A college education should be worth its future investment. Trending developments and high technological means of using ideas and knowledge advance society. A college education helps people have a better standard of living. Thus, modern society places a premium on those who have college degrees, despite its cost and sacrifices.
The rapid increase of students in colleges today is a common trend that shows young people want to become better persons in the future. Notwithstanding the cost, many of them are aware that, if they are able to get a good degree and be able to apply their knowledge, the chances of them getting well-paid jobs are very high. This reality puts them on solid ground towards earning more money during their lifetimes.
According to Rodney K. Smith’s, “Yes, A College Education is Worth the Cost”, he relates how “the United States faces high unemployment rates when it comes to jobs and bills, but fails to see the standard of education in a Bureau of Labor statistics for 2010”. Furthermore, Smith lists the percentage of the unemployment ranks which is “14.9% of those without a high school diploma, 10.3% percent with high school diploma, 7% of those with an associate, and 5.4% of those with a bachelor’s degree” (29).
Also, he adds, “To worldly wealth, education adds riches” (30). Education is the key to many opportunities, such as more earnings, a higher standard of living, less financial burden, more and different employment opportunities, and benefits during retirement.
However, some people still believe that college is too expensive to justify earning a degree where one can exercise their creativity and succeed in life, thereby maximizing their potential. For example, there are many influential people in the world who have succeeded without a college degree -- inspirational people such as Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Malcolm X, PBS NewsHour’s Nina Tontenberg, and even inventors such as Thomas Edison, and Wilbur and Orville Wright. Many people may made the mistake of following these exceptionally gifted and lucky people, only to find that successful people without college degrees are the exception, and not the rule.
Such influential people might have made their way without a college degree, but skipped the opportunity to attend college and get a degree, preventing them from possibly making an even greater impact in the modern world.
In many ways, education is a key part of one’s experiences throughout the journey of life. Despite the financial cost, a college degree signifies knowledge, and sometimes this knowledge can be formal or informal experience. Individuals with such a mindset will see that education extends far beyond the formal classroom experience, and its benefits far outweigh its costs. Therefore, younger people, especially high school students, should take the initiative and enroll in college, with the understanding that a college degree will help them reap the benefits of a better quality of life.
Work Cited
Rodney K. Smith. “Yes, A College Education is Worth the Costs.” Practical Argument. 2nd ed. Laura G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. Boston: Bedford, 2014. 29-31. Print.
