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Why college isn't (and shouldn't have to be) for everyone - Robert B. Reich

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Why college isn't (and shouldn't have to be) for everyone - Robert B. Reich

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The 'not everyone should go to college' argument is classist and wrong - Libby Nelson

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The 'not everyone should go to college' argument is classist and wrong - Libby Nelson

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The economic return on investment for a college degree has never been higher. But the more that fact is discussed, the more some pundits seem to think the US is at risk of an epidemic of unnecessary college-going that can be averted by singing the praises of highly skilled trades.

The latest, in Businessweek, is headlined " Let's Start Telling Young People the Whole Truth About College" - the whole truth being that a four-year degree isn't the only road to a stable, even lucrative, professional life.

Fair enough. (Though the economic evidence still comes down heavily on the side of four-year college graduates being better off in the long run.) But the argument that "everyone shouldn't go to college" - reiterated with dozens of variations in the past few years - rests on some incorrect assumptions about higher education in the US.

Many people imagine a bright line between college and vocational education - Ph.Ds on one side, plumbers on the other. That line doesn't exist, and it hasn't for at least a generation. Particularly at two-year colleges, programs for future English majors and future auto mechanics often exist side-by-side. One path might lead to an associate degree, the other to a certificate, but they're both at a place called "college."

As higher education economist Sandy Baum wrote in a report for the Urban Institute: "It is common to hear the suggestion that many students should forgo college and instead seek vocational training. But most of that training takes place in community colleges or for-profit postsecondary institutions."

The skilled trades are demanding workers with increasing levels of technical ability, and the market rewards those who have the credential to prove it: About 30 percent of construction workers now have some kind of professional license or credential, according to the Census Bureau. So do about 20 percent of industrial workers. Workers without a traditional college degree, but with a credential, earned more than workers with no credentials at all. They still earn less than workers with a traditional degree.

Where do people earn these credentials? The vast majority - 82 percent - of workers with credentials other than a college degree, or in addition to a college degree, earned them from educational institution. In other words, to get ahead in those skilled jobs so often promoted as the alternative to a college education, they went to college.

Somehow, criticism of the cult of the college degree never pinpoints the one group where a belief that "everyone should go to college" really is pervasive: the upper middle class. Students from families in the top fifth of incomes have gone to college in disproportionately high numbers since at least the 1970s. About 80 percent of them now attend college right after high school. More than half have a bachelor's degree by age 25.

It's more than plausible that some of those well-off students could be happy and successful with a certificate in carpentry instead of a bachelor's in business. Yet the calls to tell the truth about the value of a college degree nearly always stop short of saying where- if too many people really do go to college - that truth-telling is sorely needed.

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The economic return on investment for a college degree has never been higher. But the more that fact is discussed, the more some pundits seem to think the US is at risk of an epidemic of unnecessary college-going that can be averted by singing the praises of highly skilled trades.

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Why Is College Important?
College is important for many reasons, including long-term financial gain, job stability, career satisfaction and success outside of the workplace. ________________________
With more and more occupations requiring advanced education, a college degree is critical to your success in today's workforce. But earning an accredited college degree can also have a significant impact on other areas of your life.

1. College graduates earn more on average.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ( BLS), workers with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $468 per week than workers with only a high school diploma - a higher salary that can add up over the course of your lifetime. A 2015 report from the U.S. Department of Education found the average worker with a bachelor's degree may earn approximately $1 million more than a worker without a postsecondary education.

2. Workers with a college degree are less likely to face unemployment.

In addition to the potential to make more money, earning your college degree could also lead to more career stability. According to BLS data, just 2.2% of workers with a bachelor's degree are facing unemployment, compared to 4.1% of workers with only a high school diploma.

3. College graduates are more likely to experience job satisfaction.

A 2016 Pew Research report found that 77% of workers with a post-graduate degree and 60% of workers with a bachelor's degree believe their job gives them a sense of identity, versus just 38% of those with a high school diploma or less. Workers with a bachelor's degree or more advanced education were are also significantly more to say their job is a career, with 70% viewing their job as a career compared to just 39% of workers with no college education .

4. A college degree can boost your financial savvy.

Working-age adults with bachelor's degrees are 9.4 times more likely to have a bank account than those with a high school diploma as their highest level of education, according to a 2016 report from the Lumina Foundation.

College-educated adults were also less likely to have used expensive forms of credit. Just 2.3% of college-educated adults used pay-day and tax refund loans within the last year, compared to 9.2% of high school graduates without a college education.

5. College degree holders are more likely to be homeowners.

A 2016 report from real estate company Zillow found that 75% of all home buyers were college-educated in that year, compared to just 11% who had a high school diploma only and 14% who attended some college but did not earn a degree.

6. College graduates are more likely to be married (and for longer!)

65% of adults ages 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or more were married in 2014, compared with 53% of adults with less education, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center report.

A degree could mean a longer-lasting marriage, too. According to the report, researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics estimate that 78% of college-educated women who married for the first time between 2006 and 2010 could expect their marriages to last at least 20 years, compared to just 40% of women with a high school education or less.

7. Earn a college education and you could even live a longer life.

Just one additional year of college education can decrease your mortality rate by 15% to 19%, according to a 2016 report by the Brookings Institute. In fact, high school graduates have a mortality rate that is double those with some college or a college degree, the report states.

8. A college degree could also mean better health.

A Lumina Foundation report found that college degree holders demonstrate healthier habits than non-degree holders.

The proportion of adults smoking daily falls significantly with an increase in education, the report states, from 20% of high school graduates without any college education to 5% of those with bachelor's degrees and just 3% of workers with graduate degrees.

The report also found a strong positive relationship between educational attainment and eating fruits and vegetables, exercising and wearing a seat belt.

9. Earning a college degree could even boost your happiness.

94% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher reported being happy or very happy with life, compared to 89% of adults with no college education, according to the Lumina Foundation report.

10. Earn a college degree; be a better citizen.

Earning your college degree can improve the lives of those around you, too. According to the Lumina Foundation report, 40% of working-age adults with a bachelor's degree volunteered in their community within the past year, compared to just 17% of high school graduates without any college education.

College degree holders also donated three times more money to charity than workers without any college education, were 1.5 times as likely to consistently vote in local elections and more than twice as likely to participate in a school, community or religious organization.

Southern New Hampshire University leaders shared their thoughts on why education is important and the impact it has had on their lives.
Susan Bogle is a marketing and student recruitment specialist in higher education. Follow her on Twitter @Suze1776 or connect on LinkedIn.

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College is important for many reasons, including long-term financial gain, job stability, career satisfaction and success outside of the workplace. ________________________ With more and more occupations requiring advanced education, a college degree is critical to your success in today's workforce. But earning an accredited college degree can also have a significant impact on other areas of your life.

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College Dropout Rate [2023]: by Year + Demographics

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Find data for American college students’ dropout and graduation rates, including demographic averages and historical trends.

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College Isn't for Everyone-And That's Ok

I came from a high school where pretty much everyone goes to college. And by pretty much everyone, I mean that the only way you could stand out in your college choice was by choosing not to go at all. Being someone that has always known I want to go to college, this was never really an issue for me. When I met with my guidance counselor each year starting freshman year and we talked about where my future was headed and what I wanted to study once I graduated high school and moved onto college, I didn't really think much of it. I can only remember one time, my freshman year during my very meeting with my guidance counselor, when I was asked if I actually wanted to continue my formal education beyond high school. When I immediately responded yes, that was that and from then on out planning my future meant preparing me to be a valuable asset to the universities I wanted to apply to.

The thing is, I never really put myself in the shoes of students from my high school who didn't want to go to college. I can't imagine how daunting it would be to walk into a counseling office adorned with pennant flags of all the colleges and universities that Hershey High School grads attend, only to sit with your counselor and say you had other plans for your post-grad life. This isn't to say that they were rude or pushy about it, I'm sure that the guidance counselors were more than willing to help students plan a career path without a college degree, but nonetheless it is probably not the easiest conversation to have in my school. Now that I'm at college, however, I understand why they say "college isn't for everyone." I can think of kids that are really smart or skilled in some way, and the things that I am learning in the classroom and doing for projects, presentations or otherwise just wouldn't play to their strengths at all. Although I believe there is merit it doing things that you don't necessarily excel at in order to strengthen your skills, that doesn't mean you should spend four years doing them if your college degree won't even get you where you want to go.

According to the The Edvocate Organization , "88% of employed 22-24 year olds" believe that a college bachelor's degree is as necessary as a high school diploma in today's world. While it's true that many traditional jobs that students think of as career paths do require higher education, that isn't always the case. And, of all those students who think that a college degree is so necessary to enter the workforce, the national six year graduation rate is 59% (according to the National Center for Education Statistics ), meaning 41% of them won't even earn the diploma that they set out for in the first place.

Obviously, as a college student, I value my college education. I know that for me, attending a four year university after high school was the best choice for my future endeavors, and puts me on track to be successful later in life. But I don't think it's fair for me or anyone else to assume that is the case for everyone. Our society needs dancers, plumbers, construction workers, painters, maintenance staff, steelworkers, artists, miners, and thousands of other jobs that don't require a degree but are just as important as our journalists, scientists and business executives. I think we should not only help students see this as an option, but encourage them early on in their high school education to explore career paths that don't necessarily include a college degree. In the long run, this can help save them time, money and stress, and end up being beneficial to our world and society as a whole.

