Is College as Important as Society Makes Us Believe?

Many people think college education in several individual terms that comes with it at the end. Parents and students
have invested significant energy, time and resources in trying to build the future generations through education.
The parents have made an immeasurable sacrifice in the view of right opportunities and a raised standard of living
for their children. Parents have gone into debts for the sake of their children earning a college degree.
Governments all over the world set aside billions of dollars each year to finance students in the various colleges
because a college education is beneficial for the growth of the society.

Firstly, college is very significant in that it has an impact on the amount of money a student is going to be paid
after earning a degree. Children who have received more education tend to make more than one who hasn’t gone past
high school. When they work, students who graduate from college are paid 73 percent more than their counterparts
who graduate from high school, and those with advanced degrees earn two to three times as much as high school
graduates. When the people become educated, they will be more likely for them to get employment, and hence are
likely to live in prosperity. Such economic yields make college a prestigious investment by the members of the
society as the entire community delights in the financial gains from a college education.

The society has emphasized that college is key as a child who goes to college will help in improving the community.
Students are taught how to make a difference in the community and when they finish college, they bring the same to
the community and hence changes are seen. For instance, they learn about the laws and things that affect the
community. After graduating, they come home and apply the skills and knowledge in their locality for the betterment
of the people who reside in such neighborhood. Sandy and Payea argue that about 29 percent of adults volunteer
through an organization and 46 percent of college graduates are volunteers who are double the 22 percent high
school volunteers graduates. They are more likely to participate in systematized volunteer effort, voting and even
donating blood to those in need. With such attributes, they become a role model to the young generation in the
society who look up to them.

Through college, the mind of the child is significantly improved and expanded. College students will obtain knowledge
and skills through the education to which one is exposed to. For example, a child is exposed to varied experiences,
people and topics which will facilitate growth and development in critical areas such as how they make decisions,
reasoning, analysis and how they express themselves verbally in readiness for employment. All these are passed to
their children when they become parents. Young children whose parents are college graduates tend to have a higher
level of cognitive skills and perform well in tasks than the children whose mothers have lower educational
attainment.

Moreover, college education creates opportunities that one may not easily get when uneducated. These opportunities
provide varied options for a college graduate and lead to better accomplishment and contentment in life. Apart from
paying salary, the employer will compensate the employee with a health insurance which will help when diseases or
misfortunes set in. This cover is extended to the dependents who will enjoy the service too. Philip notes that health
insurance is included as a fringe benefit for more skilled employees and the employer’s contribution towards their
insurance is increased with the educational attainment.

On the other hand, college is not as important as what the society prescribes. Colleges do not prepare students well
for the job market as they do not meet the requirements of the various industries and the needs of the employers.
Students leave college inadequately prepared for the next stages in the career world because some colleges do not
have the right facilities to prepare the students because their framework is poorly
coordinated resulting in the poor setting of the right expectations in the school system.

Also, college graduates sometimes find themselves in jobs for which they didn’t prepare themselves. Jaison and Deitz
posit that college graduates with a Bachelor’s degree are increasingly finding themselves underemployed, in that
they are working in a job that does not typically require their degree. These graduates may remain underemployed
for the rest of their careers. The major plays a key role here. In college, the subjects to be majored in is not
achievable for each student. For instance, a student who graduates with a mathematics degree may have gone through
a lot of difficulties as compared with another student pursuing a different field. This shows the differences in
how able the students are when they choose to major in some subjects and not the skills gained.

In conclusion, with the poor preparation of students in college and the subsequent underemployment after graduating
from college, the worth associated with the college degree appears to be in serious doubt. However, these issues
alone may not reasonably conclude beyond doubt that investing in a college degree is a rewarding venture. When the
full benefits that come with education are carefully put into consideration and evaluated, college education for
children in any country still has the good advantages, and the society should continue to advocate for a college
education. The ordinary person should consider this a wise financial decision that has rewards at the end. Apart from
the monetary gains associated with college education, the society will greatly benefit from the students when they
finish college. Their minds are going to be expanded, and their reasoning, and decision making are enhanced.