Is a four- year college degree necessary for everyone
The societal notion of the best jobs for well-educated people is a cutting edge when it comes to college degrees. However, I think that college education is not for everyone and everyone is not for college. This is because there are several factors to consider, including finances and personal learning initiative. Imagine being a student who has struggled throughout highschool with difficulty in mastering the mere concepts of a high school course, coupled with a heavy financial burden, and here you are, expected to join a four-year college degree. Is it even fair? Does such a student stand compelled to join a college for a better future when they can enrol in a two-year associate degree that will gain them equal skills? This makes me reconsider if really a four- year college degree necessary for everyone.
There are quite many jobs today that do not require a college degree, and they approximately absorb 30 million people with a salary range of $ 55,000 (MarksJavis). This salary is relatively higher for a non-graduate. The findings of a study by Scott Jaschick indicates that college degree holders earn higher salaries of $78000 compared to high school diploma holders who earn $45,000 (Jaschick). Despite the high pay further studies by MarksJavis points out that the kind of jobs that guarantee such high pay for graduates are those jobs with specific skills such as nursing, engineering and computer science. General jobs like arts, communication and psychology only earn graduates $31, 000 annually. This is way too low compared to the money and time invested in a four-year college degree. Given these numbers, I personally feel like a college degree is not for everyone. It’s better at times to consider community colleges which offer a less time span for courses with affordable education. A research by Georgetown centre director discovered that 28 per cent of students from community colleges have higher chances for a better job than some bachelor’s degree holders (MarksJarvis). Additionally, the research identifies numerous blue-collar jobs that do not require a college degree with a high paying scale, including sales representatives, financial managers and engineering technicians. Moreover, its quite interesting to point out that a computer support technician can earn up to $ 60, 000 despite not having a college degree (Marksjarvis).
College degree sceptics may argue that even after the US recovered from the great recession, industries like manufacturing and construction still provide good returns on blue-collar jobs. A study by Georgetown University on “workforce and education” noted that these jobs greatly reduced by 30% from the year 1991. however, still, during this period, 3 million jobs were created for people without a four-year college degree (MarksJarvis). This study is an indication that several new good jobs are steadily replacing the good old jobs that became obsolete after the advancement of the technology-fueled economy in the 1990s. Furthermore, research, indicates that even the return to college that had increased by 16 per cent during the early 1990s has greatly declined to 14% over the years (Jaschik). This is coupled by the fact that there are several skilled good blue-collar jobs for non-college graduates such as industrial production managers, food service managers, bookkeepers and security guards. So, why go through the burden of huge financial investment and time for a four-year college degree when there is an alternative? It’s such as a mind-blowing question for those who think it’s necessary.
In conclusion, I think as much as a four-year college degree is quite sensational, it is not necessary for everyone. The success of an individual in life all depends on a person’s initiative to apply what they have, whether a college degree or without. I will conclude with this quote from Michael Dell, a college dropout in reality. “You don’t have to be visionary or a genius or even a college graduate to be successful in life. You need a dream and a framework.”