Category: College Education

Many argue that getting a higher education degree is the only possible way to be successful in today’s world. Even though this event can be a good accomplishment, it is well known that not everybody will be able to achieve such schooling due to circumstances in their lives. Most parents tend to force their children to go to college when they graduate from high school, however, parents should try to be more understanding if their children feel like school is not for them. There are still positions in the world today that can be filled without a college degree. For example, internships are available to those who would rather not pursue a college degree but would rather learn a trade. Furthermore, colleges should not be required for everyone because it is unnecessary for employees to have the same education level, other people find it easy to be really good at executing simple and technical services, and there are other very important jobs in society which do not require a higher education.

It is almost utopian of us to believe that for the best functioning society, all people must have the same higher education from a college. Each individual, throughout life, creates different intellectual and motor affinities, which are later better used in professions that use these acquired skills. Namely, there are two ways we can use our maximum capacity for ourselves and society. First, there are those of us in the world that are more connected to the intellect and cognitive work. This type of people is more likely to enjoy spending hours acquiring and reproducing new knowledge, this can lead them to having outstanding professional success, and they could play an excellent role in society as a scientist, researcher and teacher, for example. Second, there are those of us that are more connected to the manual and hard work side. This type of person tends to enjoy activities that require more physical conditioning. For example, professions like firemen, police and military, which are also very dignified, would help you to play a very important and successful role in society. Seeing that, both intelligence and hard work are important to achieve success.

Society needs employees from various categories and there are jobs available that do not require a college education and having a college degree does not help society to fill those job openings that do not need a higher education as a requirement. Jobs such a garbage collector and construction worker does not require a higher education, but jobs such as a scientist, teacher, engineer, lawyer and doctor do, and society cannot function without either. Furthermore, being in a lower or higher position of society’s pyramid does not necessarily mean that this person is succeeding or even happy in life. Sometimes, the meaning of success for a person is to earn as much money as possible each year, while for others being successful is to have simple careers and enjoy more of a family life. Consequently, this leads them to having a feeling of a genuine quality of life. Moreover, government must learn how to value all kinds of job professions by establishing norms and fair minimum wages so that employees can have quality of life, along with having a place to live, access to health care, education, leisure and healthy eating.

However, for most people, going to college and pursuing a higher education is the only option for gaining social status and a good job that can give them financial independence. Unless you are a differentiated and an exceptionally talented person at what you do, without adequate credentials you may end up losing good job opportunities due to the lack of superior education. Also, jobs that do not require higher education should not be seen as a way of life, but as a ladder so that in the future a higher education can be chased, possibly even with the help of said business. Most of the people who do not seek a higher degree in their youth are usually sorry later in life. Furthermore, many workers end up laboring and studying at the same time in order to get better jobs and salaries. Supporters of this view claim that in today’s world, without a college degree the odds of professional success for ordinary people are limited to low-paying jobs.

On the other side of this argument, a far more important issue is that college is expensive, which means that this level of schooling is not accessible for the poorest part of the population. Even if you have the conditions to afford to go to college, you should not spend all of your savings on graduating. For example, a bachelors or even a master’s degree in a field you are dispassionate about. This scenario often ends up generating bad and frustrated professionals that are sorry about how they made the wrong choices on their educational path and wasted money and time on this pursuit. Above all this, going to college as the first and only option is definitely not advisable, nor is it the solution for all the young students who are graduating in high school because people are different; although some in fact have already known what they want to do, many instead are influenced and pressured by their parents while others prefer to start early in the job market. So, in that sense, parents should encourage their children to decide their next steps, in addition to what to do with their professional choice, which does not necessarily mean having to go to college. In contrast, they can seek post-secondary school qualification or an associate degree, which will help those young people to enter the job market faster, so that afterwards as time goes on and with work experience they can decide what kind of specialization and graduation they will want to pursue.

It is very beneficial to have professional and world experience so that they can certainly get to choose the best academic area of study to specialize in. College has its value, but there are other ways to qualify and be successful while playing your role in society in a dignified way.

As a final point, it is astute to say that whether you go straight to college or not depends on personal preferences and beliefs. Going to college should be considered as just one of the several options for career enhancement as well as an opportunity to acquire new knowledge. Different people have different time frames to make up their mind until deciding to go to college, whereas some of them find it unnecessary to go to college and still find success. Parents should never force their children to seek a career in college that does not fit their needs and personal qualities because there are so many other ways to be a productive citizen in society. In conclusion it is also important to point out that chasing money is not for everyone. For some quality of life is what will lead to their true happiness.

