T h e Va l u e o f a D e g re e | 1

The Real Value of a Degree:

High School degree vs. Bachelors Degree
Beatriz D. Cruz
University of Texas at El Paso
RWS 1302
Professor Cohen
Spring 2015

Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen

T h e Va l u e o f a D e g re e | 2

Abstract

The debate of choosing a career path has been implanted in the mind of every child ever
since they were in kindergarten. The question of what career path to pick or what
college to go to is one of the most stressing topics in a persons life. A dream job is a
difficult choice to predict, and not achieving that goal is even harder. From different
options like getting a high school degree, pursuing a college education, joining a
university, or a technical school, students may aim their life goal using any of these
resources. It is acceptable and seen as a great accomplishment to only achieve a high
school degree depending on the situation. The problem would be not knowing how to
achieve a certain position in the world. A higher education is much too expensive and
you just might not get you where you need to be with a high school degree. This literary
review will analyze the differences of having a high school degree and a bachelors
degree from a social and economic point of view while analyzing the long-term results in
a persons life.

Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen

T h e Va l u e o f a D e g re e | 3

Introduction
Through the use of the following research questions and other sources, there will
be an evaluation to see what the best option is for a student.

Question of Fact:
This question asks if something is true or exists.
Is it true that the information given to us in college will help us perform
successfully at our job?

Questions of Consequence:
This question asks what the causes are and/or what the results are.
What is the consequence, due to the fact that not much can be done with a
bachelors degree, of following that degree?

Questions of Value:
This question asks somethings worth or benefit.
What are the financial benefits and disadvantages of the high costs of earning a
paper of certification?

Education is a difficult matter in our lives that can help shape our economic
future, the choices that are made can impact a life for many years to come and it is only
through reason and critical thinking that a person can make the right choice in their
chosen path.

Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen

T h e Va l u e o f a D e g re e | 4

Is it true that the information given to us in college will help us perform

successfully at our job?

When doing research about this topic it was difficult finding unbiased opinions in
a college campus, so it was required to do research outside of a campus environment.
When asking college graduates, business owners, high school students, college dropout
and many others, the response was more accurate. According to primary research in the
community of El Paso, Texas, people believed that the most important information
given by colleges is not only the academic resources but also the skills that are learned.
When asking twenty people to list information and skills that are important to become
more successful these were the answers.

Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen

T h e Va l u e o f a D e g re e | 5

Graph 1:

Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen

T h e Va l u e o f a D e g re e | 6

Information and Skills Given in College That Helps Students Be Sucessful

Working with Others Independence

Note-taking

Multitasking Piorotizing Finding Motivation

Academic Information

These statistics do not lie, according to an online journal published on The

Atlantic magazine webpage, Any college, makes a major difference in a young person's
psychological development: students come away with improved cognitive skills, greater
verbal and quantitative competence, and different political, social, and religious
attitudes and values (Hersh, 2005). Then again, on the other hand, this article also
discusses how the grading system does not necessarily show how much a student has
learned in a semester. Many students may have As in a class but that does not mean
that the material that is being provided is being and appreciated to its full potential. At
the end of the day, grades are just numbers that have no real value in the knowledge of a
student. If such intellectual information is being wasted, then it will not benefit the

Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen

T h e Va l u e o f a D e g re e | 7

student into being more successful. Sometimes the whole of a college education is less
than the sum of its parts. Sometimes it's far greater. And in neither case does a student's
GPA, whether 2.2 or 4.0, really tell us how much he or she has learned. (Hersh, 2005)

What is the consequence, due to the fact that not much can be done with a
bachelors degree, of following that degree?
There are many levels to a college degree, such as an Associates degree, a
Bachelors degree, a Masters degree, and a Doctoral Degree. Right now, a Bachelors is
the most common degree in the United States. With a forty-percent of the U.S.
population holding this title in 2014, compared to twenty-nine percent in 2012 who only
held a two-year college degree. (Calvert, 2014). The numbers and percentages of
educated people keep rising and they will continue this correlation up to sixty percent in
2025. With this in mind, it can be concluded what is happening to the value of a
Bachelors degree. It is just what happens to the economy when there is an inflation or a
debt and more money is printing off to pay that due. The money, in this case the college
degree, losses its value because of the quantity of it all over the United States. Of course,
this is dependent on the geographic of it and it also depends on what major you are
getting your degree on. Think a community-college degree is worth less than a
credential from a four-year college? In Tennessee, the average first-year salaries of
graduates with a two-year degree are $1,000 higher than those with a bachelor's
degree. (Selingo, 2013)
Since college has become a more reasonable career path in the last few years,
more people have been going to college, leading to more student loans. While trying to
earn a better paying salary, students often undergo to a very stressful career path that
Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen

