Is College Worth It

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Jasman 1
Michael Jasman
Ms. Larissa Ramos
ENC 1101
Dec 1, 2014
Is College Worth it?

Recently at my house, my parents and I have been discussing whether or not I should
continue in college. Is my college degree worth the money was the main question in this
argument? There has been a lot of debate in the past couple years about this, especially with
student loan debt being higher than credit card debt for the first time in history. I found three
sources with different views on the subject, one from the New York Times that was published
this year in May, a book called 40 Alternatives to College, and finally an article from the U.S.
news and world report magazine. The first article from the New York Times states that although
tuition has gone up; the pay gap between those with a bachelor degree and those without one is
so high that it’s not even a question. While, the book states “college is only good at giving
credentials not actually giving an education” (Altucher 15). Lastly, the third article U.S. News
and World Report states that education is worth it if you pick the right college and pick the right
degree. All three of these sources give different thoughts on whether or not college education is
worth the cost. The book had some convincing suggestions; the New York Times had a lot of
statistics showing otherwise; while the U.S. news article was pro-college as long as you made the
right choice in college. These articles left me wondering whether I should be in college, or rather
that college may not be the best choice for me.

Jasman 2
The first source was from the New York Times was a very strong pro-college article. The
article discusses that with recent statistics in student debt, and tales of countless college
graduates scouring for jobs; it is normal to have doubts about whether or not college is worth it.
But with a couple of statistics from official departments such as the Labor Department, it shows
how much a college education is worth. The first statistic brought up, which is one of the major
in determining whether college is worth it; is the pay gap between students with their bachelor
degrees as compared to students who have not graduated. The “pay gap showed that Americans
with a bachelor degree made 98 percent more on average in 2013 than people without a degree”
(Leonhardt). That pay gap is unbelievable and shows how much of a difference a college degree
makes in a persons life. He also continues that this pay gap has been continuously growing over
the years and will continue to do so.
The people without college degrees will make less and less, while the adults with degrees
will have a bigger income. Another staggering statistic that gives you an estimate on how much
money in one paper published by Mr. Autor states that not going to college will actually cost you
half a million dollars on average. This article was written in the New York Times, which was
meant for a lot of liberal parents and adults. This leads to the focus of using logos, through
statistics to prove their point. Parents are very logical when it comes to their children’s future;
therefore, using these statistics are very persuasive to them. The purpose was to show how
college is worth the education, and show you that you are losing money by not going to college.
Also, the audience is most likely liberal, as is the New York Times and believes in the
government. The government has been supporting college education for a long time and has
made it into a massive accomplishment in the society we live in. To graduate means your
parents would be proud of you and you would have a comfortable middle-class salary. While to

Jasman 3
not graduate or go to college, would be considered a failure to others if you do not get your
college degree. The angle of vision is very one sided in this article, strongly supporting that the
cost of college is worth it to liberal adults.
The second source is a book called 40 Alternatives to College, which discusses how the
huge price of college leaves all of the graduates in debt, and is not worth the money. There’s an
example of a computer science graduate who has a $100,000 debt and takes a job where he used
nothing he learned in college. Also, it shows that college is not only just the estimated S25,000 a
year that everyone thinks it is, but also there is a opportunity cost; meaning that if you had spent
the 5 years making S20,000 a year then you are losing S45,000 a year. “If you had simply
invested some of that money (S130,000) into a savings account for 50 years it would have
accumulated to 1.4 million dollars” (Altucher 7). This takes the statistic from the New York
Times article that college graduates earn on average 500,000 more and makes it seem like a
trivial number. Also, it has come to show statistically that education has become a financial
investment, where the price has inflated 10 times since 1977. Since society has been able to
convince people that getting a college degree is necessary, they have been able to raise the price
and even allow the U.S. government to profit off of all the student loans. Finally, this book
shows how there are 40 other alternatives you can try in your life instead of going to college.
This book’s primary audience is meant for young adults about to go to college to read, as well as
parents. The teenagers are reading this because they are wondering whether or not to go to
college and they can pass it on to their parents to prove their case. The author of this book uses
statistics as well, using logos to convince the reader of his point. But also he uses pathos, uses
emotion by telling his own personal stories. Also, when he includes 40 different alternatives you
can do instead of college it is reinvigorating to know that there are a lot of other options out there

Jasman 4
for you that are not college. It allows you to almost feel free emotionally and feel as though
there is an abundance of choices you can make to shape your own future. It gives you strength to
realize that you can do what you want and gives you an empowering feeling. Ethos, is used
because he is a college graduate himself and he talks about how nothing he ever learned was
needed in college. In all of college, he barely learned anything, with the real education
beginning when he decided to make a choice and begin to educate himself by reading.
The third source was found on a periodical called U.S. News & World Report. This
source was a more practical point of view between the two other strong-sided sources. This
source talks about how to make sure college is worth the cost; this is done through a multitude of
ways. The first and most important being to make sure you choose the best college. Try to stay
away from the expensive private school and instead try to find cheaper state schools that will
make education a lot cheaper. Getting a college degree will give you a lot better odds that you
are in the pay gap in the upper class, without being in too much debt. Also make sure you are
choosing the right major. You do not want to be taking extra classes and spending extra money
because you chose the wrong major at first and now you have decided to switch. Another focus
is making sure that being in college is the right choice for you. If you want to be a writer,
entrepreneur, or a musician then experience will be a lot better than school. On the other side, if
you want to be a doctor or an engineer than getting your college education is a must. This article
was written for teenagers and parents. Teenagers are able to find this and really get a middle
ground on the college debate. It is not strong sided and in fact a very reasonable approach. This
article is based on logos, but without the statistics. It talks about making economic choices and
uses a more individualized approach when it comes to going to college. is based more on making

Jasman 5
the right choices for what you want in life, rather than just following the crowd and going to
college.
Reading all of these articles, it is my conclusion that whether college is worth it or not is
actually individually based. Depending on who you are, and whether you know what you want
in life, depends on how necessary college is for you. If you want to be an entrepreneur,
musician, or writer than I recommend not going to school, but instead getting experience in the
real world with these jobs. Going through life experiences in these fields will help you gain a lot
more knowledge in the area and this can be proved with a couple of billionaires who did not go
to college. While if you’re trying to be a doctor, engineer, or accountant; then going to college is
for you. These jobs require for you to have a college degree in order for people to hire you. One
example is that if you are not sure what major you want, do not just pick one out of nowhere,
instead take a year off and try a couple of careers and pick the one you like best. But choosing to
go to a $50,000 a year private schools is not economically worth it in most regards. Those loans
would actually end up putting you in debt and making you pay for years, instead of being able to
save and invest like the book, 40 Alternatives to College suggested. Instead, go to a local state
college that is a lot cheaper and will not leave you in debt. The most important factor is making
the most out of college that you can. Try to make friends that will help you get the most out of
life and meet peers that you can work together with and make great projects. College is not
worth the money for only a select few, but other than that I believe that college is worth the
money.

Jasman 6
Work Cited
Leonhardt, David. "Is College Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say." The New York c
Times. The New York Times, 26 May 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/27/upshot/is-college-worth-it-clearly-newdata-say.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0>.
Kelly, Brian. "Is College Still Worth It?." U.S. News & World Report 147.8 (2010): 6-12.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.

Altucher, James. 40 Alternatives to College. 1st ed. Vol. 1. San Bernardino: n.p.,    
         2014. Print. Ser. 1.

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