Sources:
http://www.theedadvocate.org/college-isnt-everyone-heres http://www.nwitimes.com/business/jobs-and-employment/high-paying-jobs-that-don-t-require-a-college-degree/collection_db42de6b-5746-5fd1-9b3d-2033f7249822.html#22 https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=40

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College Isn't for Everyone-And That's Ok

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College Isn't for Everyone-And That's Ok I came from a high school where pretty much everyone goes to college. And by pretty much everyone, I mean that the only way you could stand out in your college choice was by choosing not to go at all.

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2021 Acceptance Rates Comparison Between Colleges In Washington

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This page compares the 2021 acceptance rates and other admission statistics between Colleges in Washington.

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For many students, the push to pursue higher education in the form of a four-year university or college is drilled into them by parents, teachers and political figures from a young age.

From a young age, kids are told that obtaining a college degree is the pathway to success.

70 percent of American students will study at a four-year college, but less than two-thirds will graduate.

With a four-year graduation rate of over 45 percent in 2015at ASU and increasing every year, more and more students are pursuing college degrees.

While obtaining a college degree in a specific topic can increase the chances of students finding jobs and earning higher salaries, there are some drawbacks associated with pursuing a college education.

The average student will spend around four years obtaining an undergraduate degree which involves taking a full course-load of difficult classes. Many students have to work during their time in college to pay bills and other expenses, so that leaves very little room for internships or job experience.

It is a widely known fact that job experience is the number one thing employers look for when hiring new employees, so sometimes, college degrees don't ensure job security.

However, different fields of study require different levels of education. For example, pursuing a career in the healthcare field requires years of schooling. For students pursuing medical school, four years of undergrad are followed by four years of medical school and then a number of years for residency. However, for someone going into business, this level of education is not required.

Stanley Zucker, a professor at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at ASU believes that pursuing a fouryear university is not for everyone.

"With the expenses of college rising every year, it's important for students to explore their options and realize that attending a four year university isn't absolutely necessary - there are plenty of great paying jobs out there that involve less time, less money and less stress," Zucker said.

For some people, college is also a bad investment.

The cost of college has risen more than 1,100 percent since 1978 and as the prices continue to go up, it becomes more and more difficult to afford the cost.

Even when adjusted for inflation, this represents a drastic spike in cost. As a result, many individuals struggle to afford college.

Some college degrees don't guarantee job security, and when you graduate and find yourself struggling to find work, you also have the burden of a boatload of student debt to pay off.

Not everyone is college material as well. Over 54 percent of Americans who enroll in college eventually drop out. College is hard enough as it is for those are motivated and excited to be there, so for people who don't really want to be there, it is almost impossible.

It's important to realize that following the strict path from high school to college to the work force is not a viable option for everyone. The time spent in college earning a degree can often be put to better use getting job experience.

There are plenty of jobs out there that do not require a college degree. There are various technical and trade schools that provide training in areas such as automotive care, beauty and cosmetology and travel and hospitality.

For example, Arizona is home to a number trade schools such as the Arizona Culinary Institute, Steiner Institute of Esthetics and Arizona School of Massage Therapy. All schools provide training in specific areas of study that allow students to learn skills and enter the work force immediately.

A four-year college degree is not necessary for many jobs. Plumbers, electricians and wholesale sales representatives make great money and require just a high school diploma.

It's time to stop looking down upon individuals who choose to pursue vocational and technical education rather than a traditional four year university.

Rising high school seniors should be given the option to enter a program following their graduation that allows them to learn valuable technical skills which will prepare them for particular fields of work.

It's time relinquish the idea that every young person has to go to college and start offering alternative routes to those who are not interested in pursuing higher education.

Reach the columnist at ymian@asu.edu or follow @yasminemian on Twitter.
Editor's note: The opinions presented in this column are the author's and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 500 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.

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College is not for everyone - The Arizona State Press

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For many students, the push to pursue higher education in the form of a four-year university or college is drilled into them by parents, teachers and political figures from a young age. From a young age, kids are told that obtaining a college degree is the pathway to success.

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Today, all Americans are told, "Go to college!"

President Obama said, "College graduation has never been more valuable."

But economist Bryan Caplan says that most people shouldn't go.

"How many thousands of hours did you spend in classes studying subjects that you never thought about again?" he asks.

Lots, in my case. At Princeton, I learned to live with strangers, play cards and chase women, but I slept through boring lectures, which were most of them. At least tuition was only $2,000. Now it's almost $50,000.

"People usually just want to talk about the tuition, which is a big deal, but there's also all the years that people spend in school when they could have been doing something else," points out Caplan in my new YouTube video.

"If you just take a look at the faces of students, it's obvious that they're bored," he says. "People are there primarily in order to get a good job."

That sounds like a good reason to go to college. But Caplan, in his new book, "The Case Against Education," argues that there's little connection between what we absorb in college and our ability to do a job.

"It's totally true that when people get fancier degrees their income generally goes up," concedes Caplan, but "the reason why this is happening is not that college pours tons of job skills into you. The reason is ... a diploma is a signaling device."

It tells employers that you were smart enough to get through college.

But when most everyone goes to college, says Caplan, "You just raise the bar. Imagine you're at a concert, and you want to see better. Stand up and of course you'll see better. But if everyone stands up, you just block each other's views."

That's why today, he says, high-end waiters are expected to have college degrees.

"You aren't saying: you, individual, don't go to college," I interjected."You're saying we as a country are suckers to subsidize it."

"Exactly," replied Caplan. "Just because it is lucrative for an individual doesn't mean it's a good idea for a country."

Caplan says if students really want to learn, they can do it without incurring tuition debt.

"If you want to go to Princeton, you don't have to apply," he points out. "Just move to the town and start attending classes."

That's generally true. At most schools you can crash college lectures for free. But almost no one does that.

"In people's bones, they realize that what really counts is that diploma," concludes Caplan.

Because that diploma is now usually subsidized by taxpayers, college costs more. Tuition has risen at triple the rate of inflation.

It's not clear students learn more for their extra tuition, but colleges' facilities sure have gotten fancier. They compete by offering things like luxurious swimming pools and gourmet dining. That probably won't help you get a job.

"If you're doing computer science or electrical engineering, then you probably are actually learning a bunch of useful skills," Caplan says. But students now often major in abstract topics like social justice, diversity studies, multicultural studies.

"But don't the liberal arts expand people's minds?" I asked. Philosophy? Literature? Isn't it all making our brains work better?

"That's the kind of thing you expect teachers to say," answered Caplan. "There's a whole field of people who have actually studied this (and) they generally come away after looking at a lot of evidence saying, 'Wow, actually it's wishful thinking.'"

A study found that a third of people haven't detectably learned anything after four years in college.

Although Caplan thinks college is mostly a scam, he says there's one type of person who definitely benefits - professors like him.

"I'm a tenured professor," he said. "A tenured professor cannot be fired. ... You got a nice income and there are almost no demands upon your time."

Professor Caplan is only expected to teach for five hours a week.

I told him that sounded like a government-subsidized rip-off.

"Yeah. Well, I'm a whistleblower," replied Caplan.

Stossel is author of "No They Can't! Why Government Fails - But Individuals Succeed."

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College Education: Here's Why Most People Shouldn't Go

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Today, all Americans are told, "Go to college!" President Obama said, "College graduation has never been more valuable." But economist Bryan Caplan says that most people shouldn't go. "How many thousands of hours did you spend in classes studying subjects that you never thought about again?" he asks. Lots, in my case.

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Schools urged to reform teaching methods, make students feel they belong.

Larry Gordon/EdSource

In David Kirp's new book "The College Dropout Scandal" (Oxford University Press), the UC Berkeley emeritus professor of public policy calls low college graduation rates "higher education's dirty little secret." Nationwide, only about 3 out of 5 incoming freshmen graduate within six years. The rate is dramatically worse at some schools in California. He says those statistics result from "a dereliction of duty that has gotten too little public attention."

EdSource recently sat down with Kirp to talk in-depth about his findings and possible reforms. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Why should we care about the dropout rate?
In the most basic way, 40 percent of students who start university drop out. That's a lot of students. They leave without a credential that would get them a decent job. They are giving up on the (lifelong) million dollar bonus that comes with getting a BA. They are probably in debt. They are less likely to own a home, less likely to have a car and less likely to be engaged in the community. They wind up with diminished trajectories. And we taxpayers are worse off because we are contributing a ton to these students and really not getting anything back on our investment. If you look at it as an ethical question, it's a big deal. If you look at it as an economic question, it's a big deal.
In the book, you focus on universities that have succeeded in boosting graduation rates and helping students stay on to finish. What is the common thread among those schools? Is it their philosophies?
I think the common thread is they've made student success a top priority. Before I started on this project, I thought every university made students success a top priority. But in fact, that's not so. A university president has faculty to placate, alums, boards. They are ambitious and want to move up on the U.S. News rankings. And someplace in there, student success gets lost...The schools that made an ethical commitment to do right by their students have presidents who are leading the charge. They are working on what's keeping kids from graduating. What are the roadblocks?... The overall aim is to make students feel they belong to the institutions, to give students a sense they are valued members of the community.

