Agree to Dis-Degree
High school students are constantly reminded about how important it is to go to college. It’s a story that’s been told since the beginning of our years in high school. How has that affected students of today? What is the difference between current students and students from 20 years ago? What is a degree actually worth if people keep getting forced further into the educational system?
When an associate’s degree seems like the equivalent to a high school diploma nowadays, students have to work twice as hard to get a bachelor’s degree to not be guaranteed a professional position right after finishing their educational path.
Agreed, a college degree doesn’t mean absolutely nothing, however, has lost validity since students attended close to 20 years ago. The main issues are having professional experience and how much a college education costs.
In 1999, The College Board states Citrus Students would pay $352 for in-state tuition, $4,012 for out-of-state tuition, while minimum wage was $5.75 an hour. Simply broken down, it would take roughly 61 hours of minimum wage work to be able to pay for tuition 20 years ago.
Now although the minimum wage has increased to $12 an hour, in-state tuition has also increased to $1,450 a semester, out-of-state being $9,520. The amount of time to pay for a single semester at Citrus College has nearly doubled to roughly 121 hours of work strictly dedicated to tuition. Including inflation rates to compare school tuition today to tuition from 1999, costs have increased 170% according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“ The goal is to work less and get paid more. ”
In today’s terms, in order to have an opportunity to even apply for a professional position at a company is to have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of a year of relevant experience to even make minimum wage. According to LendEDU and Experian, student loan debt averages at $37,468 per graduate in California which doesn’t help that most financial institutions force interest to be paid upon graduation with the initial degree.
Among other topics, the “importance” of a degree has been promoted out of proportion for its significance. Getting a college degree is to help you find a job to work for someone else rather than for yourself. Conforming to today’s norm is going to college and getting that much needed bachelor’s degree. Perhaps it’s because some people feel like they have to get a degree in order to live a comfortable lifestyle and going to college, although potentially putting students in debt, seems like the least risky move in today’s culture.
“ They finished college, they must be so smart! ”
Degrees aren’t the definition of success although it is perceived that way. A common misconception in our generation is that intelligence and education are the same concept. Although education may extend current knowledge of something, it does not get the same amount of respect of having real-life experience.
Another disadvantage is competition in the workforce. A person must know their worth in order to know they don’t have to work for minimum wage for a position at a company, however, there will always be another person ready to settle for less. It can be discouraging to be unemployed immediately after college as debt will accrue.
There is a balance to life in which seemingly can’t be achieved when attending school. If a student and graduate can’t make ends meet even with a degree, then what’s the point? Working for a company that wants to hire people for minimum wage even with a Bachelor’s degree is an insult for students who were told that getting a degree offers more opportunity and better pay. College students and graduates now must work harder for less than what was expected.
“ College gets you a foot-in-the-door. ”
I would be a hypocrite if I completely brushed college off as something that is a waste of time and that no one should ever attend it. But, like everything else in life, things change. The difference in a college degree today is how it’s portrayed as something that one NEEDS in order to be successful in life. It’s believed that college itself wasn’t originally meant for everyone but has now been attempted to make for the masses. The perception of college has remained something glorified by the people that are close to you, however, doesn’t matter to the people that don’t know you. College is good opportunity to expand your knowledge on your passions and interests and also a great way to network. College will always be here which is never a problem, and although it seems like it’s something one needs to have under their belt, it doesn’t mean it’s for everyone.
“ College is the only way to get a good job. ”
Personally, I have been told my whole educational path that college is an absolute must. Everyone “should” go to college to get a good job and provide for their family. Although a college degree is a good path to take, it is NOT the only path. Trade schools and professional certificates are offered within colleges as well as being their own school. There are various local campuses, including Citrus College, that offers professional degrees.