Achieving success in university education needs commitment and dedication towards lecture attendance, approaching assignments in time and intensive reading for exams. Falling short of the highlighted elements may lead to a total failure in the semester, consequently repeating the unit or the course in the worst scenario. Pursuing success in the university or college is challenging since the student is entitled to freedom, limiting pressure posted by the learning institutions as evident in elementary schools and high schools. In the essay, I will examine the three key factors that may lead to my failure in this semester.

Three key factors may contribute to my semester failure and the worst extent, the repeat of the entire semester. These factors include laziness, overconfidence, and peer pressure. Laziness is evident in attending classes, completing assignments and reading for exams. Being lazy will refrain me from taking the necessary efforts to pursuing success in the present semester. Overconfidence might affect me based on my experience. I have been passing exams in the past semester, therefore, going with such a notion, I will be overconfident in performing equally well this semester. Such confidence will lower my passion for studying hard. The last factor is peer influence, not all students are in pursuit of success, and rather some simply want to be accredited pass. Peer influence might flare me from the right path to engage in drugs and crime, thus expelling my vision for education. Of the three factors, laziness will contribute most to my failure because, even under peer influence and overconfidence, a hardworking student can still excel.

I was given activity by the organization I work with to collect the relevant evidence on the factors demeaning the success of the company in the delivery of services to the community. Working closely with the local communities to enhance healthy living, I was to inquire why the organization’s fast food’s sale is reducing over time. I was to complete the task in one week. Due to laziness, I postponed the task to the very last day of one week. On my side, this was a great failure, as the report I gave the company was not a real presentation of the facts on the ground. I only sampled five families out of the expected fifty. To the community, I failed in addressing their health concerns on fast food.

Based on the previous assignment I did, the performance was not good. The tutor commented that “you can do better than this,” the comment has been an alarm to me that I am falling short of what I used to be. Failing has never been part of me. I have realized that I am becoming lazy in school work and that I need to make the necessary changes to correct the situation.

To conclude, failing should never be a case in the institution of higher learning. Securing a chance to study in colleges means that the student is capable of doing better in the courses they enroll. Laziness, overconfidence and peer pressure are key factors derailing the success of the student in the institutions of higher learning. The students should focus on their objectives in colleges and stick to their mission to achieve success.

Liberal Education is an important topic that every college student needs to know about. I am going to be talking about what it means to get a liberal education and why it’s important from William Cronon’s point of view. Next, I will be talking about the David Foster Wallace Commencement Speech and how its related to Cronon’s view on liberal education. Thirdly, I will be talking about Andrew Delbanco’s viewpoint on what a college education is and how it relates to liberal education. Finally, I am going to be talking about my own personal experience with the USP program here at UW-Oshkosh and if getting a liberal education is important to me. By the end, I hope to have explained the value that liberal education has from different perspectives and my opinion on it.

In order to understand what it means to get a liberal education; we must first define what liberal education is. Cronon defines liberal education as “an educational tradition that celebrates and nurtures human freedom.” It is also important to note that, “a liberal education is not something any of us ever achieve; it is not a state. Rather, it is a way of living in the face or our own ignorance” (Cronon). Getting a liberal education comes with many values. One value a liberal education can help us with is being able to solve a variety of different problems. Being able to solve a problem or a puzzle can require multiple different subject backgrounds. One of the examples that Cronon uses is being comfortable with numbers and computers. In order to acquire these skills, we would have to take a mathematics course and a computer programming/web design course. This may especially be important to think about when applying for a job after college that requires good math and computer skills.

Wallace’s speech and Cronon’s view on liberal education comes with many similarities and a few differences. In one way they relate is that they both talk about how a liberal education is a way of teaching us how to think. This is the seventh value in Cronon’s essay. “If you really learn how to think, how to pay attention, then you will know there are other options” (Wallace). It is important for us to be able to look at multiple different perspectives and viewpoints of others. A liberal education will broaden our knowledge and increase our thinking capacities, which in turn will help us to actively listen to others and hear their perspectives. A difference between the two is when Wallace talked about how our day is not only affected by ourselves but the people around us too. An example he talked about in his speech is grocery shopping. People normally shop after work which results in stores to become packed with people. This will cause us to be there longer than we expected to.

Delbanco views a college education to discover our talents and to figure out what we are good at. This also relates to what Cronon believes what a value of a liberal education is. Going to college is not necessarily only a tool for helping us to be prepared for the marketplace. He rather believes that a college education should “graduate people with competence, with the ability to read and to write clearly, and to work hard” (Delbanco). One other thing that Delbanco mentioned in his video is that college students should build up humility in the classroom. This means that they may go into the classroom with one point of view and come out with another. Ultimately, a college education should give us a variety of different skills so that we can talk, read and speak clearly.

