Why I Believe College is of Great Value For Ones Future

Every year people all around the world are graduating from high school. After graduating from high school the normal process would be going to college, but some people are starting to question the need for people to go to college for reasons such as why should someone pay that much money for a degree. Even with all the opposing views of going to college, I still strongly believe that going to college has become a necessity for one’s future.

Everyone knows that people with college degrees make more money than people who only graduated high school, but I don’t think people realize how much more money the college degree people are making. In fact in 2004, according to the U.S Census Bureau, people with only high school diplomas made $18,734 a year while people with a bachelor’s degree made $27,915 a year. Over the course of working 40 years people with college degrees will have made an extra million dollars. There are also many different fields of jobs so depending on where you work, the possibility of earning more than an extra million dollars is there. As more jobs are starting to require the minimum of a bachelor’s degree, the income gap between having a degree or not will only continue to become bigger.

Jobs that people don’t usually associate with a college degree are manual labor jobs such as construction work or plumbing, But still having a degree, even if the degree is not in that specific field, give people an advantage.. David Leonardt, a writer for the “New York Times”, stated in one of his articles about college that the people doing these types of jobs with a degree are getting paid significantly more than their colleagues that don’t have a degree. Just that fact that they have some type of degree has become an immense help towards their future.

The job market for people with only high school degrees are very limited to entry level jobs such as working as a cashier at a gas station or working at fast food places. Work that is often seen has not needing skill. However, going to college and getting a degree opens up much more opportunities. Employers are more willing to hire people with degrees compared to those without degrees because they believe that the college graduate are more reliable and smarter. What employers want is for their workers to be able to work efficiently, and with a college degree they are more inclined to think that one with a college degree compared to one that doesn’t have one will be more capable.

Along with more job opportunities comes greater benefits. College graduates are more likely to receive employee than non-college graduates such as free child care and better retirement packages. In 2008 “College Board” showed that roughly 70 percent of individuals with a four-year college degree received health care insurance from their employer, while less than 50 percent employees with only high school diplomas received the same benefit. In some cases, employee benefits packages have become worth as much as their own take-home pay. Employee benefits are always something useful to have around when a time comes for one to use it.

There stereotype of people working white collar jobs is that they are leading dull lives. That they only work at desks all day just because they feel obligated to for the money. But that is completely untrue. Pew Research Center surveyed adults from the age of 25 to 32. The people surveyed were high school only graduates and 4-year college graduates. 53% percent of the 4- year college graduates have said that they are very satisfied with their jobs compared to the 37% of high school only graduates. The 4 year graduates are much happier with the lives they are leading.

Just like there are pros to things there are also cons. A huge con of college is the tuition. Every year as more students are getting ready to go to college, colleges are raising their tuition.

The soaring tuition costs have started to become a huge burden for many students. According to TICAS (The Institute for College Access and Success) when students graduate college they have an average of $26,600 worth of debt. The number is very intimidating especially for students when a majority of them have only worked part time jobs.

Going to college now has become a must. The advantages of going to college far outweigh the disadvantages of it. By going to college you make more money, have more job opportunities, more benefits, and makes you feel more satisfied with life.