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Zach Butera

Professor Morean

English Comp 2

17 October 2021

How Important is it to get a College Degree?

Every year high school students all across America struggle with deciding their plans as

to what they should or could do after high school. Whether they go into college, join the military,

start working or join a trade school. However, the most common decision being to attend a

college. These events bring about the question, how important is it to get a college degree? While

trade school can be an easier way to make money right out of high school, a college degree is

worth the time and investment because your degree will help cover your college debts, you

cannot put a price on the college experience, and you have more career options with a college

degree.

College is now more important than has ever been in the past. “Workers with a bachelor’s

degree can expect to earn about $25,000 more per year than those with a high school degree, and

unemployment rates for college graduates are half those of high school graduates” (Recio).

Nowadays going to college makes you $25,000 more a year than someone who doesn’t go to

college. That is about how much a year of college costs at a basic state school (college). So after

just four years of work you will have paid off your college debts and be on a level field with

those who didn’t, set out to move forward and continue making more money. To keep ahead of

the competition in today's fast-paced job market, every student should consider post-secondary

education. Take a look at what's going on in a lot of communities across the country– Jobs that

were formerly plentiful for those with only a high school diploma are quickly becoming obsolete
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or being outsourced to machines.' (Recio). This speaks of how we have advanced as a society

and some jobs are done by people who only have a high school diploma are starting to be

replaced by robots. Looking to the future many think college is worth the investment because of

advances in technology there may be robots taking some of our jobs in America.

A college degree has many benefits such as how much more money you will make even

though college does come at an expensive price. Over the course of their working lives, the

average college graduate will earn nearly $900,000 more than the average high school graduate.

If they have no college costs, 96 percent of college graduates will out-earn the median high

school graduate, but this lowers to 87 percent for those who pay $50,000 a year (Is College

Worth it). These stats go to show just how much more you can earn by getting a college degree,

that even with all the student debt it still pays off to pay the extra costs. This statistic is providing

basic evidence as to why your college debt will be paid off due to the salary you will be making

once you have graduated and earned your degree.

There are a lot of people who believe that the costs of college will leave you in debt for a

lifetime and it is not worth going to college because they believe you will be in debt your whole

life. Which is a fair statement, however that is very exaggerated considering, “The average total

costs including these factors is $14,940 and $26,740 at public and private non-profits,

respectively, according to the College Board”(Is College Worth it). This is a lot but it just proves

the point made earlier that by making $25,000 more a year, you will be able to take the cost off

of college debt in about four years. The payoff for college also depends on what degree you

decide to major in. Certain degrees such as a degree in business or the STEM field will have a

bigger financial payoff than someone who would’ve gotten their degree in the educational field

or something making a little less income per year. College degrees also provide more job security
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than those who have no postsecondary education. When unemployment spiked in 2010, the

unemployment rate for recent graduates was 6.9%, compared to 15.8% for all young employees.

Bachelor's degree holders now have a jobless rate of only 2.5 percent. And those with a

bachelor's degree are 3.5 times less likely to live in poverty than those with a high school

diploma. (Edelson). These stats help prove how important having a college degree can be not

only for the extra money making but other benefits such as job security or health care benefits.

There are many other benefits to having a college degree other than making more yearly

income. There are statistics that can help prove people who graduate college even tend to live

longer than those who don’t attend college. More than just getting a job and a consistent salary is

at stake with a college education. Consider health and safety, both of which are necessary for

living a happy life. Bachelor's degree holders are 47% more likely to have health insurance

through their employment, and their employers contribute 74% more to their health coverage.

Those who go to college have a greater life expectancy. According to studies, individuals who

have completed at least some college can expect to live five years longer than those who have

not finished postsecondary education (Edelson). This shows how having a job that requires a

college degree can give you other benefits such as health coverage and other insurance coverage.

By having these costs already built into your job also helps save you more money than someone

who didn’t attend college and doesn’t already have those same benefits included in their work.

Along with the benefits the quote emphasized that obtaining a college degree could increase your

life expectancy.

