Summary Of The Value Of A College Education

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In the Article, “the Value of a College Education”, it states that President Obama announced a $12 billion initiative to help millions of students earn a certificate or degree in hopes to restore the US with the highest number of college graduates worldwide by 2020. After World War II, US led the world with highest percentage of college graduates but now only 39% of adults in the US have degree while in Japan and South Korea more than 50% of adults with a degree. Society is embracing the idea that the American dream is obtained through higher education that brings more financial security. Conversely, Mike Rowe, a cable TV show host about blue collar jobs, states that “we’ve convinced ourselves that ‘good jobs’ are the result of a four-year degree… Not all knowledge comes from college” Thomas …show more content…
The current 3 million jobs that are available now are in transportation, commerce and trades don’t require a higher degree creating a disconnect between what Guidance Counselors and parents are telling the students. The Work Smart Not Hard campaign of the 70’s was promoted showed a picture of a college graduate holding his diploma having a big smile on his face with the sun shining in the back ground while the guy wearing coverall was show in a dark looking down at the ground. Not all students can afford college. Right now scholarships are awarded for Intelligence, Athleticism and Need. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that in 2012 a High School Graduate earned $652 weekly while a College Graduate earns $1056 weekly. “I went to a community college, then I went to work, then I went back to school and I got my degree. But my real education took place in reality TV. Mostly in a sewer.” Mike

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