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The importance of going to college after high school essay
The importance of going to college after high school essay
Importance of a college education
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College: It Is Worth the Time
Going to college has been an ongoing discussion for ages. Some people believe that college is not worth the time and money, and some believe college is. People can benefit from having a college degree. College degrees are worth the time, the hard work, and the money, and there are facts to prove it. Although some people debate this issue, the right answer is to attend college and obtain a degree.
Often people debate going to college right after they graduate high school because not all high school graduates know why there is a need to further their education. There are tons of advantages to going to college, but there are a couple downfalls to going to college too. Besides money, people’s health can also benefit.
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College degrees have proven to be a valuable resource to achieve a higher pay. “Is a College Education Worth It” writes, college graduates with a bachelor degree earned on average $30,000 more per year than a person with just a high school education (1). This statistic shows that with just a four-year degree, someone can earn more than a person with just a high school education. This also proves that people with a college degree earn more in their lifetime than people with just a high school education. “Benefits of a College Degree” adds that in a lifetime, people with a bachelor 's degree earn $2.7 million. People with just a high school diploma earn about $1.3 million in their lifetime (1). Abel and Deitz claim that over the past four decades, people with a bachelor’s degree earned 56% more than high school graduates while people with an associate’s degree earned 21% more than high school graduates (1). This comes to show how getting a college education has benefited people for four decades. Mark Peters and Douglas Belkin propose that the cost of college for someone with a bachelor’s degree is on average 110,000 to 130,000 (1). This number can seem very large to most people, but people with a bachelor’s degree earn more money, so the amount of debt they have will quickly …show more content…
Health insurance is offered more to an employee with a college degree, rather than someone without a college degree. 70% of individuals with a four-year college degree received health insurance, while only 50% of employees received the same benefit (“The Benefits of a College Degree” 1). The statistic aboves proves that employees with a college degree are actually offered health insurance by their employer more than an employee without a college degree.
Not only do people have access to health insurance, but people have access to retirement plans with a degree. 70% of college graduates, 25 and older, had access to retirement plans, while only 30% of people, 25 and older, without a college degree had access to retirement plans (“Is a College Education Worth It” 1). This is a huge difference at 40%, because people struggle with being able to retire at 65. Just like Health insurance, employees with a college degree are offered access to retirement plans by their employer more than employees without a college
The real problem, according to Bruni, is that a college education is now far less likely to result in gainful employment. While statistics suggest that the rate of unemployment for college graduates is far better than for those with only a high school education, Bruni argues that these statistics
Unemployment is on the rise and, always trying to be avoided. By obtaining a degree, the chance of being out of work is reduced. Baum, Ma, & Payea (2013) claim, “The 2012 unemployment rates for 25- to 34-year-olds were 9.6% for those with some college but no degree and 7.2% for those with associate degrees” (p.20). With just an associate's degree, the chance of being unemployed plummets 2.4% compared to those compared to little college, proving when the higher of a degree is obtained, the lower
While college may be initially uneconomical, evidence from a 1959 census shows a “three-fourths of earning difference” between those who graduated from college and those who merely received a high school diploma (Weisbrod et al 495). Weisbrod and Karpoff acknowledge the high cost of college in America, but assert the benefits of a college degree will more than reimburse a person in the long run, therefore the initial cost of attending a college is worthwhile. (Weisbrod et. al). Furthermore, this indicates only “one-fourth of the earnings differences are attributed...to non-schooling factors”, which proves the significant role college plays in determining the future earnings of an individual (Weisbrod et. al 497). College appears to be the most influential factor in regards to a person's earnings, therefore according to Weisbrod and Karpoff, college is necessary for a person who wishes to obtain a higher expected income. Even students who attend mediocre to below-average colleges will receive “a lifetime income that is [around] 10 percent lower ...than that which someone at one of the best schools can expect” (Weisbrod et. al 497). Weisbrod and Karpoff contend even low-tier colleges result in higher earnings, therefore a student should strive to attend any college regardless of the
First, college degree graduates have better opportunities in finding a high wage job. “Graduates enjoy increased opportunities for employment at higher rates of pay, providing them with the wherewithal to pay off debt, if they are wise stewards of that debt.” (Smith, 29) People with college degrees have higher chances of being successful in the future because employers would rather employ those who holds a college degree. However, although there are some people who did not attend college find jobs that can help satisfy and support their lives, they cannot compare the earnings of college graduates who holds a degree. My cousin, holding a Bachelor’s degree of Business Management, graduated 5 years ago from College. At first, College education can guarantee the success of her goals, but because of her persistence, she is now a successful businesswoman. She has now a full-time job that can support her family and has already built her own home. With this means, having a college degree helps a person not only achieve their own goals but also being independent. “Realistically, having a college degree will likely mean a com...
People who complete a college education become aware of some life needs, for example useful entertainment, which can improve their lifestyle by relaxing their minds. These individuals in most cases have health insurance, through their employers, which makes their lives healthier than those of high school graduates who might not even have any knowledge of insurance. Procon.org shows that, “70% of college graduates had access to employer-provided health insurance compared to 50% of high school graduates in 2008. 70% of college graduates 25 years old and older had access to retirement plans in 2008 compared to 65% of associate 's degree holders, 55% of high school graduates, and 30% of people who did not complete high school. The 2008 poverty rate for bachelor 's degree holders was 4%, compared to a 12% poverty rate for high school graduates” (Is a College Education worth it?). Most people in the world wish to live a better life. No one wants to associate with poverty, that’s the major reason why a college education is essential when it comes to quality of
College gives its graduates the greatest ability to achieve a higher paying job. Furthermore, adults who attend college earn higher wages over those who do not. As emphasized in “College Grads Find Big Degree of Debt, Difficulty; American Families Start to Wonder Whether Education Cost Is Worth It” by Patrice Hill, a staff writer for The Washington Times, employees who have a bachelors degree earn an average of 84% more than people with only a high school degree. In accordance with these numbers, the results of a study conducted by the Treasury and Education Departments in 2011 show that college graduates with full time jobs earned 64% more per week than high school graduates. A similar study conducted in 2013 showed that a full-time worker with a bachelors degree earns 79% more than one without a college degree (Hill). There are numerous studies that verify that people who attend college earn higher wages. Furthermore, college graduates earn more desirable jobs. As Justin Draeger, CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, states in his article “College Is Still Worth the Expense”, the U.S. government classifies jobs in zones one through six. Lower work zones pay the least and are full of non-college graduates. The highest zones pay the most and are filled with college graduates. According to the US government, the median pay for job zone thre...
