Carl Renz
Senior year of high school can be a very fun time, but can also bring a great deal of stress. It is crucial for high school graduates entering college to pick the right field to go into especially with college costs being so high. The average student loan debt for a class of 2016 graduate was $37,172. With these steep prices it is very important to find a field of study that will be worth your time and money. A good way of finding a promising career is to look at the demand for those workers and the amount of people already in the field. This can be done by simply googling the most in-demand careers on the job market. An example of an in-demand career is software engineering which is expected to grow 18.1% by 2025. With such a demand for a certain career and a low supply of people willing to go into it leads to a great marginal benefit. With a good career choice the opportunity cost of college is worth the opportunity benefit you could earn in salary and job benefits. However, many people are learning the hard way that a job with a lot of supply (people entering that field) and low demand (people needed in the field) will not be worth the cost of college. 
With a college degree being needed more and more each year colleges are able to charge more due to the demand for a degree. According to ProCon, “A college graduate with a bachelor’s degree earns $30,000 more per year than a high school graduate, or about $500,000 more over a lifetime.” Colleges know that post high school schooling is needed more and the pressure for people to attend is growing so they are able to rise the cost. With colleges holding the leverage for pricing it just goes to show how important it is for people to pick a field in high demand. In the words of the esteemed poet Robert Frost, “Take the road less traveled by, and that will make all the difference.”
Works Cited
"College Education - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. Mar. 2017. http://college-education.procon.org/
Frost, Robert. "The Road Not Taken." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. Mar. 2017. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/resources/learning/core-poems/detail/44272
Team, IPFW Admissions. "The 5 Most In-Demand Majors for 2017." Advice from Admissions. Mar. 2017. http://info.ipfw.edu/blog/the-5-most-in-demand-majors-for-2017
"U.S. Student Loan Debt Statistics for 2017." Student Loan Hero. Mar. 2017. https://studentloanhero.com/student-loan-debt-statistics/
I agree with your point that people need to weigh the benefits of going to college. While it is expensive, you can earn much more money over a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteWith all of the overall costs of degrees increasing it becomes increasingly more and more stressful for students to pay them off. I have once been told that going to college is to allow you to get a job and make enough money to pay off your college debts. So as difficult as it may be, the way you handle to the situation is up to you.
ReplyDeleteI think that you make some great points. I did not know that some of these jobs that a predicted to grow so much over the next few years have such a low demand. And me personally do not like the fact that college costs are constantly increasing. But I would like to know what your opinion about this is. You talked a lot about college jobs and costs but not really about what you think about why they are rising or what you would like to see changed. But overall nice job.
ReplyDeleteWhile a prestigious college degree allows some people to earn more, I think that the government needs to put a ceiling on the cost of college, because it is making it harder and harder for families to save enough to not be in huge amounts of debt when they graduate. If the government put a ceiling on college costs, then they themselves wouldn't have to provide as much financial aid. This would also allow our society to become increasingly more educated, allow other businesses to grow due to better production factors.
ReplyDeleteThe universities in America have an oligopoly and the price will continue to rise if they all do so. Kids will start having to think about whether or not the price of college will be a good long term investment if the prices start to raise a little more. Depending on the degree I still believe college is a good investment, but that may not be true in another 10-15 years.
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ReplyDeleteWith the payment of college raising and jobs career's demanding then why spend the money on college? Personally I'm going to college but a tech school because college's are increasing their payment to enroll then why even go? To add to that, wonder if you drop out of college and then stuck with the student loans for the rest of your life? How are people suppose to pay and then payoff loans if they don't get a good job with their degree?
ReplyDeleteAlthough student loans have been increasing and increasing, and many people are scared to pay the high price for college, I think the reward of college outweigh the risks. Without a college degree it is hard to obtain a well paying job, and with a degree many companies will want to hire you. So although right now the cheaper options look more intriguing, it is worth it to go to the best college you can in the long run.
ReplyDeleteCertain college degrees might be useless, but overall, most college degrees are better than just having a high school degree. $30,000 a year is quite a lot.The student loans will put college students back a bit in cash, but only for a few years. After five or six years, the college student will pay off their student loans and will in the long run be better off.
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