Improving graduation rates "takes leadership that is willing to break a few eggs, leadership with courage." - David Kirp

You focus on improvements, such as texting students to meet deadlines, better financial aid, counseling, study groups and mentors. But the biggest change is revising teaching methods away from traditional lectures to collaborative learning, more personal attention. Won't that be resisted?
You bet. Everything else the university does is playing around with the periphery of the institution. So it takes leadership that is willing to break a few eggs, leadership with courage. These are institutions with a lot of tenured faculty and getting faculty members to change their behavior is not so easy. You have to rethink the pedagogy. It's not as though there is one magic bullet...But I do think most professors respond to evidence and most professors want to be good at their jobs. If you say we've got resources to help you change the way you teach, I have faith that most faculty members will change the ways they teach.
How do you think California is doing compared to the rest of the country? Graduation rates at some California State University (CSU) campuses remain pretty low. Eleven of the 23 CSU campuses graduate less than 20 percent of those students in four years.
The (California) State University is pushing to improve the graduation rate and they've gotten rid of the remedial (non-credit) math. They are bringing students up to speed even as they introduce new college material (in newly designed replacement courses for credit). Those are good moves as long as you say we are not going to let you improve graduation rates by being more selective in admissions, we are not going to let you do it by diluting requirements. You are going to do it by really making the kinds of changes in how the institutions run. Have a look at the improved rates at Long Beach State, San Diego State. None of this requires brain surgery and a lot of it is not expensive.

If all the University of California alums disappeared for a day, we'd soldier on. If all the Cal State graduates disappeared for a day, this state would stop. Traffic lights wouldn't work, the weather system wouldn't work, there'd be no one teaching in the classrooms. There'd be no police, fires would just be burning. The Cal States are California. I'm at UC Berkeley, and I think it does a great job and I love it. But if I'm focused on improving graduation rates, I would be working with the Cal States.
What does it take to get college drop-outs to return to school?
If you look at the eight-year graduation rates, they do creep up a bit. Some students return and finish. But many have families, work responsibilities, debt to pay off. It becomes harder and harder. And if they come back, they come as part-time students and part-time students are half as likely to graduate as full-time students. So what should the university do to make it feasible to go full-time? Give them predictable time blocks of courses, say Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons for classes. Period. So they can organize their lives ... City University of New York is a pioneer in this. They started to provide free tuition, vouchers for books, free public transportation and tons of counseling support.
What about proposals to broaden Cal Grants to cover living costs? Would that help?
It's a big deal. It's a very important thing to do. Students are working to cover those costs and helping their families.

"If all the University of California alums disappeared for a day, we'd soldier on. If all the Cal State graduates disappeared for a day, this state would stop. Traffic lights wouldn't work, the weather system wouldn't work, there'd be no one teaching in the classrooms. There'd be no police, fires would just be burning."- David Kirp

But critics say it would cost taxpayers $2 billion a year and that's untenable.
You don't have to say $2 billion is too much and therefore we give zero. Why don't you start with $200 million? You don't have to cover all students. Start with Pell (grant recipient) students or those who are at the bottom tier (economically). Do an experiment and see if that makes a difference in terms of dropout rates.
What would be a respectable graduation rate?
It depends on the college. With the tools we have available to us, I think we can get the average national six-year graduation rate up to 75 percent. It's now about 61 percent.
Shouldn't we pay attention to four-year rates?
I would love to pay attention to four years because it makes so much better sense from the students' point of views. But it's a hard thing to do. You've got to spend a lot of effort to make that happen.
A lot of your book is about what colleges should do. But isn't it the students' responsibility to set goals for themselves and achieve them?
When students come to college, it's a big transition. They are on their own for the first time. Some don't know whether they are going to make it, they don't know whether they are college material...Students need to learn that it's ok to admit you have problems, to go to learning centers to get help. They need to know that professors and teaching assistants are not going to bite your head off if you to talk to them. And they need to have a goal in their head. But there needs to be someone on the other side of that conversation. Someone who says if you want to major in X, these are the courses you need to be taking now. If you are having trouble and need to talk to someone, there is nobody out there if the ratio of counselors to students is one to 1,000. It's a two-way street. Students have to be helped to figure out that they are not dumb.
To get more reports like this one, click here to sign up for EdSource's no-cost daily email on latest developments in education.

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National college dropout rates are a scandal, UC author says

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Larry Gordon/EdSource In David Kirp's new book "The College Dropout Scandal" (Oxford University Press), the UC Berkeley emeritus professor of public policy calls low college graduation rates "higher education's dirty little secret." Nationwide, only about 3 out of 5 incoming freshmen graduate within six years. The rate is dramatically worse at some schools in California.

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More students than ever before are enrolling in degree-granting institutions in the United States. Between 2001 and 2011, enrollment increased 32 percent while more women and more non-whites are entering postsecondary education than ever before (National Center for Educational Statistics). Brookings is home to extensive research on the benefits of and challenges to postsecondary education in America. This post highlights recent Brookings research on key areas related to the value of a college degree: the economic return to a college degree; student loan debt and paying for college; the changing model of postsecondary education; and overcoming barriers to college. All of it points to one conclusion, to quote Richard Reeves: "go to college."

"In most respects," The Hamilton Project has found, "a college degree has never been more valuable." Even with rising tuition costs (which as scholars have also pointed out are not borne in full by many students), "the bottom line is this: while college may be 50 percent more expensive now than it was 30 years ago, the increase to lifetime earnings that a college degree brings is 75 percent higher. In short, the cost of college is growing, but the benefits of college-and, by extension, the cost of not going to college-are growing even faster."

The Hamilton Project has also recently studied how earnings vary across college majors. In a new interactive feature, the project found that "lifetime earnings vary tremendously by major" but that "a college degree-in any major-is important for advancing one's earnings potential."

Gary Burtless argues that "The economic reward from attending and completing college has probably never been higher." Despite the very real increase in costs to attend college and the tighter labor market college grads face today, the key to understanding why college still has such a big payoff, explains Burtless,"is that the prospects for twenty-somethings who do not complete college are much worse than those of the ones who do. What is more, the economic prospects of the young adults who do not complete college have worsened over time, and much faster than the prospects facing new college grads."

Richard Reeves and Kerry Searle Grannis identify "five strong starts for social mobility," one of which involves college. Although earning a high school diploma is "vitally necessary," it "is not sufficient" to succeed in today's economy. "Attending college," they write, "even if not for a full four-year degree, results in labor market rewards: each additional year of school means, on average, an extra 10% return in annual income."

Student loan debt exceeded $1.2 trillion as of 2013, the second largest type of household debt after home mortgages.

And yet, according to Beth Akers and Matt Chingos, "Our analysis of more than two decades of data on the financial well-being of American households suggests that the reality of student loans may not be as dire as many commentators fear." Akers and Chingos analyzed a variety of factors that mitigate conclusions of a "crisis," including: higher average debt levels of borrowers with graduate as opposed to bachelor's degrees; average lifetime incomes of college-educated Americans are keeping pace with debt loads; and the monthly payment burden is about the same or a little less than it has been.

"These data indicate that typical borrowers are no worse off now than they were a generation ago, and also suggest that the borrowers struggling with high debt loads frequently featured in media coverage may not be part of a new or growing phenomenon," they conclude.

Akers also discusses the student loan issue and solutions in a recent Brookings Cafeteria podcast.

See also Susan Dynarski's economic perspective on student debt, including whether there is a debt crisis; the costs and benefits of interest subsidies; and an income-based repayment system.

The Hamilton Project has also explored innovative policy proposals for higher education financing. These include: reforming federal lending and financial aid programs, such as the Pell Grant; expanding the use of "net-price calculators" to provide prospective students with a better estimate of the real cost of attending college; and a new system for federal lending that allows repayment schedules to rise and fall with a borrower's income.

Akers has also called attention to "the plight of recent college grads" who are facing lower earnings, or even unemployment, at the beginnings of their careers but have immediate debt burdens to contend with. "It's important," Akers says, "to allow graduates to repay their debts during the times in their careers when they are reaping the economic benefits of their degrees."

Isabel Sawhill says there are three ways to make college more affordable: government or philanthropy pick up more of the cost; borrow the money; improve the productivity of the sector "so that students learn as much (or more) but at a lower (or the same) cost.

Akers explains how Income Share Agreements are another solution to finance higher education. ISAs "allow students to raise funds to pay for their degrees by selling 'shares' in their future earnings," she explains.

Read: How Income Share Agreements Could Play a Role in Higher Ed Financing

The traditional, four-year university model is no longer the sole recourse people have for postsecondary education.

Stuart Butler argues that college leaders should look at the recent experience of music, book and film industries and "recognize that the higher education industry is encountering a multi-pronged and existential threat composed of successive waves of disruptive innovation. This disruption will force top-to-bottom changes in the very concept of higher education and its relationship with the broader economy."

In another piece, Butler explores what the future college business model will look like under today's competitive pressures, which are intensifying, "particularly as the cost of information transfer to students declines to near zero."

Community college "will remain the most appropriate option for postsecondary learning" for many, especially those from less advantaged backgrounds, according to Quentin Karpilow and Richard Reeves. Although community college enrollees exhibit low completion rates, there is, they argue, "huge scope for improving mobility outcomes through the development of the community college system, especially by boosting Associate degree attainment rates and helping students transfer to 4-year institutions."

Read more and find all of Brookings's research on community colleges .

Brookings scholars, through their research, have established the economic returns on investing in a college education, even given increasing levels of student loan debt and the changing landscape of postsecondary education. Yet not every student is ready for college, especially those from low-income backgrounds, and many who enroll drop out, thus diminishing their chances of upward social mobility and competitiveness.

Should everyone go to college? Isabel Sawhill and Stephanie Owen's research on the question shows that "on average, the benefits of a college degree far outweigh the costs." The total wage premium over a lifetime for a bachelor's degree is $570,000, they found. On average. But several "key dimensions significantly affect the return on a college degree," they write, including: school selectivity, college major, and graduation rate.

Sawhill has also pointed to another issue: an uneven playing field when it comes to college completion, high school preparation, and the intersection of these with class. Despite the well-understood link between college and higher income, and taking into account the research on the key dimensions that affect the return on a college degree, Sawhill finds that half of college students, "and much higher proportions of poor and minority students," drop out before completing a degree. Thus, "despite our dedication to the idea of a higher education system open to all," she writes, "we are not doing a very good job of leveling the playing field. The result is that opportunity is still linked too strongly to class."

