Benefits of Higher Education
The number of college graduates has recently been on the increase. Due to the increase of college graduates, there is a lot of competition in hunting for a Job. Many companies have been cutting back on hiring due to the slow down in the economy. When I think about what it takes to get a well-paying Job these days, one must be very knowledgeable about many different topics. This means companies are looking for people who can hit the ground running when they hire them.
In addition to one’s knowledge they possess, a college diploma is very important while Job hunting. According to the essay, “Are they really ready to work”, mfoung people need a ange of skills, both basic academic skills as well as the ability to apply these skills and knowledge in the workplace. At the high school level, well over one-half of new entrants are deficiently prepared in the most important skills – Oral and Written Communications, Professionalism/Work Ethic, and Critical Thinking/Problem Solving “(Casner-Lotto, and Barrington, 2006, p. 51). Generally, there is a limit to what students can learn until they graduate from high school. The time spent in high school is not enough time to gain sufficient knowledge or skill to get a well paying Job. Additionally, high school is place where one learns a little about a lot of different things, receiving a general education. On the other hand, even if students have a college diploma, they still lack some skills, such as writing in English, written communications, and leadership, but they are better prepared than high school graduates.
Especially, at the college level, students can concentrate on areas that they think they would want to work in the future, so they can get specialized knowledge and technology. Why do we need adequate skills? The essay “Work and Workers in the Twenty- First Century’ stated that “Automation will continue to displace low-skilled or unskilled workers in America’s manufacturing firms and offices” (Judy, and Amico, 1997, p. 234). In the twenty-first century, there is increased use of computers, robots, and automation in the workplace.
This mechanization certainly has brought production costs down, but has lead to fewer unskilled Jobs available in America. The lost of these unskilled Jobs makes it more competitive for the unskilled labors, with not all unskilled labors able to find adequate paying Jobs. Therefore, the companies now require us to have brains. In addition, the physical labors are moving to second and third world countries, in order to build the groundwork for these developing economies.
Studying at a college or university in the US these days, could cost tens of thousands of dollars annually including the student’s room and board cost. So after a 4 years of thousand dollars. These students must start paying their loans back shortly after they graduate. With employers not hiring and very limited Jobs available, these graduates have a difficult time findings Jobs paying the salaries required to pay their loans. Now, if tudents live with their parents, they do not have to pay for room, and board, but only tuition and material fees.
Although the students college education is cost them less due to the fact that they did not have to pay for room and board, the cost of the education is still a big burden on most families. However, according to the essay “The Private Benefits of Higher Education”, there is a big difference between salaries for high school graduates and college graduates. “Among wage and salary workers between the age 25 and 34, median annual earnings were 58% higher for men who completed at least a achelor’s degree than for men who completed only high school ($42,341 vs. 26,842), but 92% higher for women who earned at least a bachelor’s degree than for women who earned only a high school diploma ($32,145 vs. $16,770; Perna, 2013, p. 451). ” As stated above, men who received at least bachelor’s degree are able to earn more than one and half times more than the median high school graduate. Now as for woman, the numbers are even more pronounced than for the men with a women who earns a Bachelor earns about doubled than that of the median women with only a high school diploma.
Research shows that parents with low income and no academic qualifications normally do not have a lot of information about how to get financial aid for their children. Job hunting is a highly competitive in the twenty first century. Moreover, mechanization and globalization narrow the workplace in the US. Therefore, although students have to pay a lot of money to go to a college or university, they still pursue college education. This is due to that higher education will be useful in order to find well-paying Job. In the next five years, college graduates will continue to increase more and more.
