The Value Of A College Degree

Introduction A disturbing fact submitted by the National Center of Education Statistics states that only 59% of undergraduate students 2006 have graduated in 2012 (“Graduation”). This speaks about graduation rates as well as the amount of time it takes for a typical college student to receive a “four year degree.” With the US on a constant downhill slope in education, it is important to look at the value of a college degree and what factors benefit that. To begin the process, it is important to look at the statistics, followed by analysis of a graduate verse a non-graduate and ending with opportunities and benefited from receiving a degree. To begin, it is crucial to look at the statistics.

Statistics

Graduation Rates
As previously mentioned, the class freshman in 2006 has only achieved 59% graduation rate in 2012. But this is only the beginning shockingly in 2014 the working class only had 39.4% completion (Jassic 2014). Not only does talk about the total as a whole but also compares the percentages in different ethnic groups. The amount of Asians completing a degree is near 60% out grossing both white at 47% and black at nearly 27% (Jassic). This may not seem like a bad result but the fact that foreigners are coming into the country and taking the higher ranked job positions from our native people is in a way outlandish. After seeing the striking results one might ask why this is happening.

Poverty as a Result Stated in the Huffington Post 43 Million citizens lived below poverty line in 2014. That is 14.5% of citizens in the US (Gongloff 2014). This directly correlates with the shortage of graduation rates in many experts’ opinions. According to the National Census the average income per family is increasing to around $52,000 (Noss). With the average fertility rate at 2.1 it is hard to support four people while sending one to college. Due to this fact many students need to receive financial aid and with this aid comes debt. To bring the equation full circle with debt comes stress and with stress comes lack of performance. When the debt adds up and the performance lowers the students tend to drop out. We see this through the statistics. The next aspect to look at is the retention rates in college.

Retention Rates
The problem surprisingly starts early, US News alerts readers with a surprising fact that only 1 in 3 freshman students will return to college for their sophomore yea (“Fresh…”). This returns to previous facts about debt with students. The growing stress and lack of performance forces students to look for a way out. With the low graduation rate and retention rates it makes the serviceability of a college degree extremely valuable. Being in such a low percentage of the working class that has the upper hand can land a graduate job as well as a higher pay.

Graduate VS Non-Graduate
Salary
Strikingly Jordan Weissman and author for slate.com explain that a bachelor degree holder will earn an average of $50,000 a year versus a high school graduate who will earn less than $30,000 (Weissman). Immediately we see that there is a $20,000 difference in the starting salary of a degree holder. But the kicker begins to show when reading deeper. With a college degree room for advancement in a company is not only easier put in most cases necessary. It is easily seen that the college degree carries a large meaning and purpose in the real world. Not only does the degree outperform in pay but when competing for a job opportunity the degree will win out in almost every scenario.

Opportunity Pew Social Trends enlightens readers by giving statistics on the happiness and the career path of college and high school graduates. The first statistic the site gives is the fact that only 3.8% of degree holders are unemployed compared to the 15.8% of high school graduates (“The…”). Not only is the opportunity but so is the room for growth and salary. As previously mentioned the degree holder gets paid an average of $20,000 dollars extra a year. Pew follows this statistics with another driving force by giving a graph of the happiness and career plan of graduates verse non-graduates. The numbers show that 87% of degree holders are “happy and have a career compared to the 57% of non-degree holders (“The…”). This shows that not only are you on track to a career but the degree holders are happier than the opposing party.

Conclusion
After receiving all of the statistics it becomes alarming clear that the serviceability of a college degree is endless. Not only do you have more room for growth in salary and opportunity but also in happiness which is the biggest part for any job. The few years you spend in college can end up being the few years that sparked the beginning of your career. So it’s time to ask yourself are you going to be the part of the 38.7% or 1 in 3 that will never return.

The Values of Having a College Degree Statistics Say:

KaDezha Doughty
English 102, Paper #1
Dr. Heermance
April 6, 2015
The Values of Having a College Degree Statistics Say

Introduction………………………………………………........Page 3
Statistics………………………………………………………..Page 3 Graduation Rates………………………………………..Page 3 Poverty As a Result….........……………………………………………….Page 3-4 Retention Rate…………………………………………………………….Page 4
Graduate VS Non-Graduate………………………………………………………Page 4 Salary………………………………………………….Page 4-5 Opportunity……………………………………………...Page 5
Conclusion…………………………………………………….Page 5
Works Cited…………………………………………………...Page 6

Works Cited

Cited: