Argumentative Essay: Is A College Degree Worth It?

As a High School Junior looking at jaw dropping tuition prices, my family and I often ask ourselves a question I’m sure many other American households are challenged with: Is a college degree actually worth it? Once you look past the recent unemployment rate for college grads, you’ll find that a college degree proves to be highly beneficial once placed in a career. Degree holders often enjoy benefits such as higher pay, higher-skilled work, and an intellectual advantage over their coworkers that do not have a degree. These benefits often outweigh the seemingly outrageous cost of college, making the price tag more than worth it. In a 2011 survey done by Pew Research Center, it was found that adults that had graduated from college with a four year degree believed that they, on

Although a degree is not essential for those looking to work in the more hands on fields of work, such being a plumber or an electrician, degree holders can look to not only make more, but to also fulfill more brain satisfying tasks in more intellectual fields of work. Even with that in consideration, a degree can help those that work in fields where holding a degree is not commonplace. “Construction workers, police officers, retail salespeople and secretaries, among others, make significantly more with a degree than without one.” (Leonhardt) Finally, it can be an obvious inference that someone that chose to continue their education post high school will be more intellectual and worldly than someone that ended their education after 12th grade. College gives you an opportunity to widen your experiences in your desired field.
When I look at the list of pros and cons that comes with going to college, it is easy for me to see that the pros definitely outweigh the cons. The benefits that come with a college degree will carry you further in life than you would go if you chose to opt out of a post-secondary