics to back up their

Many young people think that obtaining a college degree is the best way—perhaps the only way—to get a good job anymore. So is it still possible to get a good job without one? According to Professor Blanche D. Blank, attaining a college degree doesn’t always guarantee success. In his published article “Degrees: Who Needs Them?”, he argues that American college is not teaching young adults the actual skills they need for the workforce, instead the education system is becoming a jumble of generalized credits that amount to a degree. College is becoming a mold for one to fit in the technological culture, rather than to release one to actively engage in the pursuit of knowledge. Blank begins building his credibility with personal experiences and

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,

Others don’t believe in this. Some people don’t go to college due to how expensive it is. According to the article “Even for Cashiers College Pays Off” by David Leonhardt he states,”It saddles students with the debt; it does not guarantee a good job; it isn’t necessary for many jobs.” College can put a heavy burden on people that is not necessary. Furthermore, this is debt that they can’t fail to pay. Others don’t go simply based on the fact that they don’t like school.They feel they learn better outside of the classroom and are able to learn skills in the real-world. Lastly another reason they don’t go is because of the lack of support from their parents or family. Many families don’t give the support someone may need when starting college. Even though it is ultimately the person’s choice whether to go to college, it is good to have a support

First, there are some students that disagree on college being worth it because of the cost of tuition that is, so high. They feel that college is far too expensive to even attend, so they just look for a job, instead because they feel that they’re wasting time and money. But, what they don’t know is, that there are other colleges out there that have much cheaper tuition to pay. According to Louis Menand, “Public Colleges are much less expensive—the average tuition is $7,605—and there are also many less selective private colleges where you can get a good education, and a lot more faculty face time, without having to spend every minute of high school sucking up to your teachers and reformatting your resume” (Live And Learn). Also, there are people that say they don’t have the money after they graduate from high school to get into college, which then, they can apply for financial

Many students are faced with the decision of whether they want to attend college, and their choice could either lead them into thousands of dollars of debt or a reliable, well-paying career. There are many deciding factors that need to be considered when choosing whether to continue education or start working. College is difficult and expensive, so if someone is not willing or able to complete college, it could be a waste of money. After evaluating your skills and what makes you happy, it is important to realize which career will be most beneficial. This career could require several years of college, or it could just require a high school diploma. Finding out what is best for you will help you develop a better future and a happier life. There are reasons why college is not worth it, why college is worth it, and why I think college is beneficial.

In their article “Should everyone go to college?” Stephanie Owen, Senior research assistant, and Isabel Sawhill, former Vice President of the Brookings Institute, argue that many factors lead to individuals not being able to attend college. They go on to claim these factors to be school choice, career field, graduation, and area of study. The article states that while on average the rate of return is usually positive, there are cases in which it is negative. One of their focal points is what it cost to attend college and its affordability. Claiming that with the rise in the cost of college, which progresses at a faster rate than that of the job wage increase, that college is becoming less affordable. In their conclusion a three step policy plan is included for individuals who plan to attend college. While realistically I agree that yes, some individuals should not go to college, my optimistic side would like to believe that everyone should and can go to college without it becoming a sour investment.

Another reason why college isn’t for everyone is because of how expensive it is. Today, to get a even a four year degree, you pay a lot of money. Even though colleges are expensive, not all expensive colleges have the best education. “The biggest frauds are for profit colleges that are raking in money even as their students drop out in droves, and whose diplomas are barely worth the ink jets they’re printed on.” This is saying that people can pay large amounts of money for college, does not mean they will learn anything. People who go through job trainings tend to learn more things quicker than actually going to college. Basically, getting a degree is not only pointless for jobs today, but can also be very expensive and useless to go to.

In today’s society, employers look for workers with college degrees because they know what college students are capable of doing. Employers now hold their employees to a different standard compared to the 1900s. Back then, employers did not mind the level of education a person had because being educated was not as common. However, now that society has progressed, more and more people have the same level of education: a high school diploma. Today, employers want to hire someone that

Beginning at an early age, children who are encouraged academically by their parents, educators, and coaches will grow up with the realization that a thorough education will provide for them—financially and professionally—in the future. One of the first things that we are taught is that if we graduate with a degree from college, then we will have a better job and more opportunities in the future. There are many instances where this rings true. According to Brookings Institution publication “an individual with a college degree is nearly nine times more likely to make over $100,000 than someone with only a high school diploma and 13 times more likely to make more

A college education is now as necessary for success as a high school education was in the 1970’s according to the job industry. In 1970, only 40 percent of high school graduates went to college. Now 70 percent of high school graduates attend some sort of

In the article, Why Everyone Shouldn’t Go to College, by Valerie Strauss, she takes a piece from Larry Cuban’s blog which explains his opinion on why students shouldn’t attend college. Throughout the article, he gives statistics to further persuade his audience and give him a better sense of credibility. Furthermore, he lets his readers know that there are alternative routes for secondary school students to take besides attending college and obtaining a higher education. In addition, he also talks about the financial perspective. Although Cuban gave statistics, alternative routes, and explained financial problems, he fails to convince the reader due to his lack of credibility, not providing his alternative routes and along with the insufficient

Most expect that by attending college and graduating they will be able to find a good paying career with benefits in a field that will interest them. It seems that from high school it is drilled into our heads that we must attend college to be successful in life and contribute to our society. However, college graduates often find themselves working in a field that is unrelated to their degree. This could be due to how many people are also trying to apply for jobs in that specific field, or it could be that that job does not provide them with enough money to live off. The most important thing that students really need to ask themselves before they attend college is, “is a college degree really enough in today’s world to get a good career