An Education with Benefits

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After walking across the stage and receiving a high school diploma, life progresses in a hurry. No longer are the carefree days of high school just around the corner. A new reality exists and life-altering decisions need made, if they have not already. For some, college awaits a bit beyond the horizon. For others, the prospect of attaining full time employment may seem a wiser decision. With college come the prospects of increased responsibility, time management, and for quite a few, taking out those dreaded college loans. Without guidance, student-debt can quickly become a hard lesson in high finance. Recently, media outlets have begun to paint a bleak picture of students amassing insurmountable amounts of debt; however, it is not the whole picture. Those who opt out of college run the risk of costing themselves potential career opportunities and a higher standard of living. The path to success requires hard decisions and calculated risks. The surest way to succeeding in our society is through a college education. Despite the costs, higher education provides a valuable asset to long-term success and quality of life.
In a capitalistic society, money, above everything else, separates us. From the start, each yearly step of education delivers added earning potential. Students with one year of college earn an 11 percent higher salary than those just graduating high school. A second year offers another 13 percent increase. The third year of education gains an additional 14 percent in salary (Fuller par. 15). The percentage of potential income increase grows with each year of college attended. There are lower, measurable, amounts of income growth for those with some college. However, the big income jump begins with obtaining a bac...

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...r anyone dismissing the relevance of an education does not compare to those who obtain a four-year degree. Without an education options cut in half, we doom not only ourselves but also our future.

Works Cited
Daly, Mary C., and Leila Bengali. "Is It Still Worth Going To College?." FRBSF
Economic Letter 2014.13 (2014): 1-5. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 June 2014.
Fuller, Elizabeth. "College Tuition High, but Cost of Not Going is Higher." The Christian
Science MonitorSep 21 2010.ProQuest. Web. 9 June 2014.
Egerter, Susan et al. Issue Brief #5: EXPLORING THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF

HEALTH. Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, Apr. 2011. Web. 28 May. 2014

Carnevale, Anthony P. "Want a Job? Stay in College as Long as You can." The Washington

PostSep 18 2011. ProQuest. Web. 10 June 2014.

"Benjamin Franklin Quotes." Quotes.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2014. Web. 10 Jun 2014.

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