At first, I didn’t necessarily agree with liberal education. I didn’t see the point of taking a class if it didn’t necessarily have to do with my major. However, I realized that after learning more about what a liberal education is and why it’s important, my viewpoint has changed dramatically. “[A] liberal education in particular is about nurturing human freedom-helping young people discover and hone their talents-and this too sounds as if education exists for the benefit of individuals” (Cronon). What he is saying here is that a liberal education can help us discover our talents that were hidden. Being exposed to multiple different subject areas is a way of discovering our talents and ultimately choose a specific area of interest to pursue. In my own personal experience with the USP system at UW-Oshkosh I have changed my major once already. I was originally a finance major because I thought I wanted to maybe become an actuary. However, I realized I wasn’t enjoying the classes I was taking. That’s when I decided to pursue a major in supply chain instead. However, finance still can interrelate with supply chain just not to the extensive level as a major in finance would be. I decided to go with supply chain because I want to learn more about the management of the flow of goods and services. When we get a liberal education, we end up encountering things that may not be our first choice. This may or may not be a good thing. It is another way of discovering our hidden talents.

It is also important to note how time consuming and expensive it can get when students are required to take certain classes. Some people would love to go to college and get a good education in order to get a good job. However, some do not have the finances to go to college and get that education they want. I am not saying that USP shouldn’t be required but it could be shortened. Currently UW-Oshkosh requires four different USP courses. They are each three credits and that is equivalent to a semester’s worth of college, assuming full time. Since a liberal education is a way of finding our hidden talents some may choose to change their major and this will take a longer time to graduate as well as more money spent. Shortening the USP program in some way will not only drive down the cost of college a little bit, it will also benefit people already attending college. By shortening it a bit, more people will be able to graduate on time and be able to figure out their area of interest more quickly.

Ultimately, a liberal education helps shape us as a person and helps us become more open-minded. If we are only exposed to the things that we feel is necessary in our lives, we will forever be close minded and not willing to try other things. The goal of a college education is to provide us with the necessary skills to be successful not only with our future job but anything else that we may do in life. With that said, getting a college education is time-consuming and expensive.

The College Obsession: What is the Cost?

The journey into adulthood is shrouded in darkness and mystery, yet it is anticipated every year by high school graduates across the nation seeking their first tastes of glorious independence. Guided by none but the elders who preceded them, these hopeful students follow the well-worn road that promises the most for their futures and boasts proud alumni who prove the potential greatness in opting to travel it. This road, though only one of many, is the one which all students are pulled toward most. It demands a hefty toll; the road is long and weary and there is no certain reward at the end. Unlike other roads, it is openly propagated by the education system and guiding mentors alike, so much so that for many students it appears as their only option. This road is commonly referred to as college. The once hallowed path to a guaranteed better life has weathered away to its current state today, full of empty promises and the souls of the young people it has robbed. Despite the treason it has committed against the American economy, its endless praise persists. The value of college investment is in a state of decline due to debt pitfalls, degree depreciation, and postponed life experiences.

Crippling debt is gradually becoming an unavoidable trap for aspiring college scholars. The curse has not been made better by the steeply increasing costs of higher education. Between the years 2007 and 2015, base tuition grew by 33%, or almost $2,400 per year of college. In a quarter of the states, the price of entrance to a public four-year school increased by over 40% of what it had been in 2007 (Mitchell 11). Compared to the year 1985, tuition at public colleges has skyrocketed by an average of almost $8,000, and private institutions by over $25,000, up to about $31,000 per year today (“Life” 2). This unprecedented rise in tuition was caused in part by a continuous decrease in funding for public post-secondary schools. Between the early 2000s and roughly 2016, funding fell by $10 billion (Mitchell 1). Government-funded schools in 2015 sourced 54% of the funds they used for teaching students from the state. As forty-six out of the fifty states are providing significantly less money per student than they used to, schools have increased tuition to balance the difference (2). For decades, the average tuition at four-year public schools has grown unproportionately quicker than median income in the United States, and student aid has not improved enough to nullify the changes, meaning that students now pay a large portion of what the state used to settle (2-3).

