Is college education valuable beyond economic incentive - Essay Example

? of the Is college education valuable beyond economic incentive? Introduction College education is beneficial in a number of ways. It is valuable from an economic point of view to the cultural aspect. The advantages of college education range from simple profits to some unusual surprises. Though the economic incentive is the biggest reason for gaining college education, there are a lot of other reasons too which justify the cause of acquisition of college education. Hence, college education is valuable beyond economic incentive. Discussion Many students, after having education from high school, cannot imagine the benefits a college education may offer to them. To them the college life and the studies at college are threatening, the thought of getting difficult assignments at college upsets them and the possibilities of meeting new people during college life distresses them. Being a student at high school one value one’s friends and it is difficult to think about departing from them. But the best part of college life is that there is a great possibility of meeting new friends with similar interests, principles and comic sense as soon as one enters the college. College life gives experiences and memories along with knowledge and skills. The benefits of college do not end with the passing out of a student but remain for lifetime. The most important among all advantages of college education is the economic one. It is the degree of a college that makes a student eligible for having a high salary. However, students who have acquired college education gain a lot of other benefits from college education as well. So it can be rightly said that besides economic incentive, there are other benefits of college education as well. This essay will discover how college education is valuable beyond economic incentive. It is a fact that after getting a college degree the student finds a good job with high remuneration package but along with the financial benefit, college education also gives the knowledge and skills that are the basic requirements of a good job (Ramage et.al. 508-512). Students who acquire a college degree usually get jobs which pay them 100 per cent more than the jobs gained by secondary school graduates at their entry level. A student just after having a bachelor’s degree usually succeeds in gaining a job which pays him no less than $4000 per month. On the other hand, a student who has acquired only a secondary school diploma cannot get a job which pays him more than $2500 per month. After gaining a college degree, the possibilities of job availability also increases. In today’s age a good job vacancy in a good working environment is rarely found, but those who have a college degree usually get a good designation at a reputed establishment. Along with economic incentive, it increases the confidence of college graduates in their capabilities, whereas the secondary school graduates usually do not get the same chance (Ramage et.al. 238-252). Furthermore, because the number of college graduates is smaller as compared to the secondary school graduates, college degree holders have to face lesser competition than them. Usually college degree holders are hired by organisations as soon as they get their degree. In this way the precious time of highly educated college graduates is saved from being wasted in searching jobs. But on the other hand, high school graduates are always in search of work. Because of a college degree, a student is able to achieve top management positions in an organisation but an unqualified employee can only look after a group of equally unqualified colleagues. The achievement of top management position, because of a college degree, boosts one’s confidence and encourages him/her to achieve a further position in his/her professional career. After gaining a college degree a student understands the way s/he can improve himself/herself. By gradually improving oneself one becomes a specialist in one’s field. College graduates are more satisfied in their jobs as compared to high school graduates. College education becomes the reason of gaining job satisfaction and then as one excels in one’s field, even more job opportunities arise. On the other hand, those who do not get college education, and rely on their secondary school certificate, experience limitations in their professional career. In order to complete different assignments and projects, a student, while s/he is in college, contacts many professionals. These interactions serve as a great learning tool for the college students. Teachers at colleges share information about the subject and their experience as well. They do not only add to one’s knowledge but also show new ways to progress. College teachers are the best mediums that lead the students to their professional success. Fellow students at college, who usually have the same interests as you, form a community which makes one’s mind-set. All of these benefits are not available to a high school graduate. Students who want to start job right after their high school certificate throw themselves directly into the real world. At this stage, they do not have information about what the real world wants from them. They do so just to earn money. On the other hand, in college there are career days, career weeks and internships which make students realise the reality and the real world market and companies. In this way students become better able to understand what the outside world expects of them and how they can come up to the requirements of the real world companies. This also helps them to set their path accordingly and develops not only their thinking and analysing capabilities but also makes them refine themselves according to the needs of the companies. At college, students learn to stand on their own. There is no one in college who would ask them if they have studied after the class or not. There is also no one who assures that you reach in class on time. Throughout the semester no one would ask any college student if s/he is preparing for the exam which would be held at the end of the semester. It is up to the college student how s/he makes her/his schedule - whether s/he wants to study every day of the semester or s/he would like to prepare for the exam just a night before. In this way a sense of responsibility is also created in a college student that makes him/her realise his/her duties. S/he, in this way, tries to fully look after his/her responsibilities and duties by himself/herself. In this way it also polishes his/her capabilities of managing tasks. Whereas in high school students have their parents and tutors to look after their studies and assignments and, as they do not have to manage their work by themselves, no such sense of responsibility and capabilities of managing tasks is developed in them. College studies, besides increasing ones knowledge and skills, make one live a healthy life as well. Studies have shown that people who went to college and were able to achieve a college degree remained unstressed. This also helped in maintaining their blood pressure. The connection between college degree and low blood pressure has been discovered by a 30 year longitudinal research which was printed by BCM Health. Another study conducted in 2006 showed that the students who have a college degree have low cortisol (a stress hormone) level as compared to those who do not. This study was published by the Psychology Department of the Carnegie Mellon University. Yet another research was conducted which showed that the students who successfully got their college degree are less likely to develop colorectal, prostate, lung and breast cancer. This research was done in 2008 and was printed in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The benefits of college degree are not restricted to low blood pressure and stress. As compared to a high school graduate, the possibility of a college graduate of starting to smoke is less. This study was published in College Board report, Education Pays 2010. Also, a college graduate is more likely to exercise regularly as compared to those who do not have a college degree. Staying away from smoking and exercising regularly makes the lifestyle of a college graduate healthier as compared to non-graduates of college. To add to all of these benefits, the employer of a college graduate is more likely to give him/her healthcare coverage. The 2008 College Board report shows that the employers of 70 per cent of college graduates provided their employees with health insurance facility but the same facility was provided to only 50 per cent of the high school graduates. College education given to female students is linked to their children’s health. As the level of education among women increased from the year 1970 to 2009 the rate of child mortality during this time period also decreased. This was reported in Lancet, a medical journal. Also, highly qualified parents have high expectations from their children in an aspect that their children will also get high education and so they are more willing to pay for the expenses of their children’s education. This is another benefit of college education that it helps in educating the society (Ramage et.al. pp.106-111). Conclusion Many students, after gaining a high school certificate or diploma, go for a job rather than to college for their higher studies. It affects them negatively as college education does not only provide one with economic incentive but also increases his confidence. It gives him job satisfaction and job stability and he has to experience lesser competition while searching for a good job as compared to a high school graduate. Though financial aspect is the biggest benefit of attaining a college degree, college education also brings with it a complete healthy lifestyle (Altonji and Thomas 692-704). It increases one’s experiences, social circle and makes him more responsible as compared to a high school graduate. Works Cited Altonji, J. G. and Thomas A. D. The Effects of Family Characteristics on the Return to Education. The Review of Economics and Statistics. (1996). pp. 692–704. Ramage, J.D., Bean, J.C., Johnson, J. Writing Arguments- A Rhetoric with Readings. 9th Edition. Pearson. (2011). pp. 106-532 Read More