Do Having a College Education Will Guarantee a Well-Paid Job - Essay Example

Good Pay and College Education

Introduction

In the present technological environment, the rapid changes being witnessed in how people work and the way we undertake businesses within as well as between nations has had a notable influence on the education system, raising questions as to whether having a college degree in the coming 20 years will guarantee individuals a high paying job. The number of educated employees is becoming increasingly important for two key reasons. Firstly, a large number of low-skilled jobs are taken to overseas countries while computers are being relied upon to handle most of the mundane and repetitive jobs. The remaining complex tasks are demanding individuals with professional skills to address the existing problems while working as a team (Amdur, 2016).

The skills that needed in the case of managers and senior technical individuals are becoming increasingly needed for each person. It is not mostly related to standing before a machine and handling a similar task in a repeated manner, but the duties revolve more around machine exploitation while interacting with co-workers and customers (AFB, 2016). As such, employees across diverse occupations should be in a position to communicate effectively as well as ensure that they are capable of handling the problems in a more effective manner. In the case of individuals with college degrees, they not only tend to receive higher earnings unlike the case of those people lacking degrees, but they also receive retirement and health benefits for the jobs they undertake (Higher Ed in Crisis, 2013). They also have minimal chances of lacking employment. Furthermore, having a college degree not only entails realizing economic benefits, but those kinds of individuals also portray satisfaction with the jobs they acquire, while at the same time preparing their children adequately for school and effective career preparation (Kay, 2016). The paper discusses as to whether having a college degree will guarantee one a well-paying job in future.

Discussion

Future Education Trends

Concerning human history, in line with other issues, a divided story exists. The story revolves around the disparities in terms of health, income, education, and commerce. For a greater part, the story concerning overcoming the divides as well as closing appear to the narrow the prevailing gaps, hence giving rise to the idea of progress (Hanford, 2016). However, it is essential to note that even though that the gaps prevailing in education have been narrowing for many years, particularly during the 20th century, the chances are that the divide will keep widening unless people develop awareness as well as remain adequately equipped to adopt the needed steps. For instance, by 2018, estimates reveal that although more than 63% of the available job openings will demand employees having more than a college degree, the support of education by the public has gone down considerably (Higher Ed in Crisis, 2013).

Furthermore, in different workplace environments, employers are showing signs of reducing their training programs, while expecting that the candidates should have sufficient knowledge and skills when seeking a particular job. Based on the forecasts set forth by the Bureau of Statistics, the overall level of employment is anticipated to go up by more than 20.5% between 2010 and 2020, whereby 88% of detailed professions are anticipated to encounter growth in employment. In the middle of these, the jobs demanding master’s degrees are the ones expected to make a notable contribution, while individuals who only have a diploma from high school will witness the least progress during the 2010-2020 period (AFB, 2016).

Issue of Straight Lines

The Current Population Survey carried out by the Bureau of Labour Statistics, which is responsible for tracking data concerning the full-time salary and wage earners aged beyond 25 years, it reveals that a correlation prevails between attainment of education, employment, and income (Higher Ed in Crisis, 2013). With the rate of employment among individuals aged more than 25 years being 7.1%, which is lower compared to the overall population due to high unemployment rates among individuals aged below 25 years, the rates of unemployment in terms of educational level during 2012 were as follows: 2.1%, 2.5%, 3.5%, 4.5%, 6.2%, 7.7%, 8.3%, and 12.4% for professional degree, doctoral degree, master’s degree, bachelor’s degree, associate degree, college lacking degree, and diploma from high school respectively. Concomitantly, the average earnings on a weekly basis in the case of the same category were as follows. $1,735, $1,624, $1,300, $1,066, $785, $727, $652, and $741 for professional degree, doctoral degree, master’s degree, bachelor’s degree, associate degree, college lacking degree, and diploma from high school correspondingly. These figures illustrate that the higher the level of educational attainment, the higher the earnings. In this case, the signs are all pointing in a similar direction (Kay, 2016).

