College Education: An Investment or Expense?

Many Americans today tend to believe that a college education is valuable financially, yet some others strongly oppose this, since they look at the college education as being both time and money consuming. A person who successfully completes a college education may obtain one or all of the following; an associate’s degree after two years, a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or a PhD. The institutions that provide the college education can be public or private. Whereas a college education might be seen as being very expensive, it actually increases people’s chances of getting higher paying jobs, instills knowledge into them, and raises their enjoyment levels. When it comes to the topic of earning, many people will readily agree that individuals

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

This a very weak reason to be considered because the Digest of Education Statistics mentions that, “For the 2013–14 academic year, annual current dollar prices for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board were estimated to be $15,640 at public institutions, $40,614 at private nonprofit institutions, and $23,135 at private for-profit institutions. Between 2003–04 and 2013–14, prices for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board at public institutions rose 34 percent, and prices at private nonprofit institutions rose 25 percent, after adjustment for inflation. The price for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board at private for-profit institutions decreased 16 percent between 2003–04 and 2013–14, after adjustment for inflation” (Tuition costs of colleges and universities). The data provided indicates that college education is really affordable and becomes cheaper if a person is eligible for grants and scholarships provided by the colleges, States and the federal government at large. There are so many grants, the most common throughout all colleges being Pell Grant, which lower the cost of a college