Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Ryan Miller
Mrs. Cramer
Comp Pd. 4
7 December 2018
After high school, every student must make a choice that will change his or her life
modern society is one of the largest decisions a student must make. Many people believe college
is a waste of time and money today, but others believe college is well worth the investment
because a college degree correlates with higher wages and more job opportunity. Moreover, the
benefits of a college degree outweigh the expense and time needed to pursue one. Students
should pursue a college education even though it is expensive, and people can find jobs without
one, because people with a post-secondary education earn more money and are more likely to get
First, people who have a college education are more likely to get a job than people who
do not have one. For the last thirty years, technological advances have increased the demand for
skilled workers with a college degree (Oreopoulos and Petronijevic 14). The constant new
technology that is invented and used means that jobs require more training, and a college
education prepares students for the world of modern employment. Businesses are looking for
workers who can understand these new advancements that people who just went to high school
will never understand. In addition, those with a bachelor’s degree have an unemployment rate of
about half the rate of those who just have a high school diploma (“Is College Worth It?”).
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Students leaving college with a bachelor's degree are twice as likely to get a job than a person
who never went to college. Another way to look at it is that twice as many high school graduates
are unemployed compared to college grads. On the whole, it is worth getting a college education
because people with a post-secondary education are more likely to be employed than those
without.
Conversely, some people believe college is not worth the time because it is possible to
get some jobs without a college degree. Many people understand that students just getting out of
high school do not want to go through more school, and would prefer to stop there than to keep
going1. However, students must understand the benefits of a college education. Although it is
possible to get a job in today’s world without a college education, it is harder to find a job, and
these people will not make nearly as much money as they could have made if they had gone to
college. The National Bureau of Economic Research says that in 2010, there were about 36%
more workers who had a college education in the work force than there were workers who just
got a job out of high school (Oreopoulos and Petronijevic 15). This shows how there are more
people in the workforce who have a college degree than there are people without one. This
expresses how much more likely businesses will be to hire people if they have the college
education these businesses are looking for. Overall, it is worth going to college even though it is
possible to get jobs without going, because people who go to college are more likely to find a
In addition, students who have a college education and get a job also make more money
than their less educated counterparts with just a high school diploma. In 1980, people with a
1
Parallelism- This uses parallelism to keep the sentence structure similar and keep the clarity
and rhythm of the sentence.
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college degree earned 43% more than people without one. In 2011, the wage gap increased to the
point where college graduates earned 61% more money (Daly).2 This shows how the wage gap
between college grads and high school grads increased by 20% in the last three decades, and is
continuing to increase today. This 20% difference in wages could be the difference between just
scraping by in life, and being able to have a comfortable, stable life. Additionally, returns of a
college education are greater than ever before in terms of how much is earned over a lifetime.
(Oreopoulos and Petronijevic). This means that over a person’s lifespan, the returns in terms of
what this person earns because they got a college education is increasing from in the past. This
expresses the high value of a college education and how the value is still increasing. These
returns should be taken advantage of by students to help them have a better future. Overall, the
value of a college degree today is increasing because the wage gap is higher than it has been in
the past and the returns of a college education are greater than they have ever been in the past.
In contrast, there are people who say that it is not worth going to college, because tuition
cost is expensive and is still on the rise. This tuition rate scares students away from ever pursuing
a college education. Galegroup learning says, “For most Americans, educating their offspring
will be the largest financial outlay, after their home mortgage, they’ll ever make” (Hacker and
Dreifus). This shows how big of a decision college is because it is one of the most expensive
endeavors a person can do in life. Though it is true that college is expensive, it is the same as any
other investment. Money must be put in to get profit out. This is not just any regular investment.
This is an investment into a student’s future3, and should not be overlooked just because it has a
2
Logos- This sentence uses statistics and logic to help get the readers to appeal to the
reasoning and understand the factual differences in wages.
3
Analogy- This is an analogy that compares getting a college education and investing to give a
relatable example that makes it easier to understand why college’s cost is worth it.
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high initial cost. The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco says that for most students, tuition
costs for many colleges can be paid off by the age of 40 (Daly). This means that students can pay
off their student loans relatively early in life, and everything that this student earns after age 40 is
profit from their educational investment. Even though college is an expensive investment, it is
one that is well worth it in the long run and helps pay for itself eventually.
education even though it is expensive, and it is possible to obtain a job without one, because
those who have a college degree are more likely to get a job, and make more money than those
who do not. The wage gap between people who have a college education and those who do not
has been increasing for several years and is still on the rise. In addition, those who have a college
degree are more likely to get a job. It is like any other good investment. You must put money in
to get money out, and this is reflected in the wage gap between college graduates and high school
graduates. Even though people may find jobs without a college degree, they will not find a good
career as easily without a post-secondary education. The benefits of a college education are
increasing to rates never seen before and the demand for a college degree is still apparent in
modern society. The decision to go to college is a life-changing one, and it is one that if students
take advantage of, can pay off and help make a student’s future better.
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Works Cited
20 Sept. 2018.
Hacker, Andrew, and Claudia Dreifus. “Are Colleges Worth the Price of
“Is College Worth It?” Csuglobal. Colorado State University. Web. 20 Sept. 2018.
Oreopoulos, Philip, and Uros Petronijevic. “MAKING COLLEGE WORTH IT: A REVIEW OF