Life After High School

The twelve years you spend of your life going to school, is about learning new things and preparing yourself for the real world. Towards the last four years of school, you start thinking about what you want to do after high school, you start taking classes that’s required for what you want to go into, looking at colleges where you can get your degree. College isn’t for everyone right after their done with High School. Other people don’t need college for what they’re going to do, they can just start there job right away. Some people that have no idea what they want to do might consider going into the military, then find something in any of the fields.

After high school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do for a career. After years of wandering I decided to join the military. I completed basic training and technical school in Texas. I was miles away from the comfort of family and friend back home in Maryland. This was the first time that I was truly on my own. After training was complete I was moved to Spokane, Washington. where I completed my term in Spokane and it was time to reenlist or get out the military. I was ready to have my life back so I decided against enlisting for another term. When it was time for me to discharge the first question everyone asked me was “where I going?”. In my mind I had two choices. I was either going stay in tiny Spokane or go back home to Maryland. I spent a few weeks thinking about my options and at that time I was certain home was the best choice. Moving back home made sense for several reasons:

One of the biggest overall benefits of having a college education to some degree after a high school diploma is the most obvious: the considerably higher pay rate that is available for those careers that often times require a degree. It’s a common misconception that big amounts of money will just come pouring in after they walk across the stage with their degree, however, the real benefits start stacking up you begin to pay off student loans and the are now being employed in a career within your degree specifications. A study done by Georgetown University proved that graduates from college “earn $1 million more in earnings over their lifetime” as compared to those who only had a high school diploma (Cornerstone). As well as that, another study done by the Pew Research Center found that in 2012, there was a HUGE average yearly income gap “between high school and college graduates” of around $17,500

The essay ‘Life After High School” by Annie Murphy Paul is about the effect of a persons high school experience on what they do later in life. Paul had been asked to be the commencement speaker at her old high schools graduation which made her wonder if our high school experience determines who people become as adults. To see both sides of the argument Paul interviewed some experts and read studies on the topic. Some of the research has shown that there some truth to the idea that high school has the ability to shape who we will become in the future. This includes research taken from the Wisconsin Longitudinal study, which is one of the largest and longest-running research project on the effect of high school. For example that jocks are in

College graduates tend to make more money than high school graduates. According to the Economic Policy Institute, “College graduates, on average, earned 56% more than high school grads in 2015” (Pay Gap Between…). Although, this stat might not be for everyone it is for the majority of people. Jobs tend to pay higher if the person has a college degree than if one did not. To be successful people might have to spend money to make money. If someone spends thousands for college for 4 plus years, but in return they are making 56% more money than a high school graduate in the long run it will be worth it. They will have a lot of debt and student loans to pay, but once they pay it off they will start catching up to high school graduate in profit quickly. Many jobs would rather have someone with a college degree than one with just a high school diploma. The stats prove that people tend to make more later on than someone who goes straight into the workforce.

It’s optional for anyone to get a college education and end up being successful with and without the college education.

When one chooses to go to college, they are investing in their future career. Once a young adult leaves high school they have a choice to either go to college or to go into the workforce. When deciding which path they will take, they must look at both the benefits and disadvantages. The advantage to going straight into the workforce is being able to immediately start their profession of choice and do not have to pay off expensive college loans. The disadvantage to going straight into the workforce is the fact that in today’s job market, there are not many high-paying jobs that do not require a degree. However, the benefit of going to college is that careers that require a college degree are often high-paying and come with worker’s benefits. College affords the student to develop and master academic and social skills. Companies and employers are not willing to invest time and money into prospects without those skills or a formal education. The disadvantage to going to college is brought upon because college tuition has doubled in the past ten years, which makes college unaffordable without being overwhelmed by student loans for the rest of one’s life (Graff 179). The differences between these two paths make the decision to go to college one of the most influential decisions of an individual’s entire life. Each of these paths have their advantages and disadvantages, but in the long run, going to college is more beneficial than going straight into the workforce.

If you are like me, the decision to attend college is a practical one. Our society values higher education as a function of credibility and potential, and thus by extension, so do our institutions of labor, as they are the primary mechanisms used to acquire wealth and power. Earning a college degree will make me considerably more attractive to employers than I would be without one. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2014), the unemployment rate among those with bachelor’s degrees was 3.5 percent, compared to 4.5 percent for those with a 2-year degree, and

Having a college degree is not only a something anyone can frame, it can have value, along with other benefits as well. According to the Get Rich Slowly website, it states that “on average, those who have a college degree earn almost twice as much as those who do not” (Roth, 2008). Employees with have a higher lifetime earnings with a degree, making roughly a million dollars in their lifetime (Roth, 2008).

For a well-paying and/or professional job, a college degree is essential. According to Labor Department statistics by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington as stated by Leonhardt, “Americans with four-year college degrees made 98 percent more an hour on average in 2013 than with people without a degree.” A higher income is what most people expect when attaining a degree, but most jobs require

A college education isn’t meant to make people become rich, but to help them fulfill their interests within a career with the long term benefits of receiving a degree. “People who argue that college is worth it contend that college graduates have higher employment rates, bigger salaries, and more work benefits than high school graduates (ProCon.org).” So, it seems that college is worth more than just graduating from high school with a diploma and entering the work force.

In the debate about whether college is worth attending, many argue that college is worth it but others argue that college is not worth it. Those who argue that college is worth it contend to say that college graduates make more money, college allows students to explore career options, and not going to college will cost people more money in the future but on the other hand, those who argue that college is not worth it contend to say that college graduates are employed in jobs that do not require degrees, students who do not graduate waste their own money and the governments money, and student debt can cause another financial crisis for students who are already struggling with financial aid. While it is true that college does cause many problems already, college is worth attending and worth all the problems at the end of the road.

The author of the article “Should Everyone Go to College?” proved this point in her article by a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree earned $30,000 more per year than a high school graduate or about $570,000 more over a lifetime. Also, the median income for families headed by a bachelor's degree holder was $102,000, more than a double family headed by a high school graduate (Owen and Sawhill 214). This means, every higher degree, like from high school diploma to bachelor’s degree, there is a different salary and a higher education will lead to higher paychecks. In addition to the income raises, job requirements changed over the years too.

Furthermore, college can help guarantee a well paying job. However, it is true, there are many rewarding jobs that don't require college. “ higher education means higher salary”, I believe this is 100% true. According to Business Insider “highest paying jobs in America 2017” some of the highest paid jobs include physicians, their median base salary standing at around $187,876 yearly. This means years of study and school, but in the end all that work pays off.

In conclusion, after analyzing the advantages, disadvantages, costs, and student debt of a getting a college education. It is definitely easier to answer the question of whether or not college is worth the student loan debt. Investing in a college education requires much preparation on the front-end before making a final decision on whether to attend college. Overall, the research posits that a college degree is worth the investment. However, the return on investment indicates that the possession of a college degree at every level have higher earnings, more employability, lower unemployment rates and poverty level, more exposure culturally, better career choices, and largely a better quality of life than high school graduates. Even graduates