America 's Most Overrated Product : The Bachelor 's Degree

For those who wish to have children in the future, imagine putting ten dollars a week aside from now until they turned eighteen. That money would hardly accumulate up to even a portion of the costs for just a single year of higher education. In the article, “America’s Most Overrated Product: The Bachelor’s Degree”, an essay from the Chronicle of Higher Education in 2008, author Marty Nemko discusses all aspects that should be considered before pursuing a serious interest in educational institutions. Being a current student at a four-year institution it concerns me for not only myself but also fellow peers if we are making the right decision. The costs of higher education are increasing drastically along with the amount of Americans in debt from student loans. The value of a bachelor degree is declining and students are faced with the question, do the benefits of a collegiate education out weigh the costs?
In this article Nemko is illuminating the issues that our modern society is facing involving higher education. Students are starting off college with bare minimum requirements for next level learning and feeling disappointed when they are not succeeding in their courses. The author acknowledges that the courses being taken by students are sometimes not beneficial to life after college. Nemko states, “A 2006 study supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that 50 percent of college seniors scored below ‘proficient’ levels on a test that required them to do such basic tasks…”(525). Students are specializing in areas of learning to in turn be denied to working in that field and stuck with unnecessary skills. “Many college graduates are forced to take some very nonprofessional positions, such as driving a truck or tending bar”( ...

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... dollars aside from now until your future children determine if they would like to attend college or not. Is the ten dollars a week going to be worth it and are you going to be done paying for your college education as well? In the article, “America’s Most Overrated Product: The Bachelor’s Degree”, author Marty Nemko informs readers on aspects that are not commonly considered when pursuing higher education. Encourage that child to explore all of their options and inform them on not only the positive things you acquired from experiencing higher education, but the hidden down falls you dealt with like managing work loads and paying off debts. A student should be passionate about what they are learning and although it may not be in a classroom setting, sometimes choosing the path less traveled and not attending college can be the most rewarding experience known to man.