Unfortunately, student debt is a far-reaching issue that few college students are completely immune to. In 2012, only 37% of all students who obtained a degree had avoided accumulating a sum of debt, and 12% had accumulated more than $50,000 (Baum 1-2). Speaking strictly of bachelor’s degrees, 47% of recipients had debts that surpassed $20,000, and 10% acquired debt levels over $50,000 (3-4). The average amount of student debt per debt holder is $30,156, though the median is $14,000. On a microscale, the mean monthly payment is $533 and the median is $180 (“Education” 2). The sheer number of people who owe money to college is staggering; over one fifth of the American population is currently paying off student loans. Most people who have ever held debt for post-secondary education still hold it, and 9% are falling short of their monthly payment amount (3). According to data from the New York Federal Reserve, roughly 13.2 million people enrolled in the Federal Family Education Program and Direct Loan program are behind on student loans; this amounts to about 30% of the entire student loan population (“Life” 8). As of 2017, the total amount of student debt in the U.S. amounted to $1.3 trillion, distributed among 44 million Americans (Francis 2).

Along with increasing tuition, college students must also face several other financial disadvantages that have cosmic bearing on their level of debt. All college students pay a large amount of time to attend school that could be used to earn money. The annual income of those who choose to work after high school and not go to college increases to an average of $15,000 by the age of twenty-one. Consequently, students at a two-year school lose a potential $20,000 income while those in four-year programs lose a tremendous $49,000 total earnings (Greenstone 2). Attending for-profit schools, absence of financial support from parents, and prolonged time in college all likely lead to greater debt. Moreover, students who require loans to pursue jobs that pay little in return or those who borrow but do not finish their education are more likely to struggle than those who borrow considerable sums for high-paying careers (Baum 1). Students who are the first in their families to attend college are over two times more likely to be behind on loan payments than those with at least one parent with a bachelor’s degree. This suggests a critical financial disadvantage for students coming from a lower social class (“Education” 3). The problem of student debt was recognized by Congressman William Ford in 1985. He asserted that “we are producing a class of indentured servants who must work to free themselves of the bondage of educational debts.” Today, this omen has become the reality (“Life” 2).

With the costs of college on the rise, its final recompense, the degree, is expected to hold value equal to the years of tribulation. However, today’s college degree says less than what it is expected to of its owner, and it is losing its power in the job market. Since 1980, the percentage of workers aged twenty-five to fifty-four with at least a bachelor’s degree has risen from 23% to 37%. This inflation of the degree has devalued it in hiring practices, causing it to appear less impressive to employers (Cooper 2). Defined concisely, degree inflation is “the decline in the value of credentials over time as more people obtain them” (Fuller 6). Aside from seeming insignificant, degrees will also experience a loss in power when it comes to premiums. The swell in college attendees will make it far more difficult for employers to continue giving increased salaries to degree holders; earning a degree will cease to reward workers with higher pay, effectively diminishing its value (Cooper 3).

The push for college education would make it seem like college credentials are the keys to success in life; however, this is not true and most people are aware of it. Only 16% of Americans believe that a four-year degree better prepares someone for a position in the current job market. More concerning yet, 40% of people who earned a bachelor’s degree wish they had chosen a different field in which to major (Francis 2). The skepticism is understandable, as 46% of bachelor’s degree recipients have admitted to taking a job after college that did not require their degree in order to get by (“Life” 4). In fact, many degrees are not used in ways that suggest that their owners are any more beneficial to the economy than non-degree holders; contrarily, the phenomenon of degree inflation suggests that college education is not truly necessary in many jobs that require it (Cooper 3). For example, 67% of job openings for supervisors of production workers request a bachelor’s degree from their applicants, but only 16% of currently-employed supervisors in the field hold bachelor’s degrees themselves; this is called the degree gap (1). Additionally, it has been shown that workers with a college degree perform comparably with non-college graduates in independent work, promotion wait, time to achieve full productivity, and productivity level (Fuller 2).

Unfortunately, employers have fallen into the habit of requesting a college degree as the standard measurement of an applicant’s ability. This fuels degree inflation and causes highly-qualified applicants without a degree to be ignored (Fuller 2). Two thirds of companies understand that a pool of capable workers are cast aside by requiring a bachelor’s degree (3). However, adding the degree requirement on job postings hardly reflects any change in the true difficulty of the job. Nine out of ten requested skills listed in office supervisor openings, for instance, that do not require a college degree are the exact same skills that a job posting for the same position that does require a degree asks for (11). Meanwhile, businesses of all sizes have been finding it difficult to fill jobs with well-prepared workers (4), and in 2017 there were 3.6 million unemployed Americans over age twenty-five with an associate’s degree or lesser education (5). In 2018, the ratio of unemployed persons per job opening was a low 1.1. With less people available for hire and positions in companies that need to be filled, employers no longer have the luxury to be overly selective (Cooper 4).

