Chad Couch
Mr. Strickland
Honors English II
6 May 2015
Is College Worth the Cost? Optimal college attainment decisions are different for all students, who diverge in terms of what they are likely to get out of higher education and what specific options might be best for them. Earnings of college graduates depend in important measure on the program of study and eventual occupation they choose (Oreopoulos). With the increasing cost of attending college, students and families are questioning its value. People argue that the debt from college loans is too high, a college degree does not guarantee success, and many people succeed without attending college. Today student loan debt is crippling college graduates and their families. As college students head back to the classroom this semester, a harsh reality confronts them –the rewards for the time, energy, and money that young people put into college are less than they were a decade ago (Shierholz). Between 2003 and 2012 the number of 25 year-olds with student debt increased from 25 percent to 43 percent, and their average loan balance
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 30 projected fastest growing jobs between 2010 and 2020, five do not even require a high school diploma and nine only require a high school diploma (Procon). The following successful people either never enrolled in college or never completed their college degrees: Charles Culpepper, owner and CEO of Coca Cola; Michael Dell, founder of Dell; Walt Disney, Disney Corporation Founder; Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft; Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple; Wolfgang Puck, chef and restaurateur; Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple; and Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook (Procon). Also today learning a trade profession is a better option for many young adults. Trade professions are necessary for society to function, require less than four years of training, and often pay above averages