It goes without saying that if you don’t have an education then you are in deep trouble. Many people think that they can make it in life without a higher education by finding cheap employment that does not require vocational training. But it is good that you all realize that higher education comes at a cost in terms of resource and time investment but at the end of the day pays handsomely. Andrews, in his book Argumentation in Higher education: Improving Practice Through Theory and Research documents statistics by the US Census Bureau, in the year 2004 reported that, averagely, a college graduate earns about $ 54,704 annually in comparison to $30,056 earned by high school diploma holders and $22,100, an amount earned by high school dropouts (18). This is a clear indicator that higher education pays more.
It therefore means that investment in higher education is an investment that great benefits in life all together. Statistics also show that every dollar that is spent on post high school education produces an extra $34.84, according to Postsecondary Education opportunity Research Letter. Forest and Kinser in their book Education in the United States: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1 also argue that this will translate in the quality of life that one will lead which means that one will live a better life which means that one may live longer or lead a good social life (23).
Toby, a renowned writer of the book The Lowering of Higher Education in America: Why Student Loans Should Be Based on Credit Worthiness also says that apart from the economic benefits associated with higher education, there are numerous social benefits that come with it not only to the individual but also to the society as well more so the family (14). People need to do something in order to access higher education. First and most importantly, you need to get enough funding and this means that you need to save up money for it. This needs to be done early enough by opening a savings account to save towards your higher education whereby you can deposit any little saving you can weekly or even a monthly basis. The savings will serve you right in the long term because when you get to college, you will find it easy to transition financially.
Higher education has great benefits that will make you not to want to miss out on it. It helps boost a person’s self esteem leading to one being satisfied with their lives and careers as well. At the family level, it has been proven that children of persons who have higher education tend to graduate from high school and proceed to institutions of higher learning themselves. Aside from the impact of post secondary education to others, an individual will also tend to get job satisfaction in their careers and therefore lead a meaningful life that gives them more freedom to go about life as they please.
On the other hand, there are a couple of problems that make many people shun higher education which are self generated while others are imposed by society. For instance, when one just finishes high school and gets employed to run some errands at a fee and feels that the money gotten can help meet daily needs, then it is possible for such an individual to disregard vocational training because with or without it, one is able to get what meets their needs as stated by Losco and Fife in their book Higher Education in Transition: The Challenges of the New Millennium. But society again has its share of contribution because it makes others think that higher education is expensive, it is for kids but not adults and other even derive reasoning from the people around them, that they cannot go to college because no one in their families ever went to college yet they can manage through life.
Perhaps you are wondering where we are headed, the truth is, you will get out of financial trouble and earn your freedom only through higher education. Regardless of the reasons behind you wanting to go for higher education, you should all know that it will pay dividends at the end of the day. It is worth your resources in terms of time, money and even effort as stated by Lazerson in Higher Education and the American Dream: Success and its Disconnects. Just working hard to earn a degree is good enough to motivate you to go for it. Weighing out the challenges and the benefits that come with it, is good enough because at the end of the day the advantages out do the challenges and therefore serves as a wakeup call for you to live up to the challenge. Are you standing up to the challenge? Definitely, I am most convinced you will.
Works Cited
Andrews, Richard. Argumentation in Higher education: Improving Practice Through Theory and Research. New York: Routledge. (2010).
Forest, James & Kinser, Kevin. Higher Education in the United States: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1. Santa Barbara: ABC CLIO. (2002)
Lazerson, Marvin. Higher Education and the American Dream: Success and its Disconnects. Budapest: Central European University. (2010)
Losco, Joseph & Fife Brian. Higher Education in Transition: The Challenges of the New Millennium. Westport: Greenwood Publishing. (2000).
Toby, Jackson. The Lowering of Higher Education in America: Why Student Loans Should Be Based on Credit Worthiness. Piscataway: Rutgers- The State University of New Jersey. (2010)
