The College Catch
Americans today often consider college an ultra-important stepping stone to success. Ivy League schools and top-notch tech schools have morphed into prerequisites for financial success and prestigious status symbols. For many students grades, standardized test scores, and even extracurricular activities all revolve around the need to enroll in a good college. Even board games hint college is absolutely necessary. Few players win the game LIFE without a college job card. After all, many of LIFE’s college graduates have twice the income of their degreeless competitors. But do college graduates actually perform better than their less educated peers? Do bachelor degree holders from big name schools actually earn more money than …show more content…
Workers who majored in fine arts or graphic design barely earn more than the average high school graduate makes. Meanwhile, engineering professions account for seven out of the ten top earning undergraduate careers (Bennet and Wilezol 96-99). Choosing the right career oftentimes even makes more of a financial difference than going to a four year college. For example, Jonathan Rothwell reports “As of 2011, one out of every 10 U.S. jobs are sub-bachelor’s STEM jobs [sic]. With an average salary of $53,000…” (Rothwell). Similarly, another study found “two-year associate 's degree holders in an applied science were making more than $54,000, on average…, 10 years later – almost the same amount as their B.A.-holding counterparts” (“Community”). People who pick a promising career earn high salaries regardless of the number of years they stayed in a higher education program. Henceforth, young adults cannot expect college to miraculously increase their salary; they must intentionally make wise decisions to establish a financially successful career. Of course not everyone should just pick one of the top ten earning professions. Different people have different talents and skills. However, all people should carefully evaluate the future results of different educational plans before making a decision that will impact the rest of their …show more content…
Young adults should not pick a career just because it makes the most money, but people do need to make money—something graduates in certain fields oftentimes struggle to do. For example, Child and Family Studies majors and Early Childhood Education majors only make starting salaries a little over $30,000. Early Childhood Education majors still only make $38,000 in the middle of their careers (“Highest”). In fact, U.S. News & World Report claimed the average high school graduate would financially outperform students who majored in social work or elementary education (P). People who want to work with children should not automatically pick an elementary education major; rather, they should consider picking a different major and volunteering with children. At the very least they should realize paying for an elementary education major is a sacrifice for the privilege to work with children not an investment. On the other hand, English Literature majors earn a mid-career median salary of $75,300. Philosophy majors make a mid-career median salary of $85,000 (“Highest”). Nevertheless, English and Philosophy majors still do not provide a straight path to success. For instance, while Dear English Major, a website devoted to supporting English majors, listed twenty-seven different professions for English majors, almost two-thirds of the positions were either teachers, librarians, or law-based—many of which require
Americans today often consider college an ultra-important stepping stone to success. Ivy League schools and top-notch tech schools have morphed into prerequisites for financial success and prestigious status symbols. For many students grades, standardized test scores, and even extracurricular activities all revolve around the need to enroll in a good college. Even board games hint college is absolutely necessary. Few players win the game LIFE without a college job card. After all, many of LIFE’s college graduates have twice the income of their degreeless competitors. But do college graduates actually perform better than their less educated peers? Do bachelor degree holders from big name schools actually earn more money than …show more content…
Workers who majored in fine arts or graphic design barely earn more than the average high school graduate makes. Meanwhile, engineering professions account for seven out of the ten top earning undergraduate careers (Bennet and Wilezol 96-99). Choosing the right career oftentimes even makes more of a financial difference than going to a four year college. For example, Jonathan Rothwell reports “As of 2011, one out of every 10 U.S. jobs are sub-bachelor’s STEM jobs [sic]. With an average salary of $53,000…” (Rothwell). Similarly, another study found “two-year associate 's degree holders in an applied science were making more than $54,000, on average…, 10 years later – almost the same amount as their B.A.-holding counterparts” (“Community”). People who pick a promising career earn high salaries regardless of the number of years they stayed in a higher education program. Henceforth, young adults cannot expect college to miraculously increase their salary; they must intentionally make wise decisions to establish a financially successful career. Of course not everyone should just pick one of the top ten earning professions. Different people have different talents and skills. However, all people should carefully evaluate the future results of different educational plans before making a decision that will impact the rest of their …show more content…
Young adults should not pick a career just because it makes the most money, but people do need to make money—something graduates in certain fields oftentimes struggle to do. For example, Child and Family Studies majors and Early Childhood Education majors only make starting salaries a little over $30,000. Early Childhood Education majors still only make $38,000 in the middle of their careers (“Highest”). In fact, U.S. News & World Report claimed the average high school graduate would financially outperform students who majored in social work or elementary education (P). People who want to work with children should not automatically pick an elementary education major; rather, they should consider picking a different major and volunteering with children. At the very least they should realize paying for an elementary education major is a sacrifice for the privilege to work with children not an investment. On the other hand, English Literature majors earn a mid-career median salary of $75,300. Philosophy majors make a mid-career median salary of $85,000 (“Highest”). Nevertheless, English and Philosophy majors still do not provide a straight path to success. For instance, while Dear English Major, a website devoted to supporting English majors, listed twenty-seven different professions for English majors, almost two-thirds of the positions were either teachers, librarians, or law-based—many of which require