T h e Va l u e o f a D e g re e | 8

later leads to student debt. They will go deep into debt without ever knowing that they
pursued a degree without a chance at a career or a job to pay off their loans. (Selingo,
2013). As stated by Project Consultant of Select International, Adam Hilliard, high
school diplomas can earn around $33,000 dollars a year while Bachelors degree earn
about $67,000 dollars a year. The problem is that on average, a college graduate with
four-year college education has $27,000 dollars in student loan debt. (Hilliard, 2013)

What are the financial benefits and disadvantages of the high costs of
earning a paper of certification?
There are three main points to this area: paying yearly salaries, unemployment
rates, and student loan debt. Salaries have already been mentioned, and in this case
having a Bachelors degree is an advantage that can multiply you salary. Another key
factor is unemployment rate; in 2013 the unemployment rate was three times higher for
a high school degree than a Bachelors degree. 11.3% versus a 4.5% to be exact. Again,
here we can visually see the advantage of the higher education.

Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen

T h e Va l u e o f a D e g re e | 9

Graph 2:

Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen

T h e V a l u e o f a D e g r e e | 10

Unemployment Rate in 2013

12

10

8
Percentage Rate
6

High School Degree

Bachelor's Degree

One must also take into consideration the amount of student loan debt and put it
into this equation. If the average Bachelors degree graduate earns $1,300 dollars a
week, $67,000 dollars a year, but also owes around $27,000 dollars in student debt
then: A four-year college graduate ends up making just a little over the salary of a person
with a high school degree, $40,000 dollars. (Hilliard, 2013). This would thenbe turned
into a disadvantage of a college degree.

Graph 3:
Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen

T h e V a l u e o f a D e g r e e | 11

Annual Salary
$70,000.00
$60,000.00
$50,000.00

Student Loan Debt

Salary

$40,000.00
$30,000.00
$20,000.00
$10,000.00
$-

Bachelor's Degree

High School Degree

In another article we can then see more advantages and disadvantages listed when
talking about a Bachelors degree. Other than the information that has already been
provided, this article explains how a main advantage is the preparation provided for
tougher job requirements. Jobs are changing constantly and top jobs ten years from
now don't even exist yet. A college education will help you meet these tougher job
requirements. (Zambrano, n.d.) Disadvantages however, all go back to the economical
aspect of the situation. Cost and student debt seem to be more common each day as
students commit to an expensive education. Sometimes the problem might just be
finding a job and having the right timing. (Zambrano, n.d.)

Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen

T h e V a l u e o f a D e g r e e | 12

Conclusion
In conclusion, it is easier to be more successful with a college degree, but also possible to
do something in life without one. The consequences of following a career path in order
to get a Bachelors degree can lead to big enough student debt to be expanded
throughout most of your life. This is one of the disadvantages of higher education, but
there are many advantages and benefits like the right tools and thinking skills. This
literary review has shown how complex this subject, and how difficult it is to compare
quantitative and qualitative data. Yet, through the use of primary and secondary
research one can make better predicament when deciding which education is better to
follow.
One does not always need a degree to be successful in life, since there are many
opportunities out there in the world. Just like college debt is not necessarily the same
amount all over the United States.

Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen

T h e V a l u e o f a D e g r e e | 13

References
Are College Degrees Useless? [Motion picture]. (2013). Pittsburg, PA. United States of
America. Adam Hilliard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5vwvQs7kks
Calvert, K. (2014, April 22). Percentage of Americans with college degrees rises, paying
for degrees tops financial challenges. Retrieved April 10, 2015, from
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/percentage-americans-college-degrees-risespaying-degrees-tops-financial-challenges/
Hersh, R. (2005, November 1). What Does College Teach? Retrieved April 5, 2015, from
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2005/11/what-does-collegeteach/304306/?single_page=true#disqus_thread
Selingo, J. (2013, April 26). The Diploma's Vanishing Value. Retrieved April 4, 2015,
from
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324874204578440901216478088
Smith, M. (2013, July 13). High School Diplomas Become Less General. Retrieved April
1, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/14/us/high-school-diplomas-becomeless-general.html?_r=0
Zambrano, J. (n.d.). Advantages & Disadvantages of Going to College | The Classroom |
Synonym. Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://classroom.synonym.com/advantagesdisadvantages-going-college-4230.html
Hansen, R. (n.d.). Key Study Skills Tools to Achieve Academic Success. Retrieved March
18, 2015, from http://www.mycollegesuccessstory.com/academic-success-tools/highschool-vs-college.html
The Rising Cost of Not Going to College. (2014, February 11). Retrieved April 10, 2015,
from http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/02/11/the-rising-cost-of-not-going-tocollege/

Instructor: Professor Anthony G. Cohen