The Importance of College Objective 2.01

Why A College Education is Important People who lack educational degrees are more likely to be limited to basic jobs in service, manufacturing and construction industries. While employees with a high school education may secure jobs with good benefits, college graduates typically fare better, entering higher-level careers with greater salaries. They are also more likely to receive promotions, earn raises and develop reasoning and communication skills that can be applied to their jobs.

College Education & Higher Salaries A college education may be one of the best investments of time and money for a person's career. A 2011 report produced by the American Community Survey (ACS) that was released by the U.S. Census Bureau stated that those who held a bachelor's degree were expected to earn a 40-year lifetime salary of about $2.4 million on average, while high school graduates only took in a lifetime salary of about $1.4 million (www.census.gov). On average, those who held master's degrees earned $2.8 million. Holders of professional degrees could expect lifetime earnings in excess of $4 million.

College Education & Better Life Skills During their classes, college students often develop the reasoning skills needed to make life decisions, ranging from buying a home to helping their children choose their own college. In fact, college graduates are more likely to have children who also complete a college education. Other advantages of educational degrees may include improved self-discipline, study habits and cooperative behaviors that can be applied to career projects and tasks.

Advantages of Going to College Preparation For Tougher Job Requirements: Throughout most of the 21st century a high school diploma was sufficient to obtain a job. Many companies had their own training programs and employed their workers for many years. Because of changes in the global job market, employers are looking for hires that come fully trained in the profession. Jobs are changing constantly and top jobs ten years from now don't even exist yet. A college education will help you meet these tougher job requirements. Pay: Even though you initially spend a large sum of money to begin your college education, you most likely will earn it back with the increased pay you receive from having a degree. According to Susan Demas, "College graduates, on average, make a whopping one million dollars more in lifetime earnings than those with a high school diploma." Options: You not only have more job options once you get your degree, you now also have many options of how you want to obtain your degree. Colleges and universities have become very flexible in their programs, offering online classes, semi-online classes, night and weekend classes, and traditional classes.

Disadvantages of Going to College Cost: College is expensive. Most people do not have enough money to pay for their college education upfront, requiring them to take out loans. You may go out into the job field in debt. Student loans usually have a grace period of six months; if you don't find a job in that amount of time, you may end up having to make high payments without having a paycheck. You Do Not Always Need a Degree: Many people are deciding to be entrepreneurs. If you are one of these people, a degree may not be necessary. You may want to invest the money you would have spent on your degree on going into business. Delaying the Real World: If you decide not to attend college, you are able to get out into the real world to work, travel or volunteer. While you are able to do some of this in college, it is just a taste of everything there is to offer out there. There are programs for high school graduates that have many benefits, such as Peace Corps, Mission Year, study abroad and internships.

References How Important is a College Education. (2014). Education Portal. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from http://education-portal.com/education.html Zambrano, J. (2014). Advantages and Disadvantages of Going to College. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from http://classroom.synonym.com/advantages-disadvantages-going-college- 4230.html