Learn more about Sawhill's work on Higher Education and the Opportunity Gap.

Ron Haskins testified to Congress that a "primary reason that disadvantaged students have trouble both getting into college and completing a degree is that they are not academically prepared to do college work." He evaluated the major federal college-preparation programs and found that they have little or no impact on enrollment or graduation. He proposed a five-step reform to these programs.

In a Hamilton Project report on policies to address poverty in America, Bridget Terry Long observes that "academic preparation may be an equally formidable barrier to postsecondary education."

Also as part of The Hamilton Project's report, Harry Holzer argues that the high drop-out rate among low-income youth and adults and, for those who complete degrees, a choice of low-compensation fields "hurt the poor, and weaken the impacts of large national investments in higher education." He proposes state- and federal-level reforms to improve earnings prospects for graduates and "to encourage two- and four-year colleges to be responsive to labor market demand."

Visit the archive of Brookings's research on U.S. higher education, and also the Brown Center on Education Policy.

Charmaine Crutchfield contributed to this post.

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More students than ever before are enrolling in degree-granting institutions in the United States. Between 2001 and 2011, enrollment increased 32 percent while more women and more non-whites are entering postsecondary education than ever before (National Center for Educational Statistics). Brookings is home to extensive research on the benefits of and challenges to postsecondary education in America.

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Why You Don't Need a Traditional College Education to Be Successful

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Spread the loveNot so long ago, adults were able to live well and achieve economic, social and personal success without the rigor of a college education. So, what changed? Since the turn of the millennia, students have been increasingly encouraged to attend college after high school.

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Forty years ago 32 percent of counselors and teachers advised all students to go to college. Just 10 years later, in 1990, that percentage had doubled with roughly two-thirds of educators recommending college for all. Despite a recent surge in popularity for career and technical education, signs indicate that the college recommendation trend has increased over the last generation.

All that college-going advice may do harm in ways most adults in the lives of teenagers hadn't realized. Research we conducted over the past several years suggests that a "college for all" message causes far too many students from all demographics to make choices that result in failure.

Instead of forcing college on students, educators would do better to encourage them to consider more than one pathway into a good life. Some pathways will include college now or later and some not. Educators also have a responsibility to help create those pathways, and students' choices rather than their backgrounds should determine which they take.

In our research, we collected and analyzed more than 200 stories from students about their postsecondary education choices and surveyed over 1,000 more students to understand what caused them to enroll in college, both two- and four-year institutions, as well as some coding bootcamps and shorter graduate programs. Our participants were roughly representative of the population of students that attend college in the United States across gender, racial, and ethnic lines. Forty-six percent were first-generation college students, meaning neither of their parents had completed a bachelor's degree. Eighteen percent had at least one child, and 60 percent lived in households with incomes that placed them in the bottom three socio-economic quintiles.

We learned that a significant number of students from all backgrounds enroll in college to do what's expected of them or to help them get away from a bad circumstance in their lives. These students go to college not because they want the college experience or because of what college will help them obtain. In other words, they are motivated by external factors not internal goals. They choose college because it is a socially acceptable answer to what they are doing next.

Students who attend college for extrinsic reasons suffer poor outcomes. According to our research, 74 percent of those who attended college to "do what was expected of them" dropped out or transferred. Of those who went to college "to get away," over half had left the school they were attending without a degree at the time we talked to them.

One student we talked to, who was the first in her family to attend college, chose college to get away from a bad relationship with her stepdad. She enrolled in a college three hours away from home-even though it didn't have the courses of study in which she was interested. Once there, she took a heavier-than-usual course load first semester, partied hard, and found herself on academic probation.

Things improved a little second semester, but the improvement was not enough to justify the money she was spending on tuition, she thought. She still struggled with time management and a nagging sense that she didn't know why she was enrolled. So with $40,000 in federal and private student loans outstanding, she dropped out, returned home, mended things with her family, and started to find jobs to help pay off the debt.

Too many students go to college not knowing what they want to get out of it or how to make it work for them. Committing to a four-year school and taking on lots of debt when they lack passion and focus for the endeavor is risky, particularly given the grim college completion and student debt statistics.

Over 40 percent of first-time, full-time students who started college in the fall of 2012 failed to graduate from four-year programs within six years, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Non-completers not only lose out on the benefits of a college degree, but also face increased debt without increased earnings. Non-completers have a three-fold higher risk of default than completers, according to the Center for American Progress.

Instead of adding to the pressure around college, which parents often fuel, high school educators should be the first line of defense for students who might benefit more from another path. Yes, educators must avoid the low expectations that direct students away from college because of their family's income, their race, or their ethnicity. Instead, they should encourage all students to reflect on their goals and explore more than one pathway to purpose and success.

One way to help is through courses that are now emerging to give students structured opportunities to discover what drives them. But high schools should go further. They must counter the narrowing of the curriculum over the last couple decades caused by an overemphasis on test results and the decrease in career and technical education pathways in many schools. Extracurricular activities, experiential learning, and opportunities to build relationships with adults outside of school through real-world projects can help students discover their strengths and interests. Rather than marginalize these opportunities, schools should integrate them into every student's program.

Our research in no way implies that college is a one-time decision. Just because college isn't the right step now

for a student doesn't mean it will never be the right step. College and, more to the point, education can help bring a lifetime of happiness, as studies have documented. But that education has to be at the right time and in the right circumstance.

If students aren't yet ready, then taking a gap year can be a smart move. The stereotype of rich kids gallivanting around Europe is outmoded. An increasing number of programs offer gap-year experiences with financial aid so that all students can partake of them. Counselors and teachers should help students explore these opportunities, which are filled with immersive activities that help students learn about themselves and, in many cases, earn money through holding a series of jobs. This can make a gap year considerably more affordable than college.

Far better than a monolithic college-for-all vision is for individuals to know where they are in their lives, what they want, and how to articulate it. Only then can we ensure that education delivers on its promise of helping people build their passions, fulfill their human potential, and live a lifetime of productive struggle and happiness.

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Not Every Student Should Go to College. And That's OK (Opinion)

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Forty years ago 32 percent of counselors and teachers advised all students to go to college. Just 10 years later, in 1990, that percentage had doubled with roughly two-thirds of educators recommending college for all. Despite a recent surge in popularity for career and technical education, signs indicate that the college recommendation trend has increased over the last generation.

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8 Reasons Why Students Should Go to College | CFNC

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People always tell students that college is important. They don’t always tell them why. Here are 8 good reasons for why students should go to college.

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Reasons why everyone should go to college 

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Reasons why everyone should go to college 

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Genesis Santos

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Why Is College Important?
College is important for many reasons, including long-term financial gain, job stability, career satisfaction and success outside of the workplace. ________________________
With more and more occupations requiring advanced education, a college degree is critical to your success in today's workforce. But earning an accredited college degree can also have a significant impact on other areas of your life.

1. College graduates earn more on average.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ( BLS), workers with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $468 per week than workers with only a high school diploma - a higher salary that can add up over the course of your lifetime. A 2015 report from the U.S. Department of Education found the average worker with a bachelor's degree may earn approximately $1 million more than a worker without a postsecondary education.

2. Workers with a college degree are less likely to face unemployment.

In addition to the potential to make more money, earning your college degree could also lead to more career stability. According to BLS data, just 2.2% of workers with a bachelor's degree are facing unemployment, compared to 4.1% of workers with only a high school diploma.

3. College graduates are more likely to experience job satisfaction.

A 2016 Pew Research report found that 77% of workers with a post-graduate degree and 60% of workers with a bachelor's degree believe their job gives them a sense of identity, versus just 38% of those with a high school diploma or less. Workers with a bachelor's degree or more advanced education were are also significantly more to say their job is a career, with 70% viewing their job as a career compared to just 39% of workers with no college education .

4. A college degree can boost your financial savvy.

Working-age adults with bachelor's degrees are 9.4 times more likely to have a bank account than those with a high school diploma as their highest level of education, according to a 2016 report from the Lumina Foundation.

College-educated adults were also less likely to have used expensive forms of credit. Just 2.3% of college-educated adults used pay-day and tax refund loans within the last year, compared to 9.2% of high school graduates without a college education.

5. College degree holders are more likely to be homeowners.

A 2016 report from real estate company Zillow found that 75% of all home buyers were college-educated in that year, compared to just 11% who had a high school diploma only and 14% who attended some college but did not earn a degree.

6. College graduates are more likely to be married (and for longer!)

65% of adults ages 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or more were married in 2014, compared with 53% of adults with less education, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center report.

A degree could mean a longer-lasting marriage, too. According to the report, researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics estimate that 78% of college-educated women who married for the first time between 2006 and 2010 could expect their marriages to last at least 20 years, compared to just 40% of women with a high school education or less.

7. Earn a college education and you could even live a longer life.

Just one additional year of college education can decrease your mortality rate by 15% to 19%, according to a 2016 report by the Brookings Institute. In fact, high school graduates have a mortality rate that is double those with some college or a college degree, the report states.

8. A college degree could also mean better health.

A Lumina Foundation report found that college degree holders demonstrate healthier habits than non-degree holders.

The proportion of adults smoking daily falls significantly with an increase in education, the report states, from 20% of high school graduates without any college education to 5% of those with bachelor's degrees and just 3% of workers with graduate degrees.

The report also found a strong positive relationship between educational attainment and eating fruits and vegetables, exercising and wearing a seat belt.

