Should Everybody Go To College Analysis

In the short article Should Everybody Go to College, an informative writing by two female authors published in 2013, a serious question is asked and responded to that plagues the minds of young adults across America, “Should everybody go to college?” In their piece, the two authors express that going to college is completely based on personal situations. While information about whether college is right for somebody is universally confusing, they make the most important subjects clear to the reader. In this article, Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill state that provided comprehensible information, federally led performance-based scholarships, and alternative paths are critical for choosing the correct path for college-seeking individuals.

Owen and Sawhill make sure in their writing to give content that is easy to understand for most academic levels. The authors reiterate that not all bachelor’s degrees are equal. They establish this point with easy-to-read graphs that make it clear that some bachelor’s degrees, such as arts and education, make significantly less money than degrees in the STEM field, for example. Owen and Sawhill help the reader to recognize how not all colleges can be good investments by

using percentages. Rate on investment (ROI) is frequently used to help the reader conveniently gage cost and benefit of different kinds of colleges in a simple fashion. This strategy guides the reader into putting the input and output of college cost into perspective.
The authors also make a point of how the government can play a role in deciding what college is best for you.

Multiple federal programs have been created to guide families in the confusion that is college. The Obama Administration has worked with FAFSA since 2009 to ease the paperwork associated with college and has made financial aid opportunity transparent to lower income households. Not only does this provide financial aid, but measures are put in place to standardized performance and “improve college persistence and completion” (221, par.3). Programs like this give additional incentive to make students do the best in school that they can. Knowing about these available services can assist families in saving money, and sending their child to college

smoothly.
The final point the authors make that everybody should learn about is the potential for alternatives schooling other than college. They believe that achieving a bachelor’s degree is not the best “bang for your buck” is some situations. Owen and Sawhill enlighten about the world of vocationally-oriented associate's degrees and career-specific technical training. Since so few people either are ignorant of the existence of these forms of schooling, or completely reject the idea of them, many jobs go unfulfilled that require special skills. Despite this void of nonexistent works, the jobs that associate with them pay extremely well. Therefore, the two authors stress the point that going to college isn’t the only opportunity for high paying jobs, and that many people should be aware of and consider this type of education.
The information stated above from the article has changed my perspective on college, and has altered my potential path in postsecondary schooling. Before reading this article, I was aware of the wage differences in bachelor’s degrees, and I planned to go for one that provided a decent about of money. What I did not know was the opportunity for specifically trained education in non-college courses. Due to this newfound knowledge, I might be able to get the right sort of instruction in less time, for a fourth of the conventional cost. In conclusion, with this additional information, I can possible get a better schooling experience with more focus on what I need to know for less.