College – a blessing or a curse? Students loans are inevitable for most people, which causes many to feel as if college is a scam and not worth attending. Writers David Leonhardt and Chris Matthews’ articles further debate the value of a college education. Leonhardt’s article, “Is College Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say,” argues for a college education while Matthews’ article, “Why college isn’t for everyone explained in a single chart,” argues that college is not necessary for everyone. Though both writers make valid points, I believe the struggle of paying for college is worth it because good things don’t come easy. Leonhardt focuses his article on the salary of a college graduate in comparison to a high school graduate. Readers find out …show more content…
One can automatically deem this article biased and therefore invalid because it doesn’t account for the whole population of college graduates. Matthews continues by writing about how college graduates do not know how much they could have made without a college degree, and that one’s salary depends on their career choice. Students who flunk or drop out of college often have high debts which they cannot pay off, so if they’re unsure about their career path, they should wait until they are sure. While it is very true that salary is based off of one’s career, salary should not be the main factor one considers when going to college and declaring a major. If one is truly happy with what they’re doing, their salary does not matter if they have enough money to be financially secure. If one does not know what to do with their life, they should attend college anyway and speak to as many advisors as they can. It is unlikely for someone to suddenly find a passion without the help of others and the resources provided by universities. In addition, undergraduates must take various general education requires before getting into their major, so they will have plenty of time to think about their major before declaring it. As I stated in the previous paragraph, risks always pay off compared to playing it safe because at least one tried their best to make something happen in
Most people in the world thinks that a degree is required almost everywhere. In today’s society it is often thought that if people do not go to college they will not succeed. In Owen and Sawhill’s article “Should Everyone Go To College?”the author respond to people who either go to college and actually earn a degree or people who do not go to college and are actually saving money. The major reason that college is not always the idea for students and their families is the cost. “The cost of college matters as well: the more someone has to pay to attend, the lower the net benefit of attending.” (Owen and Sawhill, 2013, p. 2 ). Although the authors mention the benefits of attending college, they argue that college is only beneficial under certain
Leonhardt believes it is a smart decision to go to college because it increases the amount of money a person will earn if they earn a college degree. However, Matthews is discouraging readers that college is not really a smart decision because of the loans they have to make up. He also argues that college graduates don’t make more money than a high school graduate. Getting a college degree is important for teenagers and adults in order to have a greater success, more money he or she will earn, and most importatntly, more knowledge he or she will
Thousands of people end up enrolling in college after they graduate from high school. Most of them want to further their education so they can make something out of themselves. It is a common idea among many, that college will end up increasing one’s average income. In the article, The College Payoff Illusion, by Edwin S. Rubenstein, he wrote that “In 1997, college graduates earned an average of $40,508 versus just $23,970 for non-college graduates”. The statistic shows that graduates are making more but does it have more to do with their college degree or their personality?
Bruni begins by describing the golden promise of college as it appeared for baby boomers. In that time getting into college and completing a degree was enough to be successful. He acknowledges that this idealized vision of college may be inaccurate, however, he asserts that the issue is far more “complicated” than it once was. Bruni makes use of a recent (2012) debate over student loan interest rates in the U.S. to explore the issues surrounding college education today. While rising student debt is certainly part of the problem he suggests that the issue extends beyond that. College is now a “luxury item with newly uncertain returns” (Bruni). While rising costs make college a luxury item that not everyone will be able to afford, even those who can and do manage to go to college are not guaranteed success.
To go to college or not to go? Is the question many ask themselves before making a life changing decision. Anthony P. Carnevale “College Is Still Worth It” argues that people should go to college and not rely on faulty data on the worth of postsecondary education. Carnevale is a well-known authority on education and was appointed by President Clinton as Chairman of the National Commission on Employment Policy. While Richard Vedder respond to Carnevale with “For Many, College Isn’t worth it” and claims that college is worth for some people, but it’s not suited for all. Vedder is an economist, author, columnist, and now a distinguished professor of economics emeritus at Ohio University and senior fellow at The Independent Institute. Vedder is able to convince his audience on why college is not always worth it, unlike Carnevale, who was unable to convince his audience.
In my opinion, Chris Matthews did not present a compelling argument. Addressing the possibility is not enough at all to convince someone at any time to either think that going to college or not is a good choice. Telling someone that 25% of people who get their bachelor degrees will get paid less than the median of high school graduates is not convincing at all. It’s like saying that teens who are 16-19 years old should not be driving at all, since 60 percent of deaths among passenger vehicle occupants ages 16-19 were drivers, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in 2012. That does not make any sense, the possibility of college graduates getting paid less than high school graduates is not enough to convince someone to just get a job after high school.
