Cho 1 MC Cho Megan Keaton ENG112-12 25 April 2013 Argumentative Essay Families all across the nation face

the dilemma of higher education at one point or another. The question at stake really is not about going to college, but how will it be afforded? With the economy still in the red, more and more young adults are opting for the workforce rather than pursuing higher education. Even those who have been in the workforce for a varying amount of years suddenly found themselves without a job and no income to support themselves or their families. It is all too common to hear stories in the news putting a positive spin on the recession of our economy by showcasing human interest pieces. They stories are about people who were laid off from their jobs and decided to go back to school to better their stakes at finding a new career as opposed to just another job and in turn a better life. It seems all dandy from the outside looking in, but those who have or still are living through this situation, know all too well that it is not a piece of cake. Understandably, with our economy the way it is, it is harder for people to strive for success and more importantly, making their dreams a reality, which is the ultimate pursuit of happiness. But it is because of this hardship and obstacles that it is crucial, now even more than ever, to become more proactive about our education and increase our knowledge. Starting college for the first time or continuing education is not a one road path. There are a variety of programs that offer assistance to the success of students. It is because of these reasons that in this

Cho 2 paper, I will prove that the value and importance of a college education offsets the costs and sacrifices that goes along with it. In a society where consumption overshadows production and materialism is symbolic to being an alpha, the most incentive reason as to why higher education is crucial is the prospects of monetary gain and financial security. It affects everyone. Every single individual makes a conscious decision as to whether they want to further their education or not. The achieved level of education directly ties into our social and economic status. As Macelina Hardy notes in her article titled 7 Benefits Of Earning A College Degree, she states, Having a college degree is linked to higher pay. The median earnings of bachelor's degree recipients working full-time yearround in 2008 were $55,700. That's $21,900 more than what individuals with only a high school diploma earned (Hardy n.p.). If the prospect of a higher income level alone is not persuasive enough, how about the benefits of having a legitimate career? In general, we as a society spend most of our lives working. It has been proven that how we feel about our work can greatly affect us. People with a higher level of education seem more satisfied in their work than those who only have a high school diploma. Adding onto job satisfaction is job stability; unemployment rates are consistently lower among college graduates as opposed to the less educated (Hardy n.p.). For those who believe that a college education is too costly for them to peruse, imagine how much earning potential is lost solely because they do not take the opportunity. Some, like the New York Times writer Alex Williams would argue that, The idea that a college diploma is an all-but-mandatory ticket to a successful career is showing fissures. Feeling squeezed by a sagging job market and mounting student debt, a groundswell of university-age heretics are pledging allegiance to new groups like UnCollege, dedicated to hacking higher

Cho 3 education (Williams ST1). He further goes on to state, Risky? Perhaps. But it worked for the founders of Twitter, Tumblr and a little company known as Apple. However well this strategy may have worked for those dedicated few handful of ambitious visionaries, compared to the much greater and larger list of educated college graduates who also became widely renowned for their innovations, they are a mere unmatched miniscule percentage. While Williams lists entrepreneurial role models like Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg as poster children for aversion to formal education, it should be well noted that all of them did in fact attend universities. Not only that, they were all admitted into the most elite and prestigious institutions. It was a matter of their decisions to drop out of college and to take the path less traveled that puts them in their own respective category. They are the exception, not the rule. Is it really necessary to take such a leap of faith? Why risk the potential factor for failure when attaining a diploma means the ability to control the flow of work and course of direction? USA Today writer Mary Beth Marklein asks, Are college degrees still worth it in this economy? The answer, she states, is yes. Not to discredit all those tales of newly minted college graduates living in their parents' basements while looking for a job, but an analysis of federal data shows that as a group, young adults with bachelor's degrees are faring much better than their less-educated counterparts (Marklein n.p.). A college degree significantly increases an individuals chances of gaining financial security. Marklein quotes Diana Elliott, research manager for the Pew Charitable Trusts project on economic mobility saying, Despite the recession and the labor market outcomes that individuals experience, the college degree still offers a great deal of potential. Current population survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau proves that jobless rates were most severe among young adults with no formal college education. Employment rates were still higher for those with a bachelors degree than those with just an

