Is College Really Worth It?

As the days go by, and when teenagers finally reach the end of their high school education, students often reach a point where they must decide what their next step is. Most of the time, the answer is often seen to be college, but as some articles and complaints from those out of school have shown, the decision between entering college and jumping straight into the real world has become significantly more difficult to decide upon. It needs to be said that college is indeed a worthwhile investment.

In today's world, the competition for jobs in the workforce has become ever increasingly competitive and a college degree has become a necessity for potential candidates looking for a job. Attending college is a huge investment, an investment that can come with cons, however the pros of acquiring a college education hugely outweigh the cons. Although expensive, the job opportunities and the safety that a degree provides an individual is what makes putting the time and money into a degree worth it.

There are many benefits that a college degree can provide a person, but it is widely known what the most sought after benefit is. Money. Money is what makes the world move and almost everyone on this planet spends a huge majority of their lives working hard to make themselves financially secure. However, the amount of money that an individual makes depends on the type of job that they have. Not all occupations make the same salary, and jobs that give a larger payout are only available to those that have the proper skills to handle them. These skills are earned through college degrees and the like. The longer that a person spends in college working towards a desired degree, the better the job opportunities that will eventually become available. For example, a high school graduate with no further education has almost no chance of becoming a lawyer while someone who went to law school has a high chance of landing this job. A lawyer is required to have a vast amounts of experience, as well as around 7 years of full-time study after high school. This all works out in the end as the salary for a lawyer is usually in the 6 digit range. On the other hand, a high school graduate might face that fact that they're only qualified to work in a dead-end job that does not pay much. Overall, if an individual enters the workplace as a high school graduate, they might never be able to make that much money in the first place.

Many people might argue the fact that partaking in a college degree is too time consuming or difficult, but if an individual really wants to succeed they need to take the time to complete their education. As studies have shown, college is essentially a ""no-brainer. It's the most reliable ticket to the middle class and beyond"" (Leonhardt). Looking at that, it is obvious to see the importance of a college degree. Getting a degree almost certainly guarantees a person a financially secure future. There may be tough times and bumps in the road, but those problems would almost be infinitely much worse without any additional education past high school. Putting in the time and hard work to complete one's education so they could eventually earn a degree will almost always pay out in the end. An individual is allowed to focus on a certain degree and get a job that they might really end up enjoying. More opportunities become available and the added benefits that a high paying job provides is almost too good to give up. Additionally, it makes perfect sense to get any sort of degree as ""the wage gap between people with only a bachelor's degree and people without such a degree has also kept rising"" (Leonhardt). As said in the quote above, if the pay gap has kept on increasing, then it's almost common sense that people should go out and get their bachelor's degree. As I have stated earlier, people spend most of their lives in the pursuit of money, and as supported from the quote above, getting a degree is a smart thing to do, unless they want to fall behind and dig a financial hole that could be too deep to climb out of. In conclusion, if people really are trying to make money, then injecting in the time into getting any sort of degree is the smart choice, lest they want to fall behind everyone else.

The biggest factor that people consider on whether or not to attend college is almost always the same. Cost. College is and has never been cheap. A lot of money is being spent when paying for classes and supplies and, ""Among four-year college graduates who took out loans, average debt is about $25,000"" (Leonhardt). This can discourage students who don't have the means to pay off such a debt due to their financial status. Furthermore, a student may not be guaranteed a high quality education as in some colleges,""professors are hired and evaluated on the basis of their academic pedigree and research chops, not their ability to teach undergraduates"" (Pearlstein). All these factors can discourage many students who have found the transition from high school to college extremely hard. Many professors might not have time to give all their students one-on-one time and may give a picture that they simply don't care. However, this is simply not true for all college professors. Many professors take pride in their jobs and genuinely care for their students. Additionally, the financial deficits that attending college may put a heavy burden on college graduates, but most people end up making some serious money after college once they get heavily invested in their careers. In short, there may be some cons that may appear when attending college, some more than others, but the benefits and pros do outweigh any and all negatives of attending college.

Attending college is a critical point in a person's lifetime. It's their time in these institutions that may make or break an individual's future. By graduating, they are not only given the opportunity to make some serious money, but it also allows them to acquire any job that they may like. People who skip out on college and instead try to enter the work-force immediately are quite foolish, and almost destined to end up making less money or working a job that they hate when compared to the people who took their time and put effort into attending a university. I personally think that people should make the effort and do everything in their power to attend college, as the pros definitely outweigh the cons. To sum this all up, college is an experience that everyone should partake in to ensure a successful future.

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