9. Earning a college degree could even boost your happiness.

94% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher reported being happy or very happy with life, compared to 89% of adults with no college education, according to the Lumina Foundation report.

10. Earn a college degree; be a better citizen.

Earning your college degree can improve the lives of those around you, too. According to the Lumina Foundation report, 40% of working-age adults with a bachelor's degree volunteered in their community within the past year, compared to just 17% of high school graduates without any college education.

College degree holders also donated three times more money to charity than workers without any college education, were 1.5 times as likely to consistently vote in local elections and more than twice as likely to participate in a school, community or religious organization.

Southern New Hampshire University leaders shared their thoughts on why education is important and the impact it has had on their lives.
Susan Bogle is a marketing and student recruitment specialist in higher education. Follow her on Twitter @Suze1776 or connect on LinkedIn.

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College is important for many reasons, including long-term financial gain, job stability, career satisfaction and success outside of the workplace. ________________________ With more and more occupations requiring advanced education, a college degree is critical to your success in today's workforce. But earning an accredited college degree can also have a significant impact on other areas of your life.

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18 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Go to College?

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Should everyone go to college? Can you answer why you shouldn't go the college? After school, most of the parents want their children to go to college for higher studies. According to them, it is important to go to college to get a job; they want us to follow the tradition which is going through everywhere.

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The value of a quality four-year college education can not be denied to those who obtain it and use it to their advantage. Clear, focused, purpose-driven study will prepare an individual for a lifetime of endless possibilities, especially if they are fully elaborating themselves using their own natural set of talents and abilities.

Just like owning a home, a four-year college degree has become part of the American dream. A certain line of thinking has become ingrained in our culture-gain entrance to a great university, graduate with a degree, grab a fantastic job and you will be happy and set for the rest of your life.

Just like owning a home, a four-year college degree has become part of the American dream.

I think there is an important question to ask here. Is this the final outcome for all who enter the hallowed halls of higher learning? Does this paradigm still work for every student?

Today, unless you want to work in highly technical fields such as physics, mathematics, engineering or medicine, most intentional and highly motivated individuals do not need a college degree. I submit that a large portion of students attending college shouldn't be there. Here are nine reasons why.

1. You don't need a college degree to become successful.

Some of the richest men on the planet, many of the hottest entrepreneurs, and hosts of savvy internet business owners have no college degree. By whatever metric you wish to use to gauge success, it is an unexceptional myth that you need a college degree to become successful.

How many college graduates are now back living with their parents either because they can't find work or are having trouble making ends meet with the job they have? Degrees are no guarantee of success.

2. There is no sacred knowledge anymore.

If you have access to a computer or a data phone you have the world at your fingertips. No longer is knowledge restricted to a privileged few. All information is available all of the time over the internet, most of it free. You do not have to attend a university to obtain it.

Study a subject two hours a day for six months and you will be an expert on that subject. Then, someone will pay you for what you know.

3. Most people obtain jobs in areas outside their chosen field of study.

A survey in 2013 showed only 27% of college graduates have a job related to their major. Only 62% of college graduates had a job requiring a college degree. If 63% don't need their particular degree for the job they have, tell me again why they needed the degree in the first place?

4. College degrees have become too expensive.

Students are graduating from college with a mortgage and no house, something otherwise known as a student loan. How good is a degree which can take you 15, 20, 25 or even 30 years to pay for it after graduating?

The better question is: how good is the university which conferred it? Where is the ROI these days?

5. Students are entering college with no clear understanding of what they wish to do or be when they graduate.

This gets back to the statistics in #3 above. How does this make sense? They are supposed to figure it out along the way? It seems to me that poor planning is being subsidized here.

Either entrants are choosing the wrong major or they are opting for useless majors because they are easy choices to make if you don't know what to do. Bottom line, if a student does not know precisely why they are going to college, they shouldn't go until they know because <b> they aren't ready</b>.

6. You risk becoming an academic snob.

Subtly or overtly, college graduates look askance at non-graduates, unless of course they make more money than they do. The non-graduate is seen as somehow inferior in terms of their education.

Let's see, you go to college where someone stands at the front of the room reciting information which is already known. You receive the information, retain it, and recite it back to them in the form of a test or an exam. Then, you get a certificate (diploma) saying you did so while going into debt for the privilege. Exactly how does this make one superior?

7. No one other than your potential employer will ever ask for your academic credentials. Ever.

Well, unless it's an academic snob. They love to tell people where they went to school. Especially if it was an ivy league school. Few others will ever ask if you graduated, from where and with what degree, and no one will ask to see the old sheepskin. No one else cares.

Google has moved away from considering degrees, GPA's, and brand name schools when searching for talent. Others will follow.

The hiring landscape is changing. Google has moved away from considering degrees, GPA's, and brand name schools when searching for talent. Others will follow. The new economy doesn't require you have a college degree. Parts of the old economy which desperately need to be revitalized, the trades, don't require them either.

8. Many universities have become intolerant of diverse viewpoints.

Many professors now seem hell bent on presenting one-sided arguments or single-minded positions. We now have "safe zones" on university campuses where certain viewpoints or words can't be uttered. Speaking on various unpopular or non-politically correct topics, speakers are being shouted down by students intolerant of opposing viewpoints.

Gone are the days of free and open debates, civilly arguing on the merits and strengths of one's position. Should you willingly pay for your child to go to one of these bastions, not of higher learning but, of idea intolerance?

9. Some college degrees are nearly worthless compared to other fields of study.

The worst college degrees to obtain in 2015 were Fashion Design, Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, Theater Arts, Microelectronic Engineering, Criminal Justice, Communications, Psychology, Sociology, Hospitality and Tourism. Do you think the universities conferring these degrees are advising their students to avoid them? No way, not if you have the tuition to pay.

For these reasons and more, a college degree for everyone is an idea which has outlived its usefulness, if ever it was useful in the first place.

Source: 30dB.com - College Education

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9 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Send Your Kids to College - The Good Men Project

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The value of a quality four-year college education can not be denied to those who obtain it and use it to their advantage. Clear, focused, purpose-driven study will prepare an individual for a lifetime of endless possibilities, especially if they are fully elaborating themselves using their own natural set of talents and abilities.

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Patrick Henry College | for Christ and for Liberty

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Read this article to find out why you should consider attending college!

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Around the infamous junior year of high school, many students are abuzz, making plans for their future. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 70% of high school students will go to college after graduating. While college has only gotten more and more expensive over the decades, it's worth wondering: is college still worth it? From career-building to expanding your interests, here are 11 reasons why you should go to college.

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11 Reasons to go to college.

1. Become prepared for your next step in life.

College is a great stepping-stone between high school and the "real world." It provides a path for exploration but also for learning and preparation. Whether you're learning how to be a doctor or becoming a better writer, college can help prepare you to take that next step. It'll give you not only the professional skills you need but also the independence, security and connections.

Not everyone needs to go to college knowing exactly what they want to do when they graduate. Instead, going to college can be a great way to explore and try to figure out what you want to do. You never know what you might love until you try it! I've had friends who came into college thinking they'd be sociology majors but ended up nailing their computer science courses. One of my old hallmates joined a political group on a whim and now wants to work on a political campaign after graduating. Because college offers so many opportunities in a variety of fields, there's so much to explore and try - inside and out of the classroom.

3. Learn (hopefully a lot of) new things.

College is all about learning, whether it's in a chemistry or music class. No matter what courses you take, you'll be learning new information, even things you might not have expected to learn about before! If the college you choose has general education requirements, you'll be required to take courses outside of your major in various subjects. Even schools that don't have requirements often encourage their students to take classes in multiple academic areas. You'll be surprised how different courses of study can inform one another or the interests you'll develop when you take a class on something you'd never heard of before.

4. Learn from experts.

One of the best parts of the classes you'll take will be the professor. Professors are experts in their field and usually teach classes that speak to their specific interests and research. Professors who love what they're teaching often teach the most engaging classes. If you're also interested in their work, they may have opportunities for you to do research with them or be a teaching assistant in their class.

5. Gain valuable skills.

There's much more to learn in college aside from academics. As you adjust to the college lifestyle and start getting involved outside of classes, you'll pick up new skills as you function on a different schedule. You'll gain valuable time-management skills as you balance coursework, extracurriculars and time with friends. You'll learn leadership skills if you're a teaching assistant or a leader of a student group. If you have a roommate, you'll learn to live with someone and to live independently away from your family. There are so many valuable soft skills you can pick up outside of the classroom.

6. Expand your network.

After graduation, a student's relationship with their college isn't necessarily over. In fact, many alumnae are actively engaged with the college's network, keeping up with their classmates and students from other years. These alumnae are often excited to engage with current students and recent graduates. While they may not give you a job on the spot, many will be more than willing to talk to you about their work or give you career recommendations.

7. Find great friends.

One of the best parts of college is the people you surround yourself with. Each college attracts different kinds of people; while you may have gone to high school with a group of people who just lived close to you, chances are, at college, you'll share more interests with your fellow students. You'll also be spending a lot more time with the people at college - whether it's in classes, at meals, in your extracurricular activities or just hanging out in a dorm.

While it's not necessary to go to college to be successful in the workforce, it will open up many job opportunities for you. Many jobs require a bachelor's degree or certain academic credits to apply; other jobs might require you to have skillsets you'll learn in higher-level academic courses. Colleges also offer job support, whether it's through an on-campus career center or the alumni network. Even if you're not looking for direct career support, the skillset you'll build with your college experience can definitely help you find a job when the time comes.

