A University Degree is a Good Investment

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As a recent high school graduate, I spent the last year of high school deciding what I want to do with my life. It was time to seriously answer the question “what do you want to be when you grow up?” As a child this question seems so broad and open. There are a million things to choose from. One day I could’ve been a teacher, and the next day a veterinarian. But one thing you don’t hear most kids say they dream about being is a college graduate. However, when the time comes to plan your life, suddenly the options diminish and you’re really left with only two; college, or a job. For a long period of time, the majority of high school graduates have chosen college, while the remaining students go directly into the labor force or find something else to fill their time. However, as of late, with the recent economic crash in the United States, more and more Americans are questioning if the college path is really the right choice. From the high cost of tuition, to the seemingly endless debt, to the large unemployment rate in the United States and the inability of many students with degrees to find jobs, this question has become more and more controversial. Although college may be costly, time consuming, and not for everyone, a college degree is a good investment in the end because college graduates have higher paying jobs, higher rates of employment, and more benefits such as work related benefits, living healthier lives and having better prepared children than that of high school graduates. A college degree is worth the time and money because it will better the student’s future and the future generations of the United States by further preparing them for their education. The history of college in the United States dates back to 1... ... middle of paper ... ...urt Bauman. "School Enrollment in the United States: 2011." U.S Census Bureau (2013): 8-9. Http://www.census.gov/. Sept. 2013. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. “Ensuring That Student Loans Are Affordable.” The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. "Networking." Harvard Business Journal (2012): 4. Sage Journals. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. Ohlemacher, Stephen. "College Degree Worth Extra $23,000 a Year." The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education 17.6 (2006): 27. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. Rampell, Catherine. "It Takes a B.A. to Find a Job as a File Clerk." The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. Smith, Craig. "Student Debt." The Education Digest 79.7 (2014): 42-46. ProQuest Education Journals. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. Thelin, John R. A History of American Higher Education. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 2004. Print.

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