William Butler Yeats once said, “Education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire”. Yeats, a famous poet of the 20th century, understood that the benefits of an education do not just end after it is through, like when a bucket gets filled to the brim. Instead, they spread into all aspects of one’s life like a wildfire, and can change the course of one’s life forever—especially if one pursues higher education. A college education is extremely valuable to ensure a successful future. Those with a college education are more likely to succeed financially. Time and time again, statistics have shown that those with a college degree have a leg up over those without one. An example can be found in the article “Actually, College Is …show more content…
Naysayers like Richard Vedder, the author of the article “Why College Isn’t For Everyone”, say that there is not much point to going to college because the “number of new college graduates far exceeds the growth in the number of technical, managerial, and professional jobs where graduates traditionally have gravitated… [causing] a new phenomenon: underemployed college graduates doing jobs historically performed by those with much less education” (Vedder 5). While it is true that the competition is increasing nowadays, that is all the more reason one should work hard at getting educated. If those with degrees are forced to do jobs that have traditionally been done by those without higher education, then what are those who didn’t attend college doing? Probably a job that pays even lower, or unfortunately, they may have no job at all. Additionally, if an opportunity for a job that requires more education pops up, those that have a degree would be eligible—and those without would not. On the other hand, Vedder also illustrates that “a goodly proportion (more than 40 percent) of those attending four-year colleges full-time fail to graduate, even within six years” (Vedder 3). Admittedly, there is a high failure rate for colleges. However, one must question if that is the fault of the education itself or of the person’s determination. If one were to apply themselves and study hard, obtaining a diploma should be attainable. While some people may have issues in their personal lives that take priority over their education, most people who fail to graduate from college would not be able to appreciate the value of an education anyway, simply because they do not have the motivation and drive to do so. While going to college may not seem as valuable in modern society than it used to be, it is still extremely important to one’s
In today’s society, it has been found out that college graduates have a hard time seeking a job and end up with a sky-high student debt. This reality then poses a question, is going to college worth the time and money? An essay in the New York Times published in May 2014 entitled, “Is College Worth It? Clearly New Data Say,” by David Leonhardt states, “For all the struggles that many young college graduates face, a four-year degree has probably never been more valuable” (33). In his essay, Leonhardt sets the stage by describing the struggles a college graduate might have such as student debt, no work after graduating, and accepting jobs they feel overqualified.
Why College Isn’t Worth It Attending college is something that many High School students look forward to as a buffer or a way to make the transition into adulthood easier, but a rising question has people considering: Is going to college really worth it? While some describe college as their best years, it leaves most attendees in debt and with a degree they may never use. Between tuition fees, traveling, housing, food, and textbooks, all college students are bound to owe at least a few thousand.
In his article, “Are Too Many People Going to College?” Charles Murray argues that too many people are going to college universities when they should be focusing on other lifestyle options. In his opinion, whether or not to attend college is a personal decision that should be thoroughly thought through. When weighed with the unrealistic prerequisites, the financial expenses, and the time needed to obtain a degree, many people will find that attending college will not be beneficial to them. Speaking of this Murray attests, “The question here is not whether the traditional four-year residential college is fun or valuable as a place to grow up, but when it makes sense as a place to learn how to make a living.
What’s on the mind of most high school seniors throughout their final year of high school? For most its college, and many of those students do not have a clue about what they are about to get themselves into. In today’s society, a college education is a vital step in getting yourself into a good career. But one author argues otherwise. Pharinet the author of the essay “Is college for Everyone” states that college is not for everyone and you do not need college to be successful in society.
Is College Really Worth the Cost? Most American goal in life is to earn a living when they come out of high school. But, maybe it isn’t really necessary that high school graduates need to feel ad if they are being rushed off to college. People who are hustled off to college discover that they would much rather be learning how to build things or fix things. College students and graduates are facing debt, unemployment/ drops in wages, and some would rather learn with their hands.
As a college student who is currently spending thousands of dollars to further my education and achieve a career goal, it was, at first, disheartening to read Caroline Bird ’s essay “College is a Waste of Time and Money”. However, after thoroughly examining her points, I now see that her essay is illogical. In her piece “College is a Waste of Time and Money”, Caroline Bird argues against the idea that “college is the best place for all high-school graduates” (1); in other words, college isn’t for everyone. Throughout her writing, Bird supplies her readers with evidence that explains how, for some individuals, college is a waste of not only time and money, but of intellectual effort, as well.
Abraham Lincoln, our own sixteenth president once said, "The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next. " The concept of going to college is an important subject in most people's lives. Family members and teachers have stressed the importance of furthering your education after high school for almost your whole educational career. A university experience is extremely beneficial in this world, broadening one's horizons to endless possibilities.
The fact that not everyone needs to go to college is the main point that Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill write about in great detail throughout their essay. Even though the authors do say that people that go to college usually earn more, they state that this is on “average,” and that the key focus of their essay is to focus on those that the benefits are not greater than the cost of going to college. (Page 211, Paragraph 1). They also include a graph right under the text that shows how “on average” people with a college degree earn more than those that are just high school graduates. (Page 211, Figure one).
In his Essay “Are too many people going to college,” first published in a 2008 issue of AEI, Charles Murray explores many insights onto the topic of furthering education as well as exploring various other options to pursue after high school. Who exactly would think that too many people are going to college? Well with more and more students flooding campuses at the end of every school year and less and less going into trade schools, a shift in the job market is just beginning to be seen on the horizon. Charles Murray’s essay “Are too many people going to college” shows that not only are there other avenues to pursue a potential life long career, but that much of the time pursuing these avenues may offer better results for some wanting to go to college.
To begin with, going to college can help people gain greater wealth. In the article, “Five Ways Ed Pays,” its stated that “you can earn up to 22,000 more per year” (“Five Ways Ed Pays”). High school graduates will have a much harder time finding high paying jobs without a
According to Andrew J. Rotherham’s article “Actually, College Is Very Much Worth it. ”he states, “Meanwhile, in 2010, the unemployment rate was 9.2 percent for those with only some college and more than 10 percent for those with just a high school degree, but it was 5.4 percent for college graduates.” The data Rotherham provides shows that even with some college education, you have a higher chance of getting employed than those with just a high school degree. The one group that outweighs all the others is the college graduates proving that with a college degree unemployment is less likely to befriend people who do pursue college. Some people might say that there are loads of jobs that do not require a college degree, especially in this time and age.
Although not everyone attends college, having a higher education will better prepare one for corporate America, create a well-rounded individual, and increase one’s chances of getting a lucrative job
Is College Worth the Cost? Life’s success is achieved in different ways. (Director, n.d.) A lot of television programs and magazines instills the idea in us that being successful means; having a fulfilling career, having a lot of money and being powerful. Most religious and spiritual organizations, in contrast, claim that success means being at peace with God and finding spiritual happiness.
There is an ample amount of information that leads people to believe that college is a great choice. In Source F, it is shown that, “Adults who graduated from a four-year college believe that, on average, they are earning $20,000 more a year as a result of having gotten that degree. Adults who did not attend college believe that, on average they are earning $20,000 a year less as a result.” Also, provided in Source F, “...55% say it [college] was very useful in helping them prepare for a job or career.” While these statistics are true, the negatives still outweigh the positives.
A college education has higher benefits in the long run for better higher paying jobs. Some people think no matter what it gives them it just is not worth the cost. Although, a lot of graduates of college stated that it treated them well, taught them more and college was worth their time (Pew Social and Demographic Trends). Getting an education can be challenging but it is it is worth the hard work because of the money in the future. People that did not get a college degree did not get as much money