Attending College Worth It? There

¶ … Attending College Worth it?

There is no doubt that attending a four-year college or university is expensive, and even at the so-called "party schools" a four-year college education requires a lot of work, study, and commitment. But is all that money, effort and time really worth it? From my perspective, yes it is! There are complications and examples of situations where it may not make sense for the person to go to college (if he or she could get into college in the first place), or it might make sense to attend a 2-year community college instead of a 4-year institution.

And let's be honest: college isn't for everyone. But notwithstanding all the reasons one should not go, attending college for millions of young people is the right way to achieve a good career, improve basic knowledge and intellectual understanding, learn to solve problems, and locate good-paying jobs. Even in an economic recession, getting a college education means getting a leg up on jobs that may not be there at the precise moment you want one, but in time that degree pays off because there will in fact be opportunities available.

The Latest Earnings Statistics from the National Center on Education Statistics

Okay, we can say it's not always about the money, but face it, everyone wants to earn enough to at least be comfortable; hence, it IS about the money at some level.

According to the United States Government, earnings improve dramatically with a bachelor's degree or higher. Looking at the progression of wage increases over the years in terms of what males earned, in 1980, a male with a high school diploma earned on average about $44,200 annually, while a college graduate earned about $52,300. In 1990 earnings for a high school graduate went down to $36,300 but the college graduate earned $52,300. In the year 2000, the high school graduate was earning the exact same amount that he or she was bringing home in 1990 ($36,300), while the college graduate was earning $57,500 on average.

The latest numbers (in 2008) show some slippage, with high school grads earning just $32,000 and college grads bringing home $55,000 (National Center for Education Statistics). Once you factor in inflation and look at a high school grad in 2008 earning only $32,000, you can see that is not far from the poverty level.

Females, unfortunately as we know, earn less than males, and often women get less than males for doing the exact same job! No one has pronounced recently that there is gender fairness in the workplace. They'd be lying if they did. So, all you feminist activists out there can work to change that injustice once you get into a position of authority and influence! But meantime, female high school graduates in 1980 were earning $28,700 while female college graduates were getting $38, 800; by 1990 the difference was $26,400 (high school) to $42,800; and by 2000 the difference was $26,300 to $44,400. More recently, in 2008, women with a high school diploma earned $25,000 and women with a college degree nailed down $45,000 (National Center for Education Statistics).

The Latest Survey by the Pew Research Center

There are some very interesting data on college attendance in the latest Pew Research Center study, which was published in May, 2011. For example the median gap today between adults who did not attend college vs. those who did graduate from college is $19,550. That is according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 study. The Pew researchers learned that 75% of the general public believes "college is too expensive"; but on the other hand, an "overwhelming majority of college graduates" (86%) tell Pew that college "has been a good investment for them personally" (Pew Research Center).

And since we agree that a college education isn't all about the money you can earn with a degree, these next statistics are welcome: 74% of college graduates say their education was "very useful in helping them grow intellectually"; and 69% of college graduates interviewed by Pew said college was "very useful in helping them grown and mature as a person"; and 55% of the graduates from college indicated the experience "was very useful in helping them prepare for a job or career" (Pew Research Center). Still on the subject of college being a choice that is not exclusively based on money, Pew discovered in their interviews with 2,142 adults between March 15 and March 29 that "college graduates, on average, are happier and more satisfied with their jobs, their financial situation and their education than are those who did not attend college" (Pew Research).

Among the adults that were sampled in the Pew interviews, who had children aged 17 or younger, "fully 94% say they expect their child (or children) to attend college" (Pew).