Power And The Inequality Of Education In The Middle Class

“What’s the key to success in the United States?”(Steinberg,2010), author Jacques Steinberg starts off his article “Plan B: Skip College” with a powerful question that has been asked by many Americans. Majority of Americans first thoughts would be higher education. The ideology that obtaining a degree is the best and sometimes only way to be successful in the American economy. This has been instilled in numerous children growing up. Steinberg states “perhaps no more than half of who began a four-year bachelor's degree program in the fall of 2006 will get that degree within six years according to the department of education”(Steinberg,2010). Students who tend to not excel in high school often take longer, or at times finish a higher education at all. These

To start his argument, Murray points out that the work force is encouraging people to go to college. He even goes so far as to say “employers do not even interview applicants who do not hold a BA” (Murray 345). Some even say that a bachelor’s degree is “the credential for success in the world of work” (Wonacott n.p.). Murray believes that as a result of employers requiring a BA, students think of the degree as an “admission ticket” to a good job (Murray 346). Because of the increase in college graduates and the lack of growth in jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree “the job market will be less favorable to college

A college degree is a valuable asset that could ultimately lead to a productive life in society due to the received education, but people without a college degree do turn out more than adequate in regards to societal success. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the forecasted 30 fastest growing jobs between 2010 and 2020, five do not require a high school diploma, nine require a high school diploma, four require an associate 's degree, six require a bachelor 's degree, and six require graduate degrees to get the jobs (College). In an article called “College Education” by ProCon.org,

“According to the U.S Department of education, if you graduated in the bottom 40% of your high school class and went to college, 76 of 100 won’t earn a diploma, even if given 8 ½ years.” Marty Nemko believes that going to college isn’t for everyone and that it’s turned into a business depending on which university you attend. Nemko also gives some good examples, such as Morris, who completed his bachelor's degree from University of California, Berkeley and works as a truck driver to support his family. (ADD THESIS PART TWO) Nemko mentions that “ colleges are businesses, and students are a cost item while research is a profit center. (33)

When it comes to achieving success in the work force and finding a fulfilling and lucrative career there are few things more important that higher education. Going to college and getting a degree is essential in finding success in the work force. The problem is when the cost of gaining that degree outweighs the financial compensation the career that follows is able to supply. Very few people are able to pay for college out of pocket. The result of this is that students seeking higher education are forced to take out massive student loans. This means that they are entering the work force

Elementary school, middle school, high school, college―that’s how we’re told our education careers should go. After college you go on and get a job based on the degree you received. Seems simple right? According to Erik Lowe in his Seattle Times article “Keep Washington’s College Tuition Affordable,” he informs that people in his generation are the first to be less educated than their parents, in the United States. He explains that this is due to the high cost of tuition followed by a huge amount of student loan debt. Lowe believes that there needs to be a significant change in the country’s higher education systems (in reference to the tuition costs) or the decline of college attendance will continue. There needs to be a decrease of

In the reports of the Bureau of Labor over 317,000 waiters and waitresses have some kind of a college degree and that goes along with 80,000 bartenders and 18,000 parking lot attendants. Coming down to a conclusion, Veddar says that about 17 million Americans are doing the sort of jobs that require a lot less levels of education skills accompanying a bachelor’s degree. In the chart below you can see the ratio of the number of jobs to the percentage of the people who have at least a bachelor’s degree but don’t need to have that degree to be in the place they are: He also emphasizes on his belief that even though there is an escalating number of people who are attending college, many of these people do not have the intellectual abilities to necessarily have a successful outcome out of their higher education ;therefore, the rates of drop-outs will rise or their effort and money to get a college degree will go down the drain. Veddar also points out the fact that he agrees that people enjoy going to college simply because they can socialize and take advantage of the benefits of being in that dimension but when the economy is in a shortfall, it may not be a good idea to subsidize for those whom are already suspected of an unsuccessful academic and vocational