Not everyone has to have a diploma to prosper. And you would be right; Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Stacey Ferreira are just a few of the many successful people without a college degree. Consider this, the top 1 percent of wage earners in the U.S. earn almost $500,000 per year. The odds of anyone making it to the top are low, even with a college degree, but the odds are better than those with no college education. Of those with college degrees, roughly eight in 1,000 make it into the upper field of income earners. For those without a college degree, the odds drop as low as three out of 1,000. While that may seem unrealistic, on average people with a bachelor’s degree or higher earn about $20,000 more a year than those without a
People who have a college degree make more money, in yearly earnings and salaries. IN the article actually college is very much worth it,Andrew J. Rotherham reports that “The median weekly earnings for someone with some college but no degree were $712, compared to $1038 for a college graduate.”(87) An average of $324 more a week and an average of almost $17,000 over a year. Getting a college degree can make a huge difference in potential income. That’s compared to people who have gone to college but didn’t get a college degree, the median salary for people who just have a high school degree is even less.
The main focus of the essay is on the meaning of an education. It’s stated that a real education consists of more than just training in the specifics of one’s chosen field. It cites lateral thinking and communication skills as the valuable life skills that should be learned.
People who at least received their bachelor’s degree have a stable job; however, people who just have the high school diploma do not earn much money. After graduating college, the seniors that choose practical careers have no trouble paying off debt. If the graduating seniors attends college, “The true cost of a college degree is about negative $500,00… Over the long run… not going to college will cost you half a million dollars”(Leonhardt). It is true that initially, attending college will cost the seniors a lot of money.
In April of 2013, there was a 3.6% unemployment rate for college graduates with bachelor degrees, who were 25 and over, compared to 5.0% of those with associate degrees, 7.5% for those with a high school diploma, and 11.4% for high school dropouts (“Is a college”, 2016, par. 9). I found it to be very interesting that there was such a large unemployment gap between students with bachelor degrees and students with an associate’s degree or even a high school diploma. “58% of college graduates and people with some college or associate’s degrees reported being ‘very satisfied’ with their jobs compared to 50% of high school graduates and 40% of people without a high school diploma” (“Is a college”, 2016, par. 9). While I am not shocked that college graduates with bachelor’s degrees tend to have the lowest unemployment, I am shocked that those with an associate’s degree had a much higher unemployment rate than I thought they
In the website “PBS NEWSHOUR'S- Related: Universities and colleges struggle to stem big drops in enrollment” it discusses, “The United States has 30 million jobs that pay an average of $55,000 per year and don’t require a bachelor’s degree.” I can see how some might be swayed by this point of view, but I disagree because there are way more jobs that can pay you more than that and you only need to attend college and earn bachelor’s degrees. In fact, “College grads earn $2.1 million in lifetime income compared with $1.2 million for high school grads.” Basically this is trying to explain that college grads earn more money than just the high school grads. Furthermore, it is also trying to explain that being a college grad is better than being a high school grad because college grads will earn more money in a lifetime.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2017, adults with just a high school degree were nearly twice as likely to unemployed as those with a bachelor’s degree (United States). To many employers, a degree represents that a graduate has obtained the necessary and specific skills that make them qualified for the respective job. In addition, according to Census Bureau, the average earnings of college graduates are higher, with lifetime earnings for those with bachelor degrees increasing by over $900,000 (US Census Bureau). The ability to land a line of work and earn a living gives college graduates an advantage in providing for their own
Individuals who attend institutions of higher learning offer many benefits to society as a whole. Some social benefits realized from those with a higher education include increases in the individual’s volunteer activity, as well as increase in overall individual health and well-being. A report from Analyst Diana Wardell, entitled “The Benefits of Higher Education,” states that individuals who did not complete high school made up 9.9% of those who volunteer their time, while those with a high school diploma made up 21.7%. Those who have some college experience made up 34.1%, and those with a Bachelor’s Degree made up 45.6 percent of those who volunteered their time. Additionally, those with a high school diploma, with an income ranging from $35,000-$54,000, 62%, report to be in excellent or very good health, while 73% of those with a Bachelor’s Degree, in the same income bracket, reported to be in excellent or very good health (Wardell, Benefits). Similarly, an article e...
Increasingly, it seems as though a college education is becoming a necessary requirement for obtaining a decent piece of the economic pie. Over the past couple of decades the distribution of income has been growing more and more unequal: the top end of the distribution has seen a growth in their income while those at the lower end have seen their real incomes stagnate (Irons 1). Education is the most important way in which people can make it into the upper end of the income distribution (Irons 1). But after the time, effort, and tuition, is college that important? Yes. The price of not going to college is even higher than the price of tuition. A person with a college diploma are more apt to lower unemployment rates, higher earnings, better working conditions, and benefits that are more rewarding people with only a high school diploma (Degree-VS-Diploma).