College Students Should Only Stress Trade Schools

Higher education has come a long way, college now provides an answer for excluded groups who face a disadvantage. “Since World War II, U.S. higher education has been engaged in a process of “massification,” that is, expanding to serve students from all walks of life,” (Eckel, King 20) these students include women, middle class, and minorities who need the economic and social change. Now in the twenty-first century college is just a natural progression for students.

In this day and age, is going to college important? Throughout high school, students are pressured to continue their academic career by attending a four year college as soon as senior year is over. College might not be the answer for most students, there are many disadvantages to

Elsa Brenner wrote “Educators Try to Overcome The Stigma of Vocational Classes” for The New York Times about trade schools not being a bad option for most students, they provide students an education while being paid. This stigma towards trade schools as a last option is completely irrational, “But too often, program administrators say, vocational education is stereotyped as a dumping ground for students who cannot make it academically.” This is a great option for students who can not go to college because they need to financially support a family or students who do not want to go through four more years of school. There is this underlying social hierarchy that schools teach to students, it’s better for them to be doctors then to be electricians or plumbers. In some areas plumbers and electricians charge more than doctors make an hour. Going to college is a fine option, but getting a degree does not guarantee a job. Many college graduates end up working jobs that either do not require a degree or have nothing to do with the degree they studied for, “1 in 3 college graduates had a job that required a high school diploma or less in 2012.” There are many examples of very successful people who either never attended college, dropped out, or made a career without using their degree. College is a helpful tool if used properly, but there is so much more to success than a 4 year

College is an investment that will pay itself back, but the unemployment rate for college graduates is much lower than of a high school graduate, “For people age 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or more education, the unemployment rate was 2.7 percent in April 2015, down from 3.3 percent a year earlier. For people with some college or an associate degree, the unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in April 2015". To employers having a college degree on a resume shows that you have some interpersonal skills that college can only teach, these skills range from self motivation and being able to accomplish long term goals effectively, “You know how to prioritize and have the ability to put off the need for immediate gratification and see the bigger picture … You know how to be a part of a team …. You probably know how to speak in front of a small group”. College also allows personal connections with employers for future employment in your field. Being in a major allows student to connect with other like minded individuals who they possibly in the future will meet again in the field they