As degrees weaken, the price of life experience that students pay grows heavier. Personal advancement is severely minimized, and the effect it has on an entire generation is, to say the least, counterproductive. Among the major life milestones, paying off student loans is one of the earliest that should be accomplished. However, because of the increasingly insurmountable weight of debt, many struggle to get past it and, consequently, delay building an emergency fund, getting married, and all of the following life stages thereafter (“Life” 3). Of those with debt, 21% have delayed marriage, 28% have put off raising a family, 52% have been stripped of their ability to make important investments such as an automobile, and 55% were hindered in their search for a house (1). 61% of indebted college students and graduates passionate for business report that their financial burden slowed or ruined their ability to start a business. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau astutely comments, “Student debt burdens require these individuals to divert cash away from their businesses so they can make monthly payments” (6). From the year 2007 to 2012, 46% more people between the ages of eighteen and thirty-one were still living with their parents. This significant life delay comes as a result of the decision to save for a house after leaving college (9). The slow recovery of the housing market is evidence of a generation that struggles with college and student debt rather than concerns itself with buying homes (7). The average marriage age has been on the rise; today it is twenty-nine for men and twenty-seven for women. A large reason for this is college. Of all student loan borrowers, as many as 21% could be delaying marriage strictly because of their debt. In light of this culture, many young adults today believe marriage to be a final step rather than a foundation for reaching the final steps in life (10). Women who attend college tend to have children later than the national average age of 25.4 years. One third do not have children until they are over thirty (11).

College students miss the best opportunity to begin their career experience. According to a survey completed for the years 2016 to 2017, there is a shortage of applicants for middle-skill jobs in the U.S. This implies that a job, potentially a career, for someone who is not college-bound can be very easy to start. Jobs include plumbers, electricians, sales representatives, retail workers, and countless others (Fuller 4). In twelve of the fifteen jobs with the worst degree gap, positions are almost always filled slower if they require a degree. In effect, someone without a degree can pick up a job quicker than someone looking to use their college education (11). College graduates exhibit greater turnover rates and less interest in the job when compared to non-degree holders in middle-skill jobs. If a company requires a degree only with the vague notion of a better staff, they more likely waste their own time (2). Students in the past have shown a correlation between participating in internships and more easily finding substantial work after college. The conclusion from this is that the opportunity to apply skills in the real world is instrumental for future success (Francis 2-3).

Coming out of college, many graduates must wait even longer to finally set off on their ideal career. A large portion of college graduates look to find a quick job that does not necessarily appeal to them only for the money they need. Rather than begin their choice career, they settle for something that will merely pay the bills (“Life” 4). The most prominent cause of regret in terms of career choice is getting a job only for its amount of pay; in 2008, a stunning 40% of college graduates took jobs that would help support their student loans but may not have been in their field of interest (5). Of students with debt accumulated at a medical school, 60% claim that their debt was a determining factor in their pursuit of this career field, and 54% say that it pushed them into public service rather than private practice. Many feel that they did not belong in such a lucrative practice (6).

The push for college education is one of the most deceptive and dangerous gambits that society imposes on the hopeful youth of tomorrow. Higher costs for higher education have generated a terrible debt presence in the general public, and the debt pitfalls are relentless in their inevitability for almost all students. The college trophy is losing its shine more every year as degrees become common items in the jobs market; the once coveted ability to get any job and automatically earn more than peers on the basis of an upsold certificate has diminished into the pages of history. Life progression itself is at risk of being halted by the pursuit of a college education. The expectation that everyone goes to college harms both the national economy and the individuals whose lives are meant to take a different direction. If fewer high school graduates were immediately funnelled into college, the prosperity of the generation as a whole would improve, the demand for vital middle-skill jobs would be satisfied, and the student debt crisis would eventually balance out. For this reason, it is critical that young people begin to expand their options beyond the college mould at the onset of their unique adulthood journeys.

Education is an important standard of obtaining crucial knowledge, skills, and information about life, job opportunity, or future careers of someone’s interest. Education is broader and more comprehensive than learning or reading from books. Getting an education is important to every person worldwide. Every person has a right to a proper education for any school. Learning how to read, write, draw, and count is a basic ability people acquire that they use in their everyday life. That being said, I am getting an education because I want to live in a lifestyle where I am content, comfortable, and gratified, a life where I do not need to feel anxious about my next income, mortgage, bills, etc.

