With the recovery from the Great Recession the labor market has refueled the controversial debate about the value of a college degree. Is a college degree worth the amount of debt that will compile over four or more years of higher education? Even though an individual who obtains a college degree has an unemployment rate below the national average, there is evidence that many recent college graduates are struggling to find acceptable and well paying jobs. At the same time, college tuition is steadily rising, while college graduates are finding themselves without employment and swimming in a substantial amount debt from student loans. In his online editorial, "Why College Isn’t (and Shouldn’t Have to be) for Everyone," from billmoyers.com, …show more content…
Since he has experience in different fields of policy and administration, this builds creditability for his audience. He uses more logos when reasoning with his audience about college students landing a good enough job to pay off debt. “And all too often the jobs they land after graduating don’t pay enough to make the degree worthwhile.” Even when students graduate, the jobs they find wouldn’t be able pay of their debt for a while. And all too often the jobs students land after graduating don’t pay enough to make the degree worthwhile, or they get a job they aren’t passion about because they weren’t prepared for college. Reich explores possibilities of what options should be given to high school senior as well as going into what the government needs to do to make having a college education an equal playing field. His analysis of college debt appeals to the reader's logic, as well as emotions by using several examples to get his point across. “Government could be investing enough money to make these programs thrive.” Education needs to be funded more by the government, so that students that are struggling have other opportunities to strive as
Everyone should go to college: many people grew up hearing and believing that this was true. President Obama even calls high education “an economic imperative.” Two women authors, Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill, wrote “If they [Americans] choose wisely and attend a school with generous financial aid and high expected earnings, and if they don’t just enroll, but graduate, they can greatly improve their lifetime prospects,” published in 2013 in the article, Should Everyone Go to College? Owen and Sawhill begin building their credibility with numerous amounts of statistics, educating their readers with variations in the return to education, and by utilizing visual aids to allow their audience to better understand such information. By doing
Marty Nemko, in the article, “We Send Too Many Students To College,” acknowledges that colleges have become obscenely expensive and that it is possible to be successful without going to college. Arguing that too many students are sent to college without realizing that it is not imperative, Nemko targets parents in his claims that colleges focus on educating in the cheapest way possible and most importantly, that the advantage of past college graduates in the job market is declining. One of his main reasons is that even though the average college graduate makes more money, hundreds of thousands of students in the bottom half of their high school class do not succeed in higher education. Nemko’s article is the most persuasive article on whether college education still has value as he argues that college is not beneficial to everyone through demonstrations of hyperbole, and figurative language.
Many students today look towards the future scared and frightened debating their future, all of them asking the same question. Is a college education truly worth the cost and the amount of debt that a student acquires over a four-year period? Many ask what are they doing this for, a piece of paper called a degree. That’s what the articles “Five Reasons Why College is Worth the Cost,” written by Reyna Gobel and “Is College worth the cost? Many recent graduates don’t think so,” written by Jeffrey J. Selingo both address. The articles take different standpoints and views on the topic. Gobel’s article siding with the view that college is worth the cost. While Selingo’s article argues that college is not worth the cost.
Students not only leave college with a degree, but they also leave owing thousands of dollars. Even though having a college degree would help students get a higher paying job, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will find one. After graduation, the majority of these students do not have prospective jobs and those that do start at entry level salaries because of their lack of actual experience in their field. About seventeen percent of college students at the age of twenty-five are limited to what types of jobs they can find, some not even related to what type of degree they earned. Because of their limited job options, it’s even harder for them to repay their student loan debts.
When opportunity knocks you should always open the door. College is a great opportunity to garner success from a secure career. Furthermore, college or university education is worth the debt you will accumulate from it. If you're still weighing your options, consider this, "Lifetime earnings for college graduate are substantially higher than the earnings of someone without a college degree," (Source 4, pg. 13). Getting a higher education is not just good for you, but its also good for your bank account. On the plus side, it is easier for you to live a better life, and if America ever hits a recession you will be in a better position to support you and your family.
The average college student will graduate with 37,173 dollars’ worth of debt and 40 percent of college students will drop out. (Cite should everyone go to college) Despite this, higher education typically allows an individual to follow their passion and make a living off it. In addition, college provides an intrinsic value that enlightens the individual. Although higher education requires a large investment that may not return its original value, I contend that this investment provides one the ability to typically earn significantly more money and pursue their passion.
