Composition I (GT-CO1): Winter15-C-8-ENG101-1
As student loan debts skyrocket, young Americans hoping to establish a decent standard of living are forced to take on this insurmountable debt in order to pursue a higher education. Therefore, college is a necessary evil in today’s fast paced, highly skilled and competitive global market. No longer are entities like large labor unions a feasible option for the working class individuals who stop their educational pursuit after receiving a high school diploma. Instead, in the current age there is a need, almost a requirement for a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree, and ideally up to a graduate degree in order to increase one’s chances at fulfilling “the American Dream.” Surely one may ask why it is a “necessary evil” because what could possibly be evil about gaining knowledge through an education. Well, the evil comes in the form of the debt and inability for so many financial strained individuals to actually fulfil that requirement in order to live and afford a comfortable standard of living. There are three main aspects that will be examined as proof of why college is a necessary evil for the people of the United States, which include- staying relevant to employers, establishing one’s value to employers, and finally the ability to move up in the socio-economic class that only a college education can likely ensure.
Staying Relevant
In this highly competitive job market, where many college graduates complain of not securing a stable job, it is more critical than ever to “stay relevant” to potential employers. However, before indicating how college plays a role in that one must understand what is meant by the term “stay relevant.” By staying relevant, the individual is showing those searching for possible new hires to have the skills and knowledge that could be used in the current market. For example, if one were to simply be a high school graduate that has not done much beyond the typical classes needed to graduate with his or her diploma, their ability to offer and employer the mature knowledge and experience that many college grads come equipped with will automatically disqualify the individual compared to those who have a college degree. One of the most valuable aspects of how this can be accomplished is through the knowledge and education that college offers. According to the College View website (n.d), “The U.S. has been transformed from a manufacturing-based economy to an economy based on knowledge, and the importance of a college education today can be compared to that of a high school education forty years ago” (McGuire). Therefore, the lower skilled jobs no longer exist as they once did, making it mandatory to be as highly educated and skilled as possible in order to properly market oneself to a potential employer. Those who do not pursue higher education tend to be left by the wayside struggling to make ends meet.
In the 21st century job market there are other skills such as leadership and teambuilding skills that involve knowledge of appropriate organizational behavior that one would not be prepared for with just a high school education. It is in one’s college courses that some of these skills of working on team projects begins to take place, which is a very typical part of the work environment for most workers that will be desirable to employers.
Establish Value to Employers
A key factor in being a college-educated individual makes one automatically establish a higher degree of value to an employer than the individuals with only a high school diploma. As mentioned in the section above, staying relevant is one of the ways that one brings value to the employers. Although a basic degree is not the only way to prove oneself valuable to the employers; there are often skills and aptitude test that companies are including in the hiring process to see how valuable the individual will be to the company. For example, “grad-school programs have long used the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and its companion tests in math, the sciences and literature to rate students. But now employers are using those scores to assess job applicants, according to the Wall Street Journal ” (Kiplinger, 2013). The reality of this confirms that certain skills necessary to establish the job-seeker as one that can be an asset to a company, there have to be factors learned in the college atmosphere of analytical thinking that will be a necessity to stand out among the large quantity of fellow applicants. To give the reader a better idea of one of the ways that college educated individuals tend to be much more well-rounded in their critical thinking and analytical skills is through many of the general education classes that help lay a foundation of building a more mature thinker. Philosophy course, world literature, anthropology, sociology, and so many other courses (regardless of one’s major), will help mold the student into an independent thinker. Not only is this one of the most valuable assets to an employer, but a sense of independence is also developed in college that employers need for the worker to bring with him or her to the office. It is harmful to productivity when an employee is incapable of having independence in the things he or she does at work. Additionally, it is also wise to utilize computer literacy in programs like Microsoft Office while one is completing his or her college degree, which will be incredibly beneficial in establishing value to an employer. Often times many people that have not attended college have not even had the opportunity to utilize the computer technology that has become as common as paper and pencil in this era. Further proof of a simple task such as being computer literate is enhanced when one attends college making the individual a valuable asset as the company does not have to waste time and money on training the person in these basic skills.
Socio-Economic Class Struggle
In the final portion of the paper it is with great conviction that one could state that in order to move up or have any mobility in the socio-economic class, college is an absolute necessity. As the income inequality gap grows, the only chance for those on the bottom to find any hope towards a better future for themselves and future generation of their family will be through pursuit of higher education. For example, here are some figures to consider in the income difference in those who have college degrees versus their high school diploma-wielding counterparts. “Among millennials ages 25 to 32, median annual earnings for full-time working college-degree holders are $17,500 greater than for those with high school diplomas only” (Kurtzleben, 2014). Another shocking bit of information on the critical importance of pursuing a college education is further reinforced when considering that between 1965-2013 median income for college educated young adults grew by $6,700 to $45,500 while is dropped by $3,400 to $28,000 for those who stopped after high school (Kurtzleben, 2013). Therefore, if families on the lower socio-economic classes do not encourage their youth to make college a part of their educational reality, then there will be no hope for seeing a climb in the social ladder for these families, potentially for generations to come. After all, those people who consider a college degree a part of their education tend to pass that tradition and value onto their children as well.
Sadly, this breakdown in the system is creating greater negative sociological implications for so many of the young people who complete high school and have no hopeful job prospects leading them to deviance. Evidence of this is incredible common in nearly all urban cities where young people are selling drugs and involved in illegal affairs because there is no opportunity for them to make a living wage with their high school degree. Often times these individuals do not even bother to finish high school because they see no value in what will be available on the other side of the spectrum. When the cost for college (which is the necessary evil) comes into account for these social groups, the interest in doing well in high school may appear futile. Why would an individual want to keep up his or her GPA when they have no aspiration to need a high GPA to be accepted to a college or university that they plan to attend after high school? Instead, they look around their community filled with unemployed adults all struggling to get by with the help of welfare and menial jobs if they are employed. One could go on and on about what type of life many of these individuals who lack a college education face, including incarceration, which is why it is critical that the citizens of the nation obtain a college degree and understand the value of a higher education to allow them to change the quality of their lives in a much more hopeful manner.
Conclusion
References
Kiplinger, K. (2013). A College Degree isn't Enough. Retrieved from
http://www.kiplinger.com/article/college/T012-C014-S002-why-a-college-degree-is-not-
enough.html
Kurtzleben, D. (2014, February 11). Study: Income Gap Between Young College and High
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/02/11/study-income-gap-between-young-
McGuire, J. (n.d.). Importance of College Education Why it is important to go to college Share.
Retrieved from http://www.collegeview.com/articles/article/importance-of-college-
education