Did you know that getting a college degree can financially destroy your future and put you deep in debt for many years? Not going to college can literally give you a brighter future than going in the first place. Also, most college’s cost way too much and people have to get thousands and thousands of dollars’ worth of loans just to get their bachelor’s degree. Many of the people that just get their diploma have become very successful in life, in some cases even more successful than people with their degrees.

stopped their formal education after graduating from high school. As the demand for degrees has

It can always be nice to imagine that you can go from very poor to very rich but in America, that’s not the case. According to a recent study, 70% of those born in low income families remained in the lower income bracket. Out of the remaining 30%, only 24% reached middle-class or upper- class and 4% rose to become high income earners (Hargreaves). Now, it is very difficult for people born into the lower class to rise up to the middle or upper class. These people that do successfully rise up have to have certain characteristics. 53% were college graduates, 50% were two income families, 35% were white, and 34% did not experience unemployment (Hargreaves). Most people in low- income families cannot afford college and student loans. This makes them less likely to become part of the middle class. Poor people do not have the resources to strive and become part of the other social classes. Overall, it is becoming more and more difficult for low- income families to become part of the middle class.

Many jobs recently are requiring people to have at least a bachelor’s degree to even consider someone for a position. Now jobs are beginning to want people who have a master’s degree instead; for example “between 1973 and 2008, the share of jobs in the U.S. economy which required postsecondary education increased from 28 percent to 59 percent. According to our projections, the future promises more of the same. The share of postsecondary jobs will increase from 59 to 63 percent over the next decade” (Carnevale, pg 1). With that being said it seems more important know than ever for people to have a college

The topic of “Are Too Many People Going to College?” was presented by Charles Murray, the W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise. In today’s world college is a must due to many employers seeking educated individuals. Murray develops an interesting conversation by demonstrating that many high school graduates who are seeking to go to college do not need a degree depending on their career paths. Murray provides the analogy of a high school graduate who is looking to become an electrician but is not sure if college is the most logical decision. Murray acknowledges the fact that a B.A. does not necessarily led to a higher income than one with a degree. The logical argument of money is brought to attention and is stated “the income for the top people in a wide variety of occupations that do not require a college degree is higher than the average income for many occupations that require a B.A.” (Murray 247). Although this is his main point, he understand that it varies due to the occupation one is leaning towards. There has been individuals without a college degree that are making millions of dollars, but it varies. Murray claims that getting a B.A. is going to be the wrong economic decision for many high school graduates (Murray 246); however not everyone wants to be an electrician or any other hand held jobs that doesn’t necessarily need a degree, but if one wants to be a lawyer, doctor, or anything require a degree, college is the answer. Having a degree in a

     It seems in the society we live in today, having a college degree is a necessity. Years ago it was the norm for people to just go right into a full time job after high school, if they even finished high school; they did this to support their families. In today’s society a person has a difficult time getting a decent job without a college degree. During an adults working life, bachelor degree graduates will earn about $2.1 million and a high school graduate can expect to earn an average of $1.2 million (Day and Newburger, 2002). This is quite a difference and it puts a college education in

College grads earn $2.1 million in lifetime income compared with $1.2 million for high school grads(College is Worth the Cost, p.6). Also, We live in an increasingly complex, knowledge-based society where the vast majority of people will have superior earning power throughout their 30 to 40 careers based on completing a bachelor’s degree (College Is Worth the Cost, p.6). Therefore, it is important for me to have a bachelor’s degree to live a comfortable

In present day, it is expected that after high school students continue their education to college. Therefore, it is no surprise to say that most students follow the pedigree, making a bachelor’s degree dilute to the value of a high school diploma. Yes, it is great that you obtained a bachelor’s degree, but it doesn’t differentiate you from the other hundred people who apply for the job position. Now, advanced degrees like masters and doctorates are what count. Not only does it [bachelor’s degree] not give you a better chance at an entry-level job, but also, the majority of college graduates are swimming in a pool of debt. So in the end, after all those years of studying, the dollars in debt and the chance of not even getting a job in