Is College Worth It?

Is College Worth It?

For decades, many have contended whether college is the right choice for them. The thought of antipathy and failure overcomes and some typically even default after their first semester. In almost every case scenario, the financial aspect of higher education can dampen just about any person’s aspirations. Katie Rucke from Mint Press news vocalized that “The rising cost of education every year is putting a degree out of reach for low-income and middle-class Americans, and it may even be proving too costly for the wealthy elite.” Collegeboard.org reports, “Over the 30 years from 1984-85 to 2014-15, average published tuition and fees at private four-year institutions rose by 146%, from $12,716 (in 2014 dollars) to $31,231. The average published price at public two-year colleges rose by 150%, from $1,337 to $3,347, and the increase for in-state students at public four-year institutions was 225%, from $2,810 to $9,139,” So the surfacing question is, “Is college the right choice?” The answer may just surprise you.

During the recession between Dec. 2007 and Jan. 2010 jobs requiring college degrees grew by 187,000, while jobs requiring some college fell by 1.75 million and jobs requiring a high school diploma or less fell by a total of 5.6 million [Lumina Foundation]. Not surprisingly, based on economy and job projections calculated by Georgetown University, in 2018, "approximately 63% of jobs will require some college education or a degree." [Carnevale] From these drastic numbers, it's clear that employers are more often looking for legitimate college graduates to adequately fill job openings; even it only requires a lower level of education. Perhaps, in the search for people with more credentials, American workforce is pushing to raise the bar of selectivity and effectiveness for the common public.

College graduates have more and better employment opportunities, and the absolute last thing anyone wants to be, is unemployed. Recent "In april...