Education contributes to transforming people to be successful and wealthy. However,oHG I never understood what I wanted to become. As a kid, I was switching up plenty of times as to what I wanted my profession to be. As of this day, I am still undecided on what I want to cling to regarding as a career for myself. School and an appropriate education were the only path for my vivacity and the only choice I can contemplate on. As a result, I am using the opportunity to go to a community college to get my general education and transfer on to a four-year university once I complete it to get the lifestyle I thrive for.

Most of the time, students are in college not because they want to but because they have to. They are led to believe that because with an education and a degree they get a higher chance of financial success and stability. However, once graduating, a good majority of graduates must deal with college debt. They start off their life on a hard disadvantage because they have to recompense the debts before they begin evolving their own individual lives. To a wide variety of candidates, they believe college teaches you to memorize and not to understand. Hence, It doesn’t prepare you for the real world.

College is an opportunity for everyone to lead them down a path of achievements and good prosperity. College is important because it gives a higher advantage and opens new doors that would not be as easy to come across a person with just a high school diploma. A college student graduate earns more on average. than a high school graduate. College expands your network on trying to find the right career. No matter how skilled or experienced you are in an area of your expertise, having a robust network can help you get started and advance in one’s career.

College is not only important to me, but it is the only choice for me. Outside of college, I do not have another plan just in case college doesn’t work out for me. A college education will benefit me throughout my life in many ways. For instance, financially, socially, intellectually, and personally. Although, my career choice is still undecided at this moment, a college education can expand my mind and help me explore what is out there. Overall, With an education, I can have a life where I am content with no anxieties of bills and money problems.

The American economic system is built off competition, a capitalist infrastructure that promotes a dog-eat-dog world. The foundations of financial welfare in America is based on education, beginning with a college degree to prove qualifications as a potential contender in the game of life. Ironically, in order to suffice the ability to prosper financially, one must already attain the materials to afford those abilities by way of college tuition. Amongst a cut throat ring swarmed by money hungry competitors, it seems utterly unfair to throw in a lower-class that lacks the means to support a college education. By establishing free college tuition America could reduce unemployment rates, improve prosperity for upcoming generations, and benefit the United State’s economy.

First, in the great nation of America, in order to obtain a healthy job and a steady income, a college degree is often the primary requirement, however how must one achieve this if economically unfit. When looking at the concept of a competitive workfield revolving around college degrees and higher education, consider how this might affect unemployment rates. As education is a substantial factor behind modern unemployment rates, it is safe to say that free college tuition could reflect positive results. Going as far to say that “postsecondary education and continuous learning will be a basic necessity for the millions of Americans whose jobs will increasingly disappear in the global economy” (Duncan and Brigdeland). Many Americans fail to take the initiative to study at college as it rests on the fact that many can not support a college education. A study by Indiana University found that “Higher levels of education increase the chance an unemployed person will emerge with a comparable wage and reduce the time required to find new employment” (Zimmer). Conclusively, possessing a college degree increases job opportunities for the margin of unemployed citizens of this nation. Making college free would contribute to decreasing unemployment rates by providing Americans the opportunity to have access to a college education.

Second, it has been proven that based on the socioeconomic status of a child’s family it is unlikely that the child will precede an education or career that exceeds that of the parent’s. If it is inept that a parent or guardian can not afford to put a child into college, then the outcome will be a continuous cycle of lower education and minimum wage jobs. Through societal observation it is evident that “Low educational achievement leads to lowered economic prospects later in life, perpetuating a lack of social mobility across generations” (García and Weiss). A study found that ninety percent of American’s income has decreased since the 1980s, with the wealthiest one percent experiencing a gain in come (Weiss and García). Too often enough a mother or father lacks a college degree resulting in a below average job. When it comes time for the child to exit from free public school education and enter into college, the parents or guardians cannot manage the adequate amount of money to support the college tuition. What begins as the absence of a simple college education allows a continuous cycle that is difficult to break.

Lastly, free college tuition would benefit the American economy by decreasing what remains of student loan debts. For students that lack in keeping up with the costs of college, student loans are often an alternative resort. A study by Forber found that “There are 45 million borrowers that owe more than $1.5 trillion in student loan debt” (Friedman). By making college free, the economy would be able to flourish as students exiting out of college and entering into the workfield are capable to buy without any financial restraints. Spending after the pursuit of college is the time where fresh working class citizens look to invest in home loans and cars, actions of which progress the steady flow of the economy. To further support the claim of a strong American economy is the idea that free college would allow greater numbers of Americans to find jobs, therefore establishing a source of income. If more individuals are able to find work that supports financial interests, then spending is not limited and consumer buying increases.