Having a college degree can also diversify what options you may have within your

career field. “College graduates see 57 percent more job opportunities than non-graduates,” (The

ROI of a Bachelor’s Degree). Meaning that by having a college degree you have more options as
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to what you can do (diversity) which is helping create more job opportunities than for people

who don’t have their college degree. It is also much easier to get a job when a college degree is

required rather than just a high school diploma. These online job listings are a great instrument

for job seekers to locate and apply for available positions. While over 80% of all job openings

for individuals with a bachelor's degree or higher are listed on the internet (The ROI of a

Bachelor’s Degree). Online advertisement is one of the best ways to get a job and only about 20

percent of postings are for positions that don’t require a bachelor's degree or higher education.

However, job openings aren’t everything to it. Working in a business setting can help you create

networking which helps you set up jobs in the future. “In today’s job market, building and

maintaining a professional network is critical to success.” (The ROI of a Bachelor’s Degree).

This quote is explaining how networking can be essential to success and by going to college this

helps you network before you may even have a job.

There are many more job opportunities available to you once you have your college

degree. By completing college and getting a degree it shows employers that you have a sense of

responsibility and all the other basic skills it takes to graduate college. During the course of any

degree, individuals are taught critical and analytical thinking skills. As a result, they gain

organizational skills along with the ability to thoroughly think through a project, from its start

until completion. They get time management abilities as a result of this journey, which is a

highly desired ability in professional life. All of these abilities qualify college graduates for

better job prospects.(How a Degree Can Increase Job Opportunities). This better explains the

skills earned during college and how that will help increase your employment. Not only does a

degree just show how you have a plethora of professional skills, but it also shows your job

flexibility. “While earning a college degree, you will be exposed to other fields as well. You may
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have friends from other educational departments or may have networking contacts from a

different field.” (How a Degree Can Increase Job Opportunities). Having these skills will help

increase job opportunities for a degree earned since they have knowledge in other fields or

professions rather than only what they studied.

Deciding to attend a college or university isn’t all about the statistics (how much money

you make, the more job opportunities provided, and the job security it ensures) college also

provides students an experience to live free by themselves for the first time away from home and

instead with hundreds or thousands of their peers. This environment helps students make

memories and/or friendships that will never be forgotten, along with giving these young adults a

chance to grow into adults in this new environment. During my college years, I also established

some great relationships that would not have been possible if I had been focused on a job or a

financial goal. My favorite professor hosted our rehearsal dinner in his front yard when I got

married at Kenyon in 2008, and two of my bridesmaids were girls who lived down the hall from

me Freshman year (Buck). This story is from a lady who graduated college in 2001 speaking

about how valuable the relationships you make in college are. She even goes on to say “I

recognize that not everyone can have the incredible college experience that I had. I also know

that I did pay a price during my twenties for my four years at college. I would do it all again in a

heartbeat, for the same $20,000 price tag” (Buck). This helps emphasize how important the

relationships made in college can be, she was willing to go back and do it all over again even

with all the student debt she had, just because of the relationships she made while she was in

college.

There is a lot of upside to going to college but it also comes with many cons just as well

as the pros. College can be very expensive at times. “Around 70% of college graduates have
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student loan debt” (Karnezis). The majority of students do have a loan debt coming out of

college, however, this article goes on to talk about how bearable it is to pay off these debts. At

graduation, the average student borrower has roughly $30,000 in debts and expects to pay them

off in around ten years (Karnezis). Everyone has college debt but this article helps emphasize

how even though college debt is very prominent in the US it is also very possible to pay it off.

The main argument for not going to college is the cost of it but there are other factors that

go into it, such as many college graduates are employed in jobs that don’t require a college

degree. According to the Department of Labor, up to 17 million college graduates are employed

in jobs that do not require a college diploma. In 2012, one out of every three college graduates

had a job that only required a high school diploma. (Pros & Cons). This is a valid point,

however, if college is done right the ability to find a job will be easier due to the job flexibility

created. So the likelihood of becoming a janitor or job that doesn’t require a degree is much more

unlikely than a job where you would be making 30-40 percent more than someone without a

college degree would make in a work week.