9. Increase your earning potential.

Not only will college give you access to more career opportunities, but getting your degree will also increase your earning potential. According to the Lumina Foundation, those with a bachelor's degree earn $32,000 more annually on average than those with a high school diploma. As students get more degrees, the average salary difference increases. While college tuition can be costly, you can be assured that you're likely to make more in your career after graduating than if you hadn't attended college at all.

10. Find new interests.

The clichés about college are true. Going to college does expand your horizons - and not just academically. After acting throughout high school, I signed up to be an assistant stage manager when I saw an email from the student theater company. I'd never been involved with the production side of theater before, but I immediately fell in love with the work. Since then, I've stage-managed full-time for four productions both on- and off-campus. These kinds of opportunities show up every day on a college campus and often encourage students with no experience to participate. Students find new things they love all the time, whether it's ultimate frisbee, writing for a magazine or, of course, stage managing.

11. Get involved.

With so much to be a part of, there are a thousand and one ways to get involved at college. If you're hoping to get more involved in your academics, there are teaching assistant positions, tutoring options or sometimes even major committees. Colleges offer athletics at multiple levels, so you can join if you're hoping to keep up with your sport from high school or play something totally new casually with friends. There are culture clubs, newspapers and magazines, a cappella groups, musicals and dramas, political groups - and just about anything you can think of. If there's something you're interested in that you don't find at a specific college, chances are, you'll be more than encouraged to start your own group.

When should you not go to college?

While there are many reasons to go to college, that doesn't mean that it's for everyone. College is costly, especially in the U.S. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. spends more on college than almost every other country, costing about $30,000 per student annually. While those with a college degree may end up making more money than those without, tuition can be a large financial burden.

The college environment is also not for everyone. The transition to living independently and balancing advanced college courses can be difficult. If you don't want to pursue academics further, or you want a skillset you can learn through job experience or other training, you don't have to choose to go to college. While there are numerous benefits to the college experience, it's not necessary for success. College is a great option for after high school, but it's not the only one.
Zoë Kaplan is an English major at Wesleyan University in the class of 2020. She writes about women, theater, sports, and everything in between. Read more of Zoë's work at www.zoeakaplan.com.

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11 Reasons Why Going to College Will Help Your Career

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Around the infamous junior year of high school, many students are abuzz, making plans for their future. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 70% of high school students will go to college after graduating. While college has only gotten more and more expensive over the decades, it's worth wondering: is college still worth it?

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For many students, the push to pursue higher education in the form of a four-year university or college is drilled into them by parents, teachers and political figures from a young age.

From a young age, kids are told that obtaining a college degree is the pathway to success.

70 percent of American students will study at a four-year college, but less than two-thirds will graduate.

With a four-year graduation rate of over 45 percent in 2015at ASU and increasing every year, more and more students are pursuing college degrees.

While obtaining a college degree in a specific topic can increase the chances of students finding jobs and earning higher salaries, there are some drawbacks associated with pursuing a college education.

The average student will spend around four years obtaining an undergraduate degree which involves taking a full course-load of difficult classes. Many students have to work during their time in college to pay bills and other expenses, so that leaves very little room for internships or job experience.

It is a widely known fact that job experience is the number one thing employers look for when hiring new employees, so sometimes, college degrees don't ensure job security.

However, different fields of study require different levels of education. For example, pursuing a career in the healthcare field requires years of schooling. For students pursuing medical school, four years of undergrad are followed by four years of medical school and then a number of years for residency. However, for someone going into business, this level of education is not required.

Stanley Zucker, a professor at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at ASU believes that pursuing a fouryear university is not for everyone.

"With the expenses of college rising every year, it's important for students to explore their options and realize that attending a four year university isn't absolutely necessary - there are plenty of great paying jobs out there that involve less time, less money and less stress," Zucker said.

For some people, college is also a bad investment.

The cost of college has risen more than 1,100 percent since 1978 and as the prices continue to go up, it becomes more and more difficult to afford the cost.

Even when adjusted for inflation, this represents a drastic spike in cost. As a result, many individuals struggle to afford college.

Some college degrees don't guarantee job security, and when you graduate and find yourself struggling to find work, you also have the burden of a boatload of student debt to pay off.

Not everyone is college material as well. Over 54 percent of Americans who enroll in college eventually drop out. College is hard enough as it is for those are motivated and excited to be there, so for people who don't really want to be there, it is almost impossible.

It's important to realize that following the strict path from high school to college to the work force is not a viable option for everyone. The time spent in college earning a degree can often be put to better use getting job experience.

There are plenty of jobs out there that do not require a college degree. There are various technical and trade schools that provide training in areas such as automotive care, beauty and cosmetology and travel and hospitality.

For example, Arizona is home to a number trade schools such as the Arizona Culinary Institute, Steiner Institute of Esthetics and Arizona School of Massage Therapy. All schools provide training in specific areas of study that allow students to learn skills and enter the work force immediately.

A four-year college degree is not necessary for many jobs. Plumbers, electricians and wholesale sales representatives make great money and require just a high school diploma.

It's time to stop looking down upon individuals who choose to pursue vocational and technical education rather than a traditional four year university.

Rising high school seniors should be given the option to enter a program following their graduation that allows them to learn valuable technical skills which will prepare them for particular fields of work.

It's time relinquish the idea that every young person has to go to college and start offering alternative routes to those who are not interested in pursuing higher education.

Reach the columnist at ymian@asu.edu or follow @yasminemian on Twitter.
Editor's note: The opinions presented in this column are the author's and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 500 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.

Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.

Continue supporting student journalism and to The State Press today.

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College is not for everyone - The Arizona State Press

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For many students, the push to pursue higher education in the form of a four-year university or college is drilled into them by parents, teachers and political figures from a young age. From a young age, kids are told that obtaining a college degree is the pathway to success.

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Reasons on why you shouldn't go to college 

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Reasons on why you shouldn't go to college 

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Genesis Santos

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"One of the most damaging messages of educational romanticism has been that everyone should go to college." - Charles Murray
There has recently been a small swell of published doubts about whether college is really for everyone and, if not, why not? Some of these have appeared on our own website, but venues like the New York Times and the Atlantic have also been giving them notice. What follows are highlights of some of the arguments for the idea that college may not be for everyone.

The argument: ability varies
Charles Murray, Real Education, page 17: "All of us have known since our earliest memories of elementary school that abilities are real and that they vary."

Should all of those who have the academic ability to absorb a college-level liberal education get one? If our young woman is at the 80 th percentile of linguistic ability, should she be pushed to do so? She has enough intellectual capacity, if she puts her mind to it and works exceptionally hard

The answer is no. If she wants to, fine. But she probably won't, and there's no way to force her. Try to force her (for example, by setting up a demanding core curriculum), and she will transfer to another school, because she is in college for vocational training. She wants to write computer code. Start a business. Get a job in television. She uses college to take vocational courses that pertain to her career interests. A large proportion of people who are theoretically able to absorb a liberal education have no interest in doing so.

Your high school may not have adequately prepared you for college-level academics.
Leonhardt, Economix blog, NYT: "a significant number of high school graduates are ill-prepared for college, and it doesn't make sense for them to enroll (unless they are going to receive intensive remedial work as part of the equation - which most will not)."

Commenter, NYT:

I am a college professor at a good quality satellite campus of . I have been teaching here for 38 years and it's been clear to me for all that time that some (not most) students do not belong in college. You are correct in that many of them are ill prepared for college. They lack essential academic skills and either do not have the necessary desire to acquire them in college or lack the mental ability. The latter group have been passed forward through a school system that has failed to realistically assess their abilities.

If you don't finish, it'll be a waste of time.
Jacques Steinberg, reporter, NYT: "Perhaps no more than half of those who began a four-year bachelor's degree program in the fall of 2006 will get that degree within six years, according to the latest projections from the Department of Education."

You'll incur a lot of debt.
Daniel Indiviglio, blogger, Atlantic: "By plowing more money into an education, many students incur incredible amounts of debt before they ever get their first paycheck, or maybe their parents spend savings that would have helped their retirement. That adds to the nation's debt problems."

We are, in other words, spending too much on too little. This phase of the student loan crisis is a collective declaration by the markets that a college education in its prevailing form is overvalued and overpriced. The next phase may be a harsher judgment on the institutions that fail to heed the warning. And any college or university that is now licensing the sustainability zealots to indoctrinate students in the residence halls or the classrooms is making a doubtful guess about its future.

Indiviglio, Atlantic: "The value of a degree has become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy: it's become worth so much because people assume it should be."

While some educators propose a radical renovation of the community college system to teach work readiness, Professor Lerman advocates a significant national investment by government and employers in on-the-job apprenticeship training. He spoke with admiration, for example, about a program in the CVS pharmacy chain in which aspiring pharmacists' assistants work as apprentices in hundreds of stores, with many going on to study to become full-fledged pharmacists themselves.

Carol Iannone, Academic Questions, NAS: Diane Auer Jones: "For some students, an apprenticeship program, a certificate program, or a combination of programs may best serve their interests, needs, and learning styles; and there may be some efficiencies achieved and cost savings realized with these other models."
Military
Commenter, NYT: "Join the armed services in a non combat role and over six years you'll get much more training and mature much faster than wasting time and money in college and you'll do something good for the country."
Open-source online classes
Ashley Thorne, NAS:

Yet all in all, we see open education as a more or less beneficial trend, similar to Wikipedia. It may not possess the scholarly qualities of the original but it is helpful when you need it. And while most of our members prefer the traditional classroom setting, we do think education should be accessible to every curious person who wants to learn.