Finally, the economic stress that college carries with it leads to lasting effects that can contribute to a never ending cycle. Being a highschool student that observes various social classes, it is flagrant of how financial stability affects a students education. If the education system continues to belittle the lower classes by failing to provide sufficient learning skills or simply prohibiting the students from achieving the same level of criteria as others, then how might the world progress in growth. The downsides of providing a free college education are outweighed by the advantageous outcomes that could follow the millions of students that would benefit from a debt free life. Unemployment rates could drop which could result in America seeing a decline in poverty. Children can break free from a lineage cycle that obstructs the ability to become anything greater than elders or parental figures. The world could stimulate economic growth by increasing the numbers of consumer spending, as income is being gained, providing the economy with a steady flow of commerce.

In all, if America is unsuccessful in its efforts to create a nation that allows everyone the opportunity to seek a college education, will this great nation every see a change in the process that has taken place for decades. As time continues, the issues of unemployment, socioeconomic inequality, and economic recession will progressively worsen. Considering that the most financially successful generations stem from the mid-1900s, a time in which college was free or nowhere near the cost that it is today, consider what modern day society would be if the expensive college tuitions were abandoned. Ignoring the fact that a free education would eliminate these issues will keep America in a never ending cycle that will pursue as prices of college continue to inflate. Ultimately, looking respectively at the changes that could benefit millions of students striving for work-ready education yet lacking the financial means to support the college tuition costs, it is hard to see how the advantages could possibly be overpowered by potential disadvantages.

introduction

It is very true that education is one of main factor to succeed in life in our society. Everyone wishes to go to Ivy League school. But, as a student, have you ever asked yourself ‘what am I doing here?’ or ‘why am I learning something that I will never use it in the future?’ then what do we learn from college? Simply, school teach you how to pass in test not to pass in life. Downloading data and algorithms into your brain, for years of repeat cycle of constantly memorizing information that we might not even use them in future. There are gaps in the modern-day college education system that leads it to be inefficiently in our economy and society.

First main point (financial)

We have education bubble in the U.S. The financial excessive investment in the college education made negative repercussion in the economy in the U.S. We currently have trillion Dollars in student debt. If we think about it, our society is asking people at age of 17~19 to make $100,000 debt decision when they go off to real world. Young adults who just graduated from University are not prepared for this; many don’t know what they are getting themselves into. Rebecca Lake, who has over 10 years of experience of reporting for personal finance claims that

‘Student loan debt has reached astronomical levels in the U.S., with 44.2 million Americans carrying an estimated $1.48 trillion in education debt. The average class of 2018 graduate left school with $39,400 in student loans. The financial burden of student loan debt proves heavier to bear for some borrowers than others.”

while college tuition fees rising, the demand of college graduate’s skill exceed as well. Which aggravates graduate unemployment. Many scientists predict that this trend might lead to downturn in economic activity in near future. Then Do people truly receive trillion Dollars’ worth of education?

Second main point (society awareness)

Nowadays, people easily judge someone’ acknowledge base on their school, our society suspect people’s skill based on the which college they went to. This is call ‘Unitary thought’ which means bringing all facts into relation with one. This trend of unitary thinking where students must go to an elite college, you must go to Yale, or you go to jail, promotes inefficient behavior of people in society. Most of the parents and students think of college degree as an insurance policy, and with this never more expensive insurance students will have less chance to fall through in our society. It is true that students who graduated from great university can be indication that they will be capable of great things, but it’s not necessarily the case. Many of most successful people have dropped out of school.

Third main point (experience; learning method)

Typically, in class, someone will be standing in front and lecturing at the student. He or she might have done same lecture more than ten years and they are not very excited about it. Also, students are asked to memorize many formulas, equation and data but many don’t know why. Nearly everything we’re taught never applied for everyday life. The true learning comes from the mistake. Students need to make mistake and think about how they would deal with it differently in order to avoid mistake, when they are in similar situation. Students need to think and figure out what to do next not following the person who told them what to do next. However, students only taught what they need to know to pass the exams, not to pass the life. The problem is that students are not “learning”, they are regurgitating. In fact, a lot of people learn stuff that they will probably never use them in the future. Often, even students graduate from famous universities without any practical experience.

Paging Dr. Iyana Williams, Paging Dr. Iyana Williams is a dream I have been longing to hear one day. I have always wanted to help children in some type of way and that’s when I realized I wanted to be a pediatrician. I want to be able to have the knowledge and understanding it takes to help patients with their issues and problems. I know having a college education is my stepping stone in becoming a doctor. A college education is important to me because it is the beginning of a valuable investment in my future.