STEM Influence in Education

In line with the data, it is also ideal to consider the rise in the need for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math curricula), which serve as subjects demanding higher levels of attainment in education. According to the National Science Foundation, it stipulates that STEM will comprise of subjects, such as information systems technology, chemistry, geosciences, engineering, mathematical sciences, life sciences, astronomy, physics, social sciences, psychology, and education as well as research (Hanford, 2016). However, it is vital to note that mentioning these areas is not sufficient in terms of justifying the efforts needed, particularly because students in America usually lag behind other global peers in technology, science, math, and engineering subjects (AFB, 2016). Presently, the U.S. ranks 17th in science and 25th in math compared to other developed countries. In this case, a need has arisen for the country to address the prevailing need to facilitate in improving science and math education through training, recruiting, and supporting teachers to they can emerge as effective STEM education leaders, particularly in the case of rural and low-income urban areas (Amdur, 2016).

More Jobs Demanding College Degrees

Recent statistics reveal that more jobs will require college degrees, which will boost the chances of individuals being hired. For instance, by considering the present requirements in education, one can see where the trend is heading. When compared to more than ten years ago, most of the jobs today require particular technical needs. They also require certain levels of higher education, which are apparent in each industry ranging from health care, information technology, and professional services among others, such as nurses, project managers, and administrative assistants (Higher Ed in Crisis, 2013).

In the perspective of more than 4,700 human resource executives in more than nine industries, more than 51% of the jobs demand technical knowledge, while more than 46% stipulate that high education is needed to facilitate in accomplishing most of the tasks. When looking into the future concerning educational attainment, it is vital to note the workplace expectations in the coming 20 years (Hanford, 2016). More than 60% professionals stipulate that more jobs will demand technical requirements while 49% argue that higher education will serve as a key requirement for most of the jobs. For example, when considering the positions of administrative assistants, they will demand additional education, such as a post-secondary certificate or associate degree (Amdur, 2016). The positions of the future in the case of individual contributors, salaried works, as well as other professionals will demand a bachelor’s degree. Skilled labourers, including mechanics, technicians, and foremen will be required to have a post-secondary certificate or a given credential in order to cope with the requirements of the present day workplace (AFB, 2016).

In addition, even though a large number of employees having only high-school diploma presently may advance by taking a lateral move, these kinds of promotions in future will demand additional training and education, hence allow them to reach higher income potential. In the coming 10 years, the industries that will demand levels of higher education in most of the tasks will comprise of professional services (49%), local and state government (51%), high –tech (51%), healthcare (56%), and manufacturing (59%). This means that individuals should take time to advance their careers in time to ensure that they secure these positions, which will be among the highest paying in the coming years (Kay, 2016).

Additional Higher Education Reasons

Researchers have argued that college may have notable influence in diverse fields in areas where a degree is not considered vital. For instance, police officers, construction workers, retail salespeople, and plumbers usually earn more in case they have a college degree compared to those who do not, since education plays a vital role in allowing people to get work requiring high skills, create own companies, or secure employment with companies that pay more (Hanford, 2016). Moreover, other statistics reveal that college graduates usually tend to earn more than twice compared to those who have only achieved a high school diploma. Even though education may be expensive, one should take time to choose the ideal direction in a wise manner (AFB, 2016). Most of the people today usually attend school mostly because they hear of a fast-growing area of study that may reflect quick employment potential. However, individuals should ensure that they take time to know themselves based on what they would like to pursue. Apart from having the ideal education, it is vital to seek a career opportunity that supports your future earning potential and career prospects (Hanford, 2016).

Conclusion

The present workplace environment is becoming increasingly competitive in different parts of the world. Certain tasks, such as those that used to be handled by manual workers have been automated while the emerging high-paying professions are demanding significant investment in education to allow individuals cope with the diverse complexities apparent in the workplace. The professions, which are considered as high paying, are requiring individuals to make a notable investment in education to gain the needed skills for coping with the workplace environment. Based on the growing trends concerning the need college degrees to access high-paying jobs, it is apparent college degrees will play a crucial role in matters pertaining to acquisition well-paying jobs in the future.