Summary Of Is College Worth It By David Leonhardt

In today’s society, it has been found out that college graduates have a hard time seeking a job and end up with a sky-high student debt. This reality then poses a question, is going to college worth the time and money? An essay in the New York Times published in May 2014 entitled, “Is College Worth It? Clearly New Data Say,” by David Leonhardt states, “For all the struggles that many young college graduates face, a four-year degree has probably never been more valuable” (33). In his essay, Leonhardt sets the stage by describing the struggles a college graduate might have such as student debt, no work after graduating, and accepting jobs they feel overqualified.

Why College Isn’t Worth It Attending college is something that many High School students look forward to as a buffer or a way to make the transition into adulthood easier, but a rising question has people considering: Is going to college really worth it? While some describe college as their best years, it leaves most attendees in debt and with a degree they may never use. Between tuition fees, traveling, housing, food, and textbooks, all college students are bound to owe at least a few thousand.

While others agrues that college does not prepare for the real world. Students should go straight to college becasue it gives more job opportinities, a higher income now and longterm, and more skill and knowledge. Even since, United State econmy is improving, there are more job opportinities. But for those who graduate from college have a higher chance of going those job than those who did not. According to source 3, those who does not have a degree have 20% higher rate of unemplyment.

After reading and analyzing, “Is College Worth It?” by David Leonhart and “Why College Isn’t for Everyone” by Chris Matthews, I have concluded that it is important and beneficial to attend college. Although, Chris Matthew made a compelling argument on why college is not for everyone such as, “ Up to 25% of college grads would probably be better off not pursuing a degree, yet nobody actually thinks they are going to be the ones for whom the investment doesn’t pay off.” Unfortunately, he previously had contradicted himself saying, “First, we don’t know for sure how much money this bottom quarter of degree holding earners would have made without their college education.” I disagree with Chris Matthews because although 25% of people who attend college do not become more “successful” than those who chose not to attend college, there a lingering prominent 75% that is out in the world being positively affected by the decision of attending college.

In conclusion going to college is very much worth it. Getting a degree will not only improve the quality of a job’s pay substantially, but make the job search extensively easier. Knowing this students of all ages can make the right decision when deciding whether or not college is the right choice for them. So as a nation let's build ourselves to be better, richer and smarter people by making the right choice when it comes to our education;

These studies have proved that college is not worth it in the long run. College graduates are beginning to have high expectations on their wages earned. New college students are losing ground on wages by the time they graduate. Many are working hard to earn a degree, going into debt, making sacrifices financially. But, the lack of wage growth is affecting them after college.

In the world we live in today. Going to college is no longer a choice, or privilege, but rather a need for a brighter future . So the big question that happens to be going around is, “Is College really worth it?”According to Andrew J. Rotherham’s article “Actually, college is very much worth it.”, “5 Ways Ed Pays”produced by (The College board), and “Why College Isn't (And Shouldn’t have to be) For Everyone” written by Robert Reich. The answer to that question is yes.

Is College Worth the Cost? Life’s success is achieved in different ways. (Director, n.d.) A lot of television programs and magazines instills the idea in us that being successful means; having a fulfilling career, having a lot of money and being powerful. Most religious and spiritual organizations, in contrast, claim that success means being at peace with God and finding spiritual happiness.

Some people believe that a college degree is essential to a successful life, however, not everyone should be obligated to go to college because over forty percent of students will not graduate, and a good deal of graduates never use their degree. Innumerable full-time

There is an ample amount of information that leads people to believe that college is a great choice. In Source F, it is shown that, “Adults who graduated from a four-year college believe that, on average, they are earning $20,000 more a year as a result of having gotten that degree. Adults who did not attend college believe that, on average they are earning $20,000 a year less as a result.” Also, provided in Source F, “...55% say it [college] was very useful in helping them prepare for a job or career.” While these statistics are true, the negatives still outweigh the positives.

The low-income Jobs that once required a high school diploma are increasingly demanding some type of college degree, even though there has been minimal to no change in work or level of difficulty. Lucas states that these hiring managers claim that high school graduates are incapable of good performance because they are not educated enough (Lucas). These claims are a cause for concern, because of the lack of acquired knowledge upon receiving a bachelor’s degree. According to the authors of Academically Adrift, Dr. Richard Arum and Dr. Josipa Roksa, forty-five percent of students in an undergraduate program didn’t learn much. These findings show that students are wasting their money in order to qualify for a minimum wage job.

Although college is stressful and time consuming , having your dream career, is a huge life achievement. Having a job isn’t the same as having a career “I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life”(Maya Angelou). If you sell yourself short by not going to college you’ll end up working just to make ends means not because it's what you enjoy doing, it's due to your family counting on it. Those who go to college will end up having a better future than those who don’t. I agree that going to college is more beneficial because my view on the topic states that in order to have a secure and clear future you must go to college.

As a High School Junior looking at jaw dropping tuition prices, my family and I often ask ourselves a question I’m sure many other American households are challenged with: Is a college degree actually worth it? Once you look past the recent unemployment rate for college grads, you’ll find that a college degree proves to be highly beneficial once placed in a career. Degree holders often enjoy benefits such as higher pay, higher-skilled work, and an intellectual advantage over their coworkers that do not have a degree. These benefits often outweigh the seemingly outrageous cost of college, making the price tag more than worth it.

Going to college can increase the possibility of getting jobs paying higher than jobs one may get after high school. Not everyone has to attend college to do what they want in life or to earn their dream career. “When we praise people who do work that is straightforwardly useful, the praise often betrays an assumption, they had no other options” (Crawford ). People will not only be able to provide for themselves, but also their family (“Why Should You Go to College?”). Since college makes it easier to receive a nice paying occupation, people would be able to take care of their family, as well as themselves.

The education system produces skills that are not valued by employers, while raising the expectations of those who acquire them. Consequently, the unemployed do not take up existing job vacancies, and employers are unwilling to hire available candidates (Njonjo, 2010). The mismatch is more marked for school leavers and graduates who have just finished school, partly providing an explanation for the high unemployment rate among youth and new entrants into the job market. The suggested remedy is to reform the education system and increase focus on technical education and vocational training, matching them to the needs of the job market (Coenjaerts et al. 2009).