Higher education is the process of learning both academically and personally. University life teaches students to discover who they are and what they are destined to do with their life. Although college has great benefits, it has become much harder to gain higher education due to the alarming cost, preparation for the work world, and overall question of the significance of college. The true individuals who have suffered from the higher education difficulties are current college students and recent graduates.
The Price Tag
For many, the main deterrent of attending college is the cost. The price tag of college can range from $32,000 to $240,000 for four years. This amount of money can be life changing for the majority of people and many wonder, is the massive investment worth it? Colin believes that “the price of a private college education is worth it because it prepares you to be an efficient and hard worker in the professional world. The course load and core requirements provide you with a well rounded education and help you be successful in life.” Colin’s private education has prepared him for his future. He was very fortunate to have the ability to attend a private university and earn a remarkable degree without having to obtain any debt because our parents were able to support him financially through his four years of college. But for many students they have to fund their college education for themselves which can lead to major debt. The average college graduate will owe $28,950 in tuition loans. This amount of money for a college graduate can be catastrophic. In 2015, the total college debt among students in the United States was $1.2 trillion.
Preparation for the “Real World”
How can one ever know whether college is actually worth it? If you don’t go you won’t know, and if you do go you could potentially waste money. Colin said that his friends that went to college said it was “the best years of there life” and the ones who didn’t attend said “college is a waste of time”. It has been proven by Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg that college is not an absolute necessity to be successful in life. But Colin believes “college is not necessary but it is extremely helpful. It has given me a head start in the job hunt over people that don’t have a college degree”. To many people Gates, Jobs, and Zuckerberg are the exception to a college education but for the average person, college could help them get ahead. After graduating from Gonzaga, the greatest thing Colin took away was “the ability to manage my time efficiently”. It has been eight months since Colin graduated and he is still in search of the perfect job. He has gone on three interviews and has been told he needs more experience or further education, which has led Colin to pursue a Computer Programming Certificate that will boost his resume. Looking back to his senior year of college, Colin says the two things he would have done differently to prepare for his career are “to start applying for jobs while I was still in college and to have a better understanding of what I wanted to do for a career”.
Is College Worth It?
According to my brother the answer to that question is “YES! It taught me so much more than just how to be a good student, it taught me how to be myself and feel confident in my abilities”. Colin discovered himself in college however others believe they can discover themselves somewhere else or that discovery didn’t occur for them in college. According to The Economist, college graduates working full time earn about $17,500 more annually than those who only have a high school diploma. Although many college graduates are making rewarding salaries, many graduates are only able to find minimum wage jobs which make them question their expensive education. After showing the statistics to Colin, he still stuck with his opinion of higher education and said “my education was worth more than a high paying job. It taught me so much more than how to write a speech or do a calculus problem. To me my education is priceless”.
After discussing the value of college with Colin and hearing about his experience, I believe that college has many positive and negative features. But if one has the incredible opportunity to attend college, they should seize the chance. College can change lives because it challenges students both inside and outside the classroom. It is evident that higher education has many problems including the colossal cost, the preparation for the real world, and the eternal question of what is the real worth of college. Higher education is primarily about challenging yourself and the minute you turn the tassel and the throw the graduation cap in the air, you know you have the foundation and tools to succeed.
-Micaela Gotfredson