Persuasive Essay On The Cost Of College Education

Going to college is expensive. The average state school will cost around $10,000 per year, and a private university can run for up to $35,000 each year in tuition. When books and living fees are added, most students can not even hope to pay for the costs by themselves and simply accrue debt via student loans. A great number of these students weigh the costs and benefits and most come out with the conclusion that attaining that college degree will pay off in the end when they get those coveted careers with the high salaries. Each and every one of America’s youth has been told time and time again to go to college, because without those four years and that little piece of paper, what hope do they have of being hired by anyone other than McDonald’s?

They instead had marketable skills, such as carpentry, electrical work, and manufacturing. Each worker specialized in a certain discipline, and there were just enough people who worked in each area to ensure a job during economic prosperity. Today, almost everyone has a high school degree or equivalent, and their value means almost nothing. Jobs that can be attained with only a high school education usually fall under fast food, and almost all are minimum wage with little chance for moving up. A trade school or college education have usually drastically improved the chances of employment, but, with the added emphasis of attaining a college degree, they are starting to become as common as a high school degree, and without anything extra to distinguish an applicant from the other options, the chances of being hired drastically decrease. Why is this exactly? Shouldn’t a society require effort from each and every member to fully function? Well, yes and no. With the advancements in technology the amount of work required from human workers decreases, as machines take over traditional jobs in areas like manufacturing and farming. In 1780, farmers in America accounted for approximately 70% of the population {find exact stats}, and now in 2015, farmers only account for 2% of the population, yet still produce enough food for the country because of the advancement in both farming equipment and growing methods. With few options even available in these manual labor fields, and even fewer people aspiring to work in these fields as they just don’t have the pay or rewards as service sector