In her article “Why college isn't worth the money”,
Newly college graduates are struggling to find work. Others, on the other hand are accepting jobs offers for which they feel overqualified. Student debt has exceeded over$1 trillion. These facts are enough to make a series of questions about whether a college education is still worth it or not. A brand new set of income statistics answers these questions clearly: College is worth attending, whether you want to believe it or not.
David Leonhardt, the author of “Is College Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say,” makes the controversial argument that even with college debt increasing substantially in the United States it is still worth earning a degree. Leonhardt uses a variety of relevant figures and statistics to support his claim of the irreplaceable value of a college education. The majority of statistics used by Leonhardt concern the earnings advantage of college graduates as compared to their counterparts who decided not to attend college. Among the first issues Leonhardt addresses is the growing concerns prospective students and their parents have with attending college such as underemployment after graduation, debt, and unemployment (Leonhardt 33). To refute these arguments, he cites statistics from the Labor Department concerning inequality of income distribution; these statistics were
Over the past decade, it has become evident to the students of the United States that in order to attain a well paying job they must seek a higher education. The higher education, usually a college or university, is practically required in order to succeed. To be able to attend these schools and receive a degree in a specific field it means money, and often a lot of it. For students, the need for a degree is strong, but the cost of going to college may stand in the way of a successful future. Each year the expense of college rises, resulting in the need for students to take out loans. Many students expect to immediately get a job after graduation, however, in more recent years the chances for college graduates to get a well paying job
The increasing cost of higher education in the United States has been a continuing topic for debate in recent decades. American society emphasizes the importance of education after high school, yet the cost of undergraduate and advanced degrees continually rises at a greater rate than inflation. According to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, cost factors prevent 48% of college-qualified high school graduates from pursuing further education (McKeon, 2004, p. 45). The current system requires the majority of students to accumulate extensive debt with the expectation that they gain lucrative post-graduate employment to repay their loans.
In, Leo Gerard's article, " Grading Colleges on Access to the American Dream", the author illustrates the tremendous problem of college affordability, which is a growing issue in America. While author primarily focuses on the current issue of college affordability, he also evokes memories of a time when attending college was less difficult. The author begins his argument by stating the importance of colleges and the American Dream. He outlines Obama's plan to grade colleges based on tuition, scholarships, and financial aid. He states that Obama's plan will help restore the chance for all people to attain the American Dream. The author then compares our generation to the past, as he describes the circumstances for teens growing up in the 1960s
It is no big secret that, in America today, most high-paying jobs require a college degree. Thomas C. Frohlich of USA Today stated that “graduating from college is a prerequisite for the vast majority of high-paying jobs”(2013). With the cost of a college degree increasing in unison with demand, few can earn a degree without the help of student loans. The American Student Assistance website reports that of the twenty million students enrolled in college, about sixty percent are attending with the help of student loans (2014). Obviously, student loan debt affects the individuals that obtain them. However, it also has severe effects upon the nation’s economy.
As a recent analysis, America’s colleges and universities are quietly shifting the burden of their big tuition increases onto low-income students, while many higher-income families are seeing their college costs rise more slowly, or even fall” (Eskow). Though education is the basic human right, most of the people in the U.S. are not being able to gain it as because of its rising cost. Since the 1970s, tuition and fees at public institutions have increased by more than 350 percent, while pay for working- and middle-class households has stagnated. As a result, the cost of a public-college education now accounts for almost 15 percent of the average family's annual income; 40 years ago it was about 4 percent (Kenneth W. Warren and Samir Sonti). The tuition and fees are increasing in such a way that the young Americans aren’t as educated as the young citizens of many other developed countries. The U.S. ranks 14th in the world in the percentage of 25-34 year-olds with higher education (42%).” When all adults of working age are considered, the US is still one of the highest-educated countries in the world. But when this age group is considered, we are falling behind (Richard Eskow). That’s the personal loss for the young people of the U.S. Education is not a privilege of the rich and well-to-do; it is the inalienable right of every people. It is a powerful tool by which people can lift
Across the nation, recent college graduates are experiencing an excessive amount of student debt and underemployment- in fact, it has now reached the largest in our nation’s history at a staggering 1.2 trillion dollars (Source 1). Additionally, as many as 44% of recent college graduates are facing underemployment (Source 2). Underemployment can be defined as working a job that doesn’t require a bachelor’s or college degree. With underemployment and student debt increasing at exponentially high rates, it’s now becoming debated whether or not college is even worth the cost and time investment. Though there is one question that should be asked: How did we get to this point as a nation? Why aren’t recent college graduates prospering in comparison