Cho 4 associates degree and significantly higher than those with only a high school diploma. Wages dropped in all groups during the recession however, the income level stabilized much quicker for those with a bachelors degree (Marklein n.p.). Referring back to the costs and sacrifices that counteract achieving higher education, AnnaMaria Andriotis research for the Wall Street Journals MarketWatch states that, Students who go to the most affordable four-year public colleges are more likely to drop out and to fall behind on their student-loan payment (Andriotis n.p.). All 10 of the four-year public colleges with the lowest net prices have a graduation rate thats below the 58% national average. And student borrowers from half of these schools have a higher federal loan default rate than the 13.4% national average. At first glance, this may seem very alarming and could even be taken as a cautionary tale. However legitimate the information maybe, it is taken out of context. These are worst case scenarios. There is no further information given as to what circumstances these extenuating cases came from. As people become more conscious about the cost of their education, the unstated fact is, cheaper is not always better. Part of it is, you get what you pay for, says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, which tracks financial aid and student debt (Andriotis n.p.). Andriotis even relents that, Some college experts say that the dismal figures are also due to the quality of education at lower-cost colleges. These schools are less likely to have the large support staff, including counselors and tutors, who can help students overcome academic or financial setbacks. I keep circling back to Kantrowitzs quote. You get what you pay for. I agree with him and feel this holds firmly true in many aspects, including education. Researching for this essay I came across an article that really resonated with me. The article, titled Is College Worth it? written by Trent Hamm, author of The Simple Dollar blog

Cho 5 in the Christian Science Monitor, wrote, Many of us end up on different career paths than those we studied in college, so what value does it have? Beyond a degree, college offers valuable lessons in self-sufficiency and responsibility (Hamm n.p.). Going beyond just the physical aspects of attaining a college degree, Hamm speaks candidly about what he thinks it means to achieve higher education. If my path in life led directly away from what I studied in college (and Im far from alone in this), what value did college have in the first place? The questions he asks seem philosophical in a way and from his thoughts, buds of thoughts and questions appear to bloom in my own head. We as a society put value on education, but what is value? Is value and worth the same? The worth of education is the costs (physical and intangible sacrifices) that are given up in order to pursue and achieve that education. The value of education is what is gained from the process of the pursuit and achievement of education. It is undeniable that those who have a higher level of education reap the most benefits. Life is like a game of Chutes and Ladders. In order to climb the social and economic ladders of society, education must be a crucial aspect of ones identity. As the costs of college increases astronomically every year, it seems that the burden of our economy limits the possibility of going forward with achieving formal education. Although President Obamas announcement that budget cuts were inevitable and that higher education funding would be reduced drastically, there is still a silver lining. Funding for the Pell Grant has already been cut 33% which means that instead of 18 semesters or 9 years, students of low income households would now have 12 semesters or 6 years to receive Financial Aid. With the average college student graduating in or around 4 years, the change does not seem to impact current and future students that negatively. However, instead of taking away from students that need assistance, I propose that the government give more incentives like tax breaks to colleges

Cho 6 and universities who make their tuitions more affordable to their students. By decreasing the costs of running a collegiate institution, the financial burdens do not roll down to the students. I also believe that if the government regulated how these institutions intact their fees like any company within an industry, it could drastically reduce costs for the students. There are also literally thousands of scholarships and grants that are given away by private, non-government foundations. There is nothing to lose when it comes to starting or continuing on with higher education. It is the key that opens many a doors. A better future awaits, so why not go for it?

Cho 7 Works Cited Andriotis, AnnaMaria. The High Cost of A Cheap College. MarketWatch. (2013): n.p. Web. 28 March 2013. Hamm, Trent. Is College Worth It? Christian Science Monitor. (2013): n.p. Web. 28 March 2013 Hardy, Marcelina. Seven Benefits of Earning A College Degree. Yahoo! Education. (2013): n.p. Web. 28 March 2013. Marklein, Mary Beth. Are College Degrees Still Worth It in This Economy? USA Today. (2013): n.p. Web. 28 March 2013. Williams, Alex. The Old College Try? No Way. New York Times 02 December 2012, New York ed.: ST1. Print.