College culture can produce toxic habits in a young adult (i.e. binge drinking, hooking up, etc.).
Tom Wood, NAS*: "Findings from five national data sets are in general agreement that approximately 40 percent of U.S. college students engage in heavy episodic drinking-sometimes called binge drinking, often defined as five or more drinks at a single sitting."

As a result, feminism has played a large part in the continued rise of the hookup culture and decline of traditional dating on campus. Hooking up-engaging in a physical relationship with no intention of forming an emotional relationship-can be especially dangerous for women. Aside from the risk of pregnancy, women are more likely than men to contract sexually transmitted diseases, which can potentially cause infertility, cancer, and even death.

But do we really want to do to higher education what we have to K-12 education? The prospect would seem to be of a system of derisory standards and profound institutional decline. We might achieve the hollow boast of the most college-credentialed citizenry in the world who also happen to be among the worst-educated.

This list is based on the following recent articles and other NAS analysis:
" Is College Overrated?" by David Leonhardt, New York Times, May 19, 2010
" Should More People Skip College?" by Daniel Indiviglio, The , May 17, 2010
" What's a Degree Worth?" by Floyd Norris, New York Times, May 17, 2010
" Plan B: Skip College" by Jacques Steinberg, New York Times, May 14, 2010
" For Members Only: Feminism on Campus Today" by Karin Agness, National Association of Scholars, May 6, 2010
" Expanding Enrollments, Declining Standards: American Higher Ed Prepares to Take the Plunge" by Peter Wood, National Association of Scholars, March 10, 2010
" Open-Ended" by Ashley Thorne, National Association of Scholars, August 12, 2009
" Old Ills, New Remedies: A Conversation with Diane Auer Jones" by Carol Iannone, National Association of Scholars, June 29, 2009
" Is College Driving Students to Drink?" by Tom Wood, National Association of Scholars, September 11, 2008
Real Education(Crown Forum, 2008), Charles Murray
" What Does Sustainability Have to Do With Student Loans?" by Peter Wood, Minding the Campus, May 14, 2008

*In articles published at the NAS website, Tom Wood has expressed his objections to 's arguments. His articles include " Is the B.A. Degree Meaningless?" " Education and Intelligence: A Response to Charles Murray" and "Charles Murray and Progressive Education," Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Image: Pexels

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10 Reasons Not to Go to College by Ashley Thorne | NAS

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"One of the most damaging messages of educational romanticism has been that everyone should go to college." - Charles Murray There has recently been a small swell of published doubts about whether college is really for everyone and, if not, why not?

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/09/10/a-dereliction-duty-college-dropout-scandal-how-fix-it/

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Why Is College Important?
College is important for many reasons, including long-term financial gain, job stability, career satisfaction and success outside of the workplace. ________________________
With more and more occupations requiring advanced education, a college degree is critical to your success in today's workforce. But earning an accredited college degree can also have a significant impact on other areas of your life.

1. College graduates earn more on average.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ( BLS), workers with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $468 per week than workers with only a high school diploma - a higher salary that can add up over the course of your lifetime. A 2015 report from the U.S. Department of Education found the average worker with a bachelor's degree may earn approximately $1 million more than a worker without a postsecondary education.

2. Workers with a college degree are less likely to face unemployment.

In addition to the potential to make more money, earning your college degree could also lead to more career stability. According to BLS data, just 2.2% of workers with a bachelor's degree are facing unemployment, compared to 4.1% of workers with only a high school diploma.

3. College graduates are more likely to experience job satisfaction.

A 2016 Pew Research report found that 77% of workers with a post-graduate degree and 60% of workers with a bachelor's degree believe their job gives them a sense of identity, versus just 38% of those with a high school diploma or less. Workers with a bachelor's degree or more advanced education were are also significantly more to say their job is a career, with 70% viewing their job as a career compared to just 39% of workers with no college education .

4. A college degree can boost your financial savvy.

Working-age adults with bachelor's degrees are 9.4 times more likely to have a bank account than those with a high school diploma as their highest level of education, according to a 2016 report from the Lumina Foundation.

College-educated adults were also less likely to have used expensive forms of credit. Just 2.3% of college-educated adults used pay-day and tax refund loans within the last year, compared to 9.2% of high school graduates without a college education.

5. College degree holders are more likely to be homeowners.

A 2016 report from real estate company Zillow found that 75% of all home buyers were college-educated in that year, compared to just 11% who had a high school diploma only and 14% who attended some college but did not earn a degree.

6. College graduates are more likely to be married (and for longer!)

65% of adults ages 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or more were married in 2014, compared with 53% of adults with less education, according to a 2015 Pew Research Center report.

A degree could mean a longer-lasting marriage, too. According to the report, researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics estimate that 78% of college-educated women who married for the first time between 2006 and 2010 could expect their marriages to last at least 20 years, compared to just 40% of women with a high school education or less.

7. Earn a college education and you could even live a longer life.

Just one additional year of college education can decrease your mortality rate by 15% to 19%, according to a 2016 report by the Brookings Institute. In fact, high school graduates have a mortality rate that is double those with some college or a college degree, the report states.

8. A college degree could also mean better health.

A Lumina Foundation report found that college degree holders demonstrate healthier habits than non-degree holders.

The proportion of adults smoking daily falls significantly with an increase in education, the report states, from 20% of high school graduates without any college education to 5% of those with bachelor's degrees and just 3% of workers with graduate degrees.

The report also found a strong positive relationship between educational attainment and eating fruits and vegetables, exercising and wearing a seat belt.

9. Earning a college degree could even boost your happiness.

94% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher reported being happy or very happy with life, compared to 89% of adults with no college education, according to the Lumina Foundation report.

10. Earn a college degree; be a better citizen.

Earning your college degree can improve the lives of those around you, too. According to the Lumina Foundation report, 40% of working-age adults with a bachelor's degree volunteered in their community within the past year, compared to just 17% of high school graduates without any college education.

College degree holders also donated three times more money to charity than workers without any college education, were 1.5 times as likely to consistently vote in local elections and more than twice as likely to participate in a school, community or religious organization.

Southern New Hampshire University leaders shared their thoughts on why education is important and the impact it has had on their lives.
Susan Bogle is a marketing and student recruitment specialist in higher education. Follow her on Twitter @Suze1776 or connect on LinkedIn.

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College is important for many reasons, including long-term financial gain, job stability, career satisfaction and success outside of the workplace. ________________________ With more and more occupations requiring advanced education, a college degree is critical to your success in today's workforce. But earning an accredited college degree can also have a significant impact on other areas of your life.

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Graduating from high school and thinking about heading off to college can be a scary time. It's easy to convince yourself that your classmates have all the answers and you're the only one without a plan. Stop right there. Even students with the most detailed life plans will change course along the way.

It's not too late to explore your options and plan for college. Enrolling in a four-year university, a two-year community college, or a trade school will help continue your education. College Foundation of North Carolina, CFNC, is here to help you plan, apply, and pay for school. If you're still on the fence about higher education, here are eight reasons why you should go to college.

1. Earn More Money

College graduates have more earning potential on average than people who only have a high school diploma. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that in 2018, people with a college degree made around $1,198 a week. Someone with a high school diploma earned just $730. That could mean non-college grads are missing out on $1 million in earnings, over a lifetime.

The unemployment rate for college grads is also about half the jobless rate of high school graduates. Getting a good-paying job is one of the top reasons why most people go to college. Beyond financial rewards, there are other ways college can change your life.

2. Break Out of Your Shell

College can be the bridge between childhood and adulthood. The transition is an opportunity for you to reflect on the person you were in high school, and the adult you want to become. If you quietly sat in the back of every class in high school, use your college experience to become more outgoing! If you wish you'd studied more in high school, college is an opportunity for you to hit the books harder.

3. Gain New Skills

Don't be afraid to take classes that will improve your skills and make you more confident. Every class you take does not have to apply to your major. If you are a communications major, but computer science has always interested you, take a computer class. Overcome your fear of public speaking by taking a theater or speech class. Become a better writer by taking a writing class.

The idea of college is to grow personally and professionally. Also, take classes that are just fun. You could even take a horseback riding class!

4. Find Your Direction

What do you want to be when you grow up? You don't have to know the answer to that question before going to college. Most schools don't require a student to declare a major until the end of their sophomore year. That gives you two whole years to work on general courses and explore different majors. If you're interested in psychology, take a couple of classes to see if it's right for you. Some professors will allow you to audit a course, to find out whether you will enjoy that major. You won't get a grade or credit for auditing a course, it's just for academic exploration.

Consider taking a community college course while you're still in high school. That will allow you to gauge your interest in a field of study while earning college credit. CFNC can help you figure out what interests you and ultimately help you choose a career you will enjoy.

5. Live a Healthier and Happier Life

With more education comes the potential for a better job, a better salary, and better health benefits. Studies show that college-educated people are more likely to see a doctor regularly, are less likely to smoke, have a lower body mass index (BMI), and eat a healthier diet. An additional year of college decreases mortality rates by 15 to 19 percent, by reducing deaths from cancer and heart disease, according to a study by the Brookings Institution.

People with college degrees have higher job satisfaction and report their work to be more satisfying and interesting. A Pew Research Center study found that 55 percent of college graduates reported being "very satisfied" with their work. Only 40 percent of non-graduates reported the same.

6. Expand Your Career Options

Many job postings require a college degree just to get an interview. Employers understand that college develops your ability to think analytically, to understand complex subjects, and to better communicate your ideas. No matter what major you pursue in college, employers know you picked up skills in organization, self-discipline, and the ability to follow through on important tasks.

A college education also is expected to become more valuable. Some 99 percent of jobs created since the recession went to individuals with at least some postsecondary education.

