Is College Degree Worth Money
Investments?
No issue is more disturbing and debatable
for those concerned with college education
than the issue of real value of college
degrees. The tendency towards escalating
cost of tuition fees made many people
wonder whether a genuine payoff and
opportunities college degree can offer
to a graduator, in the long run, worth
a high-priced investment.
This problem became especially acute
for low-income parents, because the
majority of them cant afford
to take an additional burden for paying
such a fabulous sum of money for education
of their kid. Annual tuition fees
in different colleges range in average
from $12,000 to $25,000.
Undoubtedly, such numbers provoke
many people to think it over and weigh
all arguments for and against college
education.
Considerable rise of college charge
caused a reappraisal of real value
of higher education, in general, and
college degree, in particular. A college
degree, which can be interpreted as
an official recognition for the successful
completion of a vocational or an academic
program, is now called into question.
Many high-school graduators prefer
well-paid employment to spending 4-6
years in college to earn a piece of
paper which doesnt even earn
them squat back.
Though, money is not the only sticking
point on a way to higher education,
perspectives and vision of the future
cant be underestimated in the
ultimate choice of a person, who foresees
the necessity of obtaining college
degree for success, regarding it as
a necessary component of success formula
in life; for prestige, considering
a college degree to be a valuable
and expensive contribution to his
collection of achievements; or for
money making, viewing it as an additional
plus while getting fixed up in a job.
From my perspective, there are obverse
and reverse of this issue. On the
one hand, college degree is not a
guarantee of anything, nor is it a
factor of success in life. Timing
and luck play a big part, as do personality,
perseverance, confidence and native
intelligence.
There are many people who succeeded
in life without being college educated
and having a certificate of their
intelligence. History knows many that
sort of examples, it is enough just
to mention such celebrated minds as
Ted Turner and Mark Twain, who werent
tainted with the influence of college
education. It proves that skills and
inborn intelligence help much better
in specific areas and often trump
degrees.
On the other hand, a college graduator
has a wider range of opportunities,
can choose a high-paid job in his
specific field easier than his counterpart
- high-school leaver and also can
expect to have higher income in future.
According to the Census Bureau,
over an adult's working life, high
school graduates earn an average of
$1.2 million; associate's degree holders
earn about $1.6 million; and bachelor's
degree holders earn about $2.1 million.
Overall, those with degrees tend to
fare better than those who dont
have them.
So, I can only add that future college
applicants and their parents have
to speculate on this question very
carefully, because a decision to enter
a college and obtain baccalaureate
degree are one of the most important
choices a person has to face in life.
Remember that a real importance,
a genuine price and benefits you can
get from a college degree in long-term
outlook can be defined only by you.
About the author:
Linda Correli is a staff writer of
http://www.CustomResearchPapers.us
and an author of the popular online
tutorial for students "What Teachers
Want: Master the Art of Essay Writing
in 10 Days", available at http://www.Go2Essay.com
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