An Importance of College Education

The Importance of College Education

People in today’s world are skeptical about education after high school. The situation used to be that college was the best thing that could ever happen to a person. However, when the costs started rising, people began to shy away from the prospect of continuing education. The high schoolers of this generation face a life-changing decision: whether or not to go to college. Contrary to the claim that college is obsolete, a four-year university is still a great decision for everybody across the globe because of the skills you learn, the higher-paying jobs once you get out of college, and the social growth you gain from attending college.

Better Pay and Job Security

Better education means better pay, and Washington D.C. agrees. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022) wrote in an article titled “New School Year, Old Story: Education Pays,” that “Workers with a bachelor’s degree, for example, earned about $415 more a week than workers whose highest level of education is a high school diploma.” A college degree allows graduates to have better jobs coming out of college and therefore get paid better by employers. In the same article, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also states that you’re half as likely to be unemployed with a bachelor’s degree as someone with just a high school diploma. The jobs that college graduates can get offer more job security because employers regard those college graduates as more valuable employees. On another note, Richard Vetter (2013), the author of “Why College Isn’t for Everyone,” ironically states that “A person who compares the annual earnings of college and high school graduates would no doubt conclude that higher education is a good investment…” As shown with the above pay differences and change in unemployment ratings between college graduates and just high school graduates, a higher education is obviously the way to go with your career. Graduating college is a great way to start off in the workforce, and college can teach you many useful pieces of knowledge that you will apply throughout your life and career.

Skill Development

College presents each person with a unique opportunity to learn a plethora of new skills. For instance, in President Obama’s National address to America’s schoolchildren, he states that if “You want to be a doctor, teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse, architect, lawyer, or a member of the military? You are going to need a good education for all of these careers” (Obama, 2009). Even the President of the United States of America agrees that a continuing education (college) plays a big role in the types of jobs you get. Taking courses in medicine, architecture, or law really teaches you a lot of useful skills that you will use throughout your life. In the same speech, President Obama goes on to say that people need the problem-solving skills they learned in higher-level sciences and mathematics to overcome big issues in today’s society. College provides these much-needed problem-solving skills which people can use to actually make a difference in this life. In “Why College Isn’t for Everyone,” the ironic author goes on to say that “... college graduates, on average, are smarter and have better work habits than high school graduates” (Vetter, 2013). This important evidence proves that college provides important life lessons along with facilitating higher education. College isn’t completely about education and skills, there is also a social side to it as well.

Social Growth

College can provide people with the ability to grow and help others grow in their social aspects. In “Why College Isn’t for Everyone,” Richard continues to say “Many might benefit from the social… aspects of advanced schooling” (Vetter, 2013). Richard Vetter once again shows that college is worth it because of the relationships made during college. In Obama’s address to America’s schoolchildren, the President also points out that those people who founded Google, Twitter, and Facebook all pursued their education and actually set foot in college (Obama, 2009). Granted, some of them dropped out, yet they still stuck with learning up to that point. This proves the other side of the point that was being made in this paragraph: helping others grow socially as well. All of these companies have some sort of connection to social networking, and as mentioned before, all of the founders set foot at a university. Each one of these reasons proves that college is the single best option each year for America’s graduating class, yet some people still use up a lot of energy fighting the truth.

Addressing Common Concerns

Some people believe that college isn’t worth the money. In “New School Year, Old Story: Education Pays,” The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022) goes on to state that students forego a full-time paycheck to attend college. Many college students end up digging themselves a huge hole regarding student loans and debt. Financials aside, Richard Vetter points out that “A good portion of those attending four-year college’s full-time fail to graduate even after six years” (Vetter, 2013). The argument is that college might not be the right place for some people. Both of these arguments are very valid arguments, yet there is evidence showing that there are easy solutions to each of these problems. Andrew Rotherham (2013), the author of the article “Actually, College is Very Much Worth it,” said that children from low-income families gain more by going to college. Most colleges are looking for minorities and are offering huge amounts of money in terms of scholarships and financial aid packages. Those students won’t be quite in as much student debt as you thought. Moreover, every institution of education has a portion of the student body that doesn’t graduate due to various reasons. Besides, people that stick to academics throughout college have a much better advantage in their financial lives as mentioned above by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Not many people are going to turn out to be another Steve Jobs who dropped out of his major and just started dropping in on classes that interested him. All the statistics still point to the fact that a college experience is the best thing for everybody.

Conclusion

A four-year university and a degree would aid you a lot later in your life, whether it be financially or socially. The education and the relationships you build in college are some of the most memorable things for anyone. If you want the biggest chance of being content and successful in your career, attend university for the potential betterment of your career and your social life.

References

Obama, B. (2009). National address to America’s schoolchildren. White House Archives.

Rotherham, A. (2013). Actually, college is very much worth it. Time.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). New school year, old story: Education pays. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Vetter, R. (2013). Why college isn’t for everyone. The Chronicle of Higher Education.