7. See the World

Take advantage of college study abroad programs to experience a new country, culture, and activities. Study abroad programs can be very affordable, usually costing about the same as a semester at college. For most students, it may be the first time they've been out of the United States.

Study Abroad programs are more than just fun, they're a great way to challenge yourself and to open new professional opportunities. Many employers are looking for graduates who have international experience. It shows you have knowledge of different work styles, an open mind, and good communication skills.

8. Get Involved

Living away from home for the first time can be intimidating. Try joining clubs and organizations to develop a new community and to make new friends with similar interests. Activities can also help you build confidence while developing important leadership and teamwork skills. If you're interested in politics, try joining student government. If you just want a break from studying, find out when the Ultimate Frisbee Club meets. College offers you more than a degree. Clubs and activities provide endless ways to broaden your horizons.

The reasons why you should go to college go beyond getting a solid education. That's because the opportunities available inside and outside the classroom will help you take the important next steps into adulthood and your future career. CFNC.org has great tools to help parents and students explore college options. There are also resources to help you apply and pay for higher education. Let us help you figure out how to get the college, now that you understand why you should go to college.

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8 Reasons Why Students Should Go to College | CFNC

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Graduating from high school and thinking about heading off to college can be a scary time. It's easy to convince yourself that your classmates have all the answers and you're the only one without a plan. Stop right there. Even students with the most detailed life plans will change course along the way.

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"One of the most damaging messages of educational romanticism has been that everyone should go to college." - Charles Murray
There has recently been a small swell of published doubts about whether college is really for everyone and, if not, why not? Some of these have appeared on our own website, but venues like the New York Times and the Atlantic have also been giving them notice. What follows are highlights of some of the arguments for the idea that college may not be for everyone.

The argument: ability varies
Charles Murray, Real Education, page 17: "All of us have known since our earliest memories of elementary school that abilities are real and that they vary."

Should all of those who have the academic ability to absorb a college-level liberal education get one? If our young woman is at the 80 th percentile of linguistic ability, should she be pushed to do so? She has enough intellectual capacity, if she puts her mind to it and works exceptionally hard

The answer is no. If she wants to, fine. But she probably won't, and there's no way to force her. Try to force her (for example, by setting up a demanding core curriculum), and she will transfer to another school, because she is in college for vocational training. She wants to write computer code. Start a business. Get a job in television. She uses college to take vocational courses that pertain to her career interests. A large proportion of people who are theoretically able to absorb a liberal education have no interest in doing so.

Your high school may not have adequately prepared you for college-level academics.
Leonhardt, Economix blog, NYT: "a significant number of high school graduates are ill-prepared for college, and it doesn't make sense for them to enroll (unless they are going to receive intensive remedial work as part of the equation - which most will not)."

Commenter, NYT:

I am a college professor at a good quality satellite campus of . I have been teaching here for 38 years and it's been clear to me for all that time that some (not most) students do not belong in college. You are correct in that many of them are ill prepared for college. They lack essential academic skills and either do not have the necessary desire to acquire them in college or lack the mental ability. The latter group have been passed forward through a school system that has failed to realistically assess their abilities.

If you don't finish, it'll be a waste of time.
Jacques Steinberg, reporter, NYT: "Perhaps no more than half of those who began a four-year bachelor's degree program in the fall of 2006 will get that degree within six years, according to the latest projections from the Department of Education."

You'll incur a lot of debt.
Daniel Indiviglio, blogger, Atlantic: "By plowing more money into an education, many students incur incredible amounts of debt before they ever get their first paycheck, or maybe their parents spend savings that would have helped their retirement. That adds to the nation's debt problems."

We are, in other words, spending too much on too little. This phase of the student loan crisis is a collective declaration by the markets that a college education in its prevailing form is overvalued and overpriced. The next phase may be a harsher judgment on the institutions that fail to heed the warning. And any college or university that is now licensing the sustainability zealots to indoctrinate students in the residence halls or the classrooms is making a doubtful guess about its future.

Indiviglio, Atlantic: "The value of a degree has become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy: it's become worth so much because people assume it should be."

While some educators propose a radical renovation of the community college system to teach work readiness, Professor Lerman advocates a significant national investment by government and employers in on-the-job apprenticeship training. He spoke with admiration, for example, about a program in the CVS pharmacy chain in which aspiring pharmacists' assistants work as apprentices in hundreds of stores, with many going on to study to become full-fledged pharmacists themselves.

Carol Iannone, Academic Questions, NAS: Diane Auer Jones: "For some students, an apprenticeship program, a certificate program, or a combination of programs may best serve their interests, needs, and learning styles; and there may be some efficiencies achieved and cost savings realized with these other models."
Military
Commenter, NYT: "Join the armed services in a non combat role and over six years you'll get much more training and mature much faster than wasting time and money in college and you'll do something good for the country."
Open-source online classes
Ashley Thorne, NAS:

Yet all in all, we see open education as a more or less beneficial trend, similar to Wikipedia. It may not possess the scholarly qualities of the original but it is helpful when you need it. And while most of our members prefer the traditional classroom setting, we do think education should be accessible to every curious person who wants to learn.

College culture can produce toxic habits in a young adult (i.e. binge drinking, hooking up, etc.).
Tom Wood, NAS*: "Findings from five national data sets are in general agreement that approximately 40 percent of U.S. college students engage in heavy episodic drinking-sometimes called binge drinking, often defined as five or more drinks at a single sitting."

As a result, feminism has played a large part in the continued rise of the hookup culture and decline of traditional dating on campus. Hooking up-engaging in a physical relationship with no intention of forming an emotional relationship-can be especially dangerous for women. Aside from the risk of pregnancy, women are more likely than men to contract sexually transmitted diseases, which can potentially cause infertility, cancer, and even death.

But do we really want to do to higher education what we have to K-12 education? The prospect would seem to be of a system of derisory standards and profound institutional decline. We might achieve the hollow boast of the most college-credentialed citizenry in the world who also happen to be among the worst-educated.

This list is based on the following recent articles and other NAS analysis:
" Is College Overrated?" by David Leonhardt, New York Times, May 19, 2010
" Should More People Skip College?" by Daniel Indiviglio, The , May 17, 2010
" What's a Degree Worth?" by Floyd Norris, New York Times, May 17, 2010
" Plan B: Skip College" by Jacques Steinberg, New York Times, May 14, 2010
" For Members Only: Feminism on Campus Today" by Karin Agness, National Association of Scholars, May 6, 2010
" Expanding Enrollments, Declining Standards: American Higher Ed Prepares to Take the Plunge" by Peter Wood, National Association of Scholars, March 10, 2010
" Open-Ended" by Ashley Thorne, National Association of Scholars, August 12, 2009
" Old Ills, New Remedies: A Conversation with Diane Auer Jones" by Carol Iannone, National Association of Scholars, June 29, 2009
" Is College Driving Students to Drink?" by Tom Wood, National Association of Scholars, September 11, 2008
Real Education(Crown Forum, 2008), Charles Murray
" What Does Sustainability Have to Do With Student Loans?" by Peter Wood, Minding the Campus, May 14, 2008

*In articles published at the NAS website, Tom Wood has expressed his objections to 's arguments. His articles include " Is the B.A. Degree Meaningless?" " Education and Intelligence: A Response to Charles Murray" and "Charles Murray and Progressive Education," Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Image: Pexels

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10 Reasons Not to Go to College by Ashley Thorne | NAS

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"One of the most damaging messages of educational romanticism has been that everyone should go to college." - Charles Murray There has recently been a small swell of published doubts about whether college is really for everyone and, if not, why not?

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/09/10/a-dereliction-duty-college-dropout-scandal-how-fix-it/

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At some point, your teen may ask, "Why should I go to college?" When they do, here are five reasons for college to share with your child.

1. Make more money.

People who graduate from college make more money than those with just a high school diploma. A lot more money, actually. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that in 2016, people with a college degree made around $1,156 a week. Someone with a high school diploma earned just $692.

2. Have more opportunity.

People who go to college open up their choices for jobs. Many jobs these days require a college degree. Plus, college graduates have less chance of losing their jobs. In 2016, the overall unemployment rate dropped to 4 percent - but as education levels go up, unemployment rates go down. For high school graduates, the unemployment rate was 5.2 percent, but it was only 2.7 percent for college graduates.

3. Make connections.

In college, students make new friends and other connections that will be helpful when it's time to get started in a career. Those friends they make in college will help them get jobs, and these connections and networks will help them throughout their lives.

4. Live a healthier and happier life.

Studies have shown that college graduates are healthier and are less likely to get divorced. There's a well-established link between more education and better health: high school graduates are nearly twice as likely to be in poorer health than college graduates. Also, according to a 2015 report by the Pew Research Center, the divorce rate for college graduates is about 26 percent, compared to 43 percent for high school graduates.

5. Start a tradition.

If your child goes to college, your grandchildren will be more likely to go, too: 71 percent of students with at least one parent who has a bachelor's degree apply to college themselves. Only 26 percent of first-generation students (those with no parent who went beyond high school) apply to college.

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5 reasons your teen should go to college

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At some point, your teen may ask, "Why should I go to college?" When they do, here are five reasons for college to share with your child. People who graduate from college make more money than those with just a high school diploma. A lot more money, actually.

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This is your opportunity to take what you're already interested in and pursue it at a deeper level. Enroll in classes and sign up for activities that excite you, without the structured limitations of high school. Meet people from various backgrounds and cultures who have interests similar to - and different from - your own. They might even introduce you to new interests you didn't know you had.

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College is more than just learning; it's about lifelong friendships, self-discovery, and investing in your future.

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brodee thurston