While college may be initially uneconomical, evidence from a 1959 census shows a “three-fourths of earning difference” between those who graduated from college and those who merely received a high school diploma (Weisbrod et al 495). Weisbrod and Karpoff acknowledge the high cost of college in America, but assert the benefits of a college degree will more than reimburse a person in the long run, therefore the initial cost of attending a college is worthwhile. (Weisbrod et. al). Furthermore, this indicates only “one-fourth of the earnings differences are attributed...to non-schooling factors”, which proves the significant role college plays in determining the future earnings of an individual (Weisbrod et. al 497). College appears to be the most influential factor in regards to a person's earnings, therefore according to Weisbrod and Karpoff, college is necessary for a person who wishes to obtain a higher expected income. Even students who attend mediocre to below-average colleges will receive “a lifetime income that is [around] 10 percent lower ...than that which someone at one of the best schools can expect” (Weisbrod et. al 497). Weisbrod and Karpoff contend even low-tier colleges result in higher earnings, therefore a student should strive to attend any college regardless of the
The article I chose to analyze is “Is College for Everyone?” In today’s society, everyone would say that education is the key to success. People would say that a person would not get far without having some form of a degree. In reality, college is just not for everyone. Some people would rather just get a job when they graduate high school. People say that a person might not be able to find a good paying job if a person does not go to college, but in reality there are a lot of jobs out here in the world that make plenty of money. There are a lot of people in college that cannot read. They get to college, and flunk out because it gets too difficult for them to continue. Pharinet, a college professor, explains why college is not for everyone. The purpose of this essay is to convince people that
Everyone knows that person from high school that just wasn’t cut out for college. It’s not a bad thing by any means, but if you’re thinking about heading off to college like many American teenagers often do, think about this: going to college can be a waste of both your time and your money. I’m not the first to say it, and I sure as hell won’t be the last. In Stephanie Owen and Isabel Sawhill’s essay, Should Everyone Go to College?, the two authors take a strong economic approach to justify going to college. Owen, an ex- senior research assistant at Brookings’ Center on Children and Families and current research associate at the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan center for research on the problems of urban communities, and Sawhill, the co-director of the Center on Children and Families and a senior fellow in economic studies at Brookings, claim that the return on investment (ROI) of a college education is overwhelmingly positive on average; However, they also bring light
Lankford, Ronald D. "Chapters 2 and 3." The Rising Cost of College. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2009. N. pag. Print.
In their article, Owen and Sawhill appeal to ethos by comparing statistics on college graduates’ income to the income of those who did not attend college. One figure Owen and Sawhill present is “research shows that 23- to 25-year-olds with bachelor’s degrees make $12,000 more than high school graduates but by age 50, the gap has grown to $46,500”(641) They
As the numbers of college graduates employment have increased for each years, many people have being debating that whether everyone should have college education and whether college education still worth it for everyone. Some people found that they did not gain the benefits that they wish from college education, and some people found that they still could not find the job they desire after they spent all the money they have on college education and being in heavy debts. Therefore, people started to believe that colleges are not designed for everyone, and force oneself to attend colleges could lead to negative outcomes. Consequently, people who cannot afford to attend colleges, who do not have adequate academic skills to be successful in colleges,
When it comes to the topic of college, Martin Espada, the author of "Why I Went to College," argues that college is a must and that if you do not attend college there will be consequences. In comparison, David Leonhardt, author of "Is College Worth it? Clearly New Data Say," also argues that college is very important to get a higher paying job than those who do not attend college. In contrast, Leonhardt also argues that college may not be the best idea considering the substantial amount of debt provided with college. My own view is more with David Leonhardt because I understand both sides of attending or not attending college with the positives and the negatives of the dilemma. This discussion is important in our society today because we constantly push the idea of college on to kids that may not even be ready for college or the fact that the debt may not be worth it; also the rise in the wage gap between college students and non-college students.
Although a college education grows more and more expensive every year. People begin to question whether college is a good idea to invest in or not. “As college costs continue to rise, students and their families are looking more carefully at what they are getting for their money. Increasingly, they are finding that the college experience falls short of their expectations”(Cooper. H Mary). Many people believe that the cost of a college degree has outstripped the value of a degree.Studies show that a college degree will increase your earning power. A lot of people say that a college degree now is worth what a high school diploma was wor...
By attending college, students guarantees themselves a better job that the average Joe. Because the world is changing rapidly, and many jobs rely on new technology, more jobs require education beyond high school. With a college education, an individual will have more jobs from which to choose. In addition to obtaining a better job, people who go to college usually earn more money than those who do not. College furnishes you with proper credentials and documents to land high-level jobs. Figures from an A&E television program on ‘The Working Class’ show that in 2004 the average earnings were $23,895 for a high school graduate and $41,478 for individuals with a bachelor’s degree. Getting a college education is simply a stepping stone in ensuring yourself with a good start in life. Some may agree that college students are open minded and knows exactly how to expre...