Exploring the Value of Higher Education: Is College Worth It?

The Power of Education and the College Question

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela. We are told to ‘go to college’ by family, media, and teachers, but we are never given an explanation on why it is important for us to gain a higher education. College is a valid choice for many reasons, including long-term financial gain, job stability, ideal career, and more likely to be successful. With more and more occupations requiring advanced education, a college degree is critical to success in today’s workforce.

The Dual Perspectives on College

The importance of higher education is that it gives you an advantage. College is a beneficial experience and sets up a great path toward a healthy future. Yet on the other side of things, there are others who contend that College is not for everyone. One of their reasons is that ‘Millions of Americans who went to college seeking a better future now face crushing debt from student loans, while the industry makes a handsome profit’ (Student Loan Debt Crisis).

College: A Gateway to Opportunities and Community Involvement

In the end, most students are stuck with a large debt, and they end up getting a job that a college degree is not even needed. There can be some flaws with the loans and debt, but in the long run, College is a great path to many opportunities. One of the many ways College is beneficial is that College graduates donate and volunteer more, ‘College attendance increases generosity significantly,’ writes Trostel. With this, students gain invaluable experiences, whether working for popular organizations such as Habitat for Humanity or directly with organizations on their campus that have meaningful and confident effects on the community and help students build skills and their resumes for future employment. Making College very much worth it.

The Long-Term Financial Benefits of College

Not only does College give you experience, but it also sets you up for more options and leads you to higher-paying jobs. This increase in income is due to having a college background. With a degree, more doors for higher-paying jobs and careers are opened because you need to have a good education to be wanted by higher-paying jobs. As Barack Obama said, ‘You want to become a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You are going to need a good education for every single one of those careers’ If you were to just drop out of College and expect to get a high-paying job, that just would not be accurate. With a good job comes hard work and dedication. So going to College is very beneficial.

Some counterclaims to going to College might be how deep in debt you could very possibly get into from the high price of College; while it is a problem, students with a college degree usually can get higher-paying jobs to pay off the debt. American radio works say, ‘People who go to college tend to have higher earnings and higher paying jobs than people without.’ Another might be that you can be very successful without going to College, this may be true, but it’s shown that college graduates are shown to earn 80% more than peers who did not attend or finish college.

Finally, having a college degree is more likely to help you to earn more money in the future over your lifetime. College graduates earn far more money than the average person without that same college education. So if it seems like you would be able to earn good money right out of high school, take another look at the long-term effects of College, and you will see that College definitely pays off more. So overall, by going to College, students have a greater chance of success in the future, are more likely to have a better life, and have great opportunities to explore a variety of possible paths.

References:

1. Student Loan Debt Crisis. (n.d.). Student Loan Debt Crisis.
2. Trostel, P. (2007). What Does College Teach? The Public Purpose, 4(3), 21-27.
3. Obama, B. (2011, February 24). Remarks by the President on the Importance of Education. The White House.
4. Autor, D. H. (2014). Skills, education, and the rise of earnings inequality among the “other 99 percent”. Science, 344(6186), 843-851.