When I think of career development, a college degree seems to be one of the major building blocks necessary to obtaining the career of my dreams. Yet, according to an article, which can be found here, it seems that the value of a college degree may not be held in as high esteem as it used to be. In a recent report conducted by the Pew Research Center, 2,142 Americans (57% of those surveyed) “claimed that the nation's higher education system does not offer adequate value in return for increasingly high costs”. When I first read this statement I was shocked!
I grew up in a family where the value of higher education was upheld in the highest regard. Neither my mother nor my father attended college. They understood the difficulties the job market could present without a degree. Since I was a child, I was encouraged to pursue higher education at all costs. Apparently, my parents were not alone. According to the article, parents have not been greatly affected by this growing skepticism about the value of college. In fact, according to the survey, 94% of parents expect their children to pursue higher education. This encouragement was not limited to my parents. I cannot think of a teacher who did not encourage me to pursue education beyond the high school level. Therefore, it is difficult for me to imagine where those 2,142 survey participants who do not believe the costs of higher education outweigh the benefits.
I understand that I am a bit biased. Like I said, I was raised to value higher education. Likewise, I am a college student, and I would probably not be attending a university if I did not believe that the degree I am earning will be of value. A college degree, in my opinion, is essential for getting the career I want. In a world where even entry-level positions require some kind of higher education, I have a difficult time imagining getting the career I desire with just a high school diploma.
I will admit, college is expensive, but I am confident that the value of my education will outweigh the costs. I am not alone in my thinking. According to the article, 757 of the participants surveyed “were confident that their investment in higher education proved beneficial.”
I will not deny that there are cases of people who do not have a higher education who were able to find a great deal of success. But in the end, I am confident with the value of the degree I will earn and, according to the article, it seems most college graduates feel the same way.
What do you think? Are the statistics about college at all shocking?
No comments:
Post a Comment