20/20 news program did a segment titled, College: Worth the Price of Admission. The piece investigated the quote; “people who have a college degree earn on average a million more dollars in their lifetime”. They interviewed three recent college graduates that have: degrees, a large amount of debt, and still no job. The college graduates had degrees that varied from meteorology, human development, and a doctorate. Walter Roland, the meteorologist, made the statement that “the college diploma is the new high school diploma”. I have thought about that quote and I have determined that society has pushed the notion that everyone needs/deserves to have a college degree. Just like anything in life when there is too much of something or everybody has one it becomes cheap, worthless or common. I do agree with Walter Roland, we may be getting to a point in society where a college degree does not define you from the rest of the crowd.
20/20 interviewed two specialists, one was an economist and the other an author of a book that attacks this problem. The economist believes that college should be saved for specialty degrees like medical and legal and that generic degrees are just a waste of time and money. She advocated vocational schools as an excellent alternative. They teach technical skills such as plumbing, electrical and emergency training. This training will supply an adult with enough marketable skills to earn more than the average American. The author’s research found that 40% of college graduates said that they would not spend the money on a college degree if they were given the chance to do it over again.
The Friday night segment was eye opening but not surprising to me. I originally dropped out of college to attend an apprenticeship for the electrical industry. The money I would make during the apprenticeship and long after as a journeyman wireman was double of what I would of earned as an elementary school teacher. My skills are marketable anywhere in the world so I will always have a job. I think that if college students choose a degree that is in demand and they bring something to the table that distinguishes them from the rest of the applicants, the college degree will still be worth something in the end.
NBC News. (Producer). (2009, January 16). 20/20. College: Worth the Price of
Admission. (Television series episode).
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I liked your article a lot. I think that college education is becoming the high school diploma. I think that is scary in a sense because college is a lot of work and it's hard to think the work may not pay off. Not only is college a lot of work, it is very expensive. Many college graduates have huge student loans that they must pay off and if they are not able to get a job after the graduate, the student’s loans are going to eat them alive. I think the majority of the time that the degree will pay off, but I think students should get a more specialized degree if possible. Choose finance or accounting opposed to a more general business degree. That will just help give you a little more edge. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI found your article very interesting. I agree that it is important to get a degree that is useful. There are degrees that are available that if you do not have something to do with them are a waste of time. Business and computer degrees are useful. It would be a shame to spend all that money and not do anything with all your hard work.
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