The last point someone who opposes a college education would make is that many people

do succeed without having a college degree. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, five

jobs require no high school graduation, nine require a high school diploma, four require an

associate's degree, six require a bachelor's degree, and six require graduate degrees between 2010

and 2020' (Pros & Cons). This is undeniable evidence as to why having a college degree will

help you with job opportunities in the future. There are countless examples of successful people

who didn’t attend college. “The following successful people either never enrolled in college or

never completed their college degrees: Richard Branson, founder and chairman of the Virgin
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Group; Charles Culpepper, owner and CEO of Coca Cola; Ellen Degeneres, comedian and

actress; Michael Dell, founder of Dell, Inc.; Walt Disney, Disney Corporation founder; Bill

Gates, Microsoft founder; Steve Jobs” (“Pros & Cons”). This is a list of basic examples of very

successful people in the world who didn’t earn a college degree. There are many other examples

of successful business people who didn’t attend a college or university, but the argument being

made isn’t that you can’t be successful if you don’t go to college. The argument being made is

that going to college is worth the investment and provides more stability for career paths. There

is undeniable evidence that it is very possible but going to college does provide more security in

your chances of making good money in your profession. Even though the growing rate of jobs

does help out those who don’t attend college there are still even more job opportunities opening

for those who attend college rather than don’t.

There are two sides to the argument of whether or not college is worth the expenses. Both

sides have their reasoning such that college is worth it because of how much more money you

would make, health benefits, and insurance coverage. Versus those who say college isn’t worth

the expenses with reasoning such as you can still be successful and make money without going

to college and you are able to avoid the debt. But there are more pros to going to college rather

than not. In conclusion, there are many pros and cons to attending college rather than attending a

trade school or joining the military. While trade school can be an easier way to make money right

out of high school, a college degree is worth the time and investment because your degree will

help cover your college debts, you cannot put a price on the college experience, and you have

more career options with a college degree. In this essay it reviewed how the pros of college

outweigh the cons when you account for factors such as salary, the college experiences you will

have, and the job diversity it provides.

Work Cited

Recio, Amber. “A College Degree Is Now More Important than Ever.” The SEED

Foundation, The SEED Foundation, 30 Apr. 2021,

https://www.seedfoundation.com/blog/2021/4/26/a-college-degree-is-now-more-important-

than-ever.

“Is College Worth It? Going beyond Averages – Third Way.” – Third Way,

https://www.thirdway.org/report/is-college-worth-it-going-beyond-averages.

“The Roi of a Bachelor's Degree.” Bachelor's Degree Completion, 16 Apr. 2021,

https://www.northeastern.edu/bachelors-completion/news/is-a-bachelors-degree-worth-it/.

Karnezis, Jimmy. “5 Reasons Having Student Loan Debt Isn't so Bad.” Credible, Credible,

6 Oct. 2021,

https://www.credible.com/blog/refinance-student-loans/5-reasons-having-student-loan-debt

-isnt-so-bad/.

Edelson, David. “How Does a College Degree Improve Graduates' Employment and

Earnings Potential?” Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities, 27 Feb. 2020,

https://www.aplu.org/projects-and-initiatives/college-costs-tuition-and-financial-aid/public

uvalues/employment-earnings.html.
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“How a Degree Can Increase Job Opportunities.” Fremont College, 1 Jan. 2020,

https://fremont.edu/how-a-degree-can-increase-job-opportunities/.

Buck, et al. “Is the ‘College Experience’ Worth Student Loan Debt?” Budget Boost:

Improve Your Fiscal Decisions, 23 Apr. 2021,

https://budgetboost.co/is-the-college-experience-worth-student-loan-debt/.

“Pros & Cons - ProCon.org.” College Education, 8 June 2020,

https://college-education.procon.org/.