In the past, there was a time that education was not allowed for women and blacks. With all that has gone on in the past, why would I not take the advantage that has been given to me and flourish in my education experience? Even in today’s time, young people must work harder than ever to compete in this world. An associate degree was all you needed a one point in life, but now not even a bachelor’s degree meets the requirements for some careers. They want a master’s degree or higher and if I want to succeed in this world I will have to make sure I am gaining the knowledge and experience to obtain my college degree.

I believe that attending college will help me become more mature, independent and a responsible adult. I will have the advantage to lead myself in any direction I want to proceed in life. It will expose me to people, ideas and topics that I probably will never encounter in high school. It took me awhile to get it. I was just getting by in my earlier part of high school, then I realized that if I want to make it in this world as a doctor I have to start caring about my education. I have to believe in myself that I can do it. I have come to a point in my life that education is very important to me, and in order to move forward in life, not just get by but to really succeed in life, I must first obtain a college degree. I believe that attending college will help me to truly find myself through personal growth. It will help me to become that successful doctor that I want to become. I want to gain valuable life experiences from college that I can take with me on this journey. It will open many doors for me and allow me every option available. Getting a college education is very important to me and it is my goal to attend college in August 2020.

Education is a very important pillar in the world and without education, there is no future and no humanity. However, education is not the only component that can move a nation toward progress. I shall through this essay debate why education alone cannot move a nation. According to the book The Future of Education and Skills 2030 (2018) launched by the Organization for Economic Co-operation the aim of education is to equip learners with agency and a sense of purpose, and the competencies they need to bring about contribute to change. But the education provided is kind of static through the banking concept and Paulo Freire (2007) stated that we need to move education from the stage of the banking concept to the problem-posing stage to make a difference. In this process, there will be the involvement of society at large along with teachers and politicians. Education needs all these forces to be reinforced to give the real aim of education which is humanization and liberation of society in order to practice real freedom. Moreover, education should become a tool to navigate through the uncertainties in society by arousing skills of curiosity, imagination, resilience, and self-regulation. The nation needs to be open to new ideas, perspectives, and values and will need to learn to cope with failure and rejection to be able to move forward in the face of adversity. Also, education should equip learners with a sense of purpose and competencies to shape the world to live in.

Education is often considered what is taught within the four walls of the classroom. However, education has no boundaries that limit learning to make a difference in the world. This is because learning only academically taught subjects will make a person knowledgeable which is not enough to move a little finger in the world. As Paulo Freire (2007, 38) stated “Education is not a miraculous process capable by itself of effecting the changes necessary to move a nation”. This statement is very much true if we consider the type of education dispensed in schools around the world. When we talk of education, we often make reference to acquiring knowledge in an academic setting to become a “highly qualified” person in society. However, being knowledgeable is good but it is important to have the required skills and tools in order to make a difference, to shape the world for oneself and for others. We are now living in a world where we are facing unprecedented challenges in terms of social, economic, and environmental which are driven by the fast pace of globalization and technological developments. At the same time, those forces are providing us with myriad new opportunities for human advancement. Education alone will certainly not be able to get the nation on the move as we cannot predict the future but instead, we need to be open and be ready for the challenges. This is why the required skills and tools are not limited to education to make a difference.

Nowadays, the traditional education provided in schools to students is much more the parrot-type education which Paulo Freire (2007) referred to as the banking concept. The banking concept as Paulo Freire (1968) explained in his book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” is a method of teaching and learning where the students simply store the information relayed to them by the teacher. In other words, they are expected to memorize important facts accurately as what they have been taught from a learned individual. In such a traditional educational system, the learning takes place within the four walls of a structured classroom where there is no scope for understanding and critical thinking in students and this reinforces oppression. There is no two-way traffic between students and teachers in the classroom, that is there is no participation by students but only absorption of information without any kind of understanding. For example, if we are teaching social studies, most of the time it is the text that is explained to students. The students just grasp the important notes for examination purposes and there is the application of knowledge outside the classroom. In such an approach, the educational system is considered to be an oppressed one because students are not made to think out of the box, that is utilizing the knowledge in society. This results in the world we are living in today which is static and remained unchanged because for years and years we have been reproducing the same type of learning to make the students fit in society. The nation has been only the reproduction of the same educational outcome day after day. Students are not allowed to develop skills to make them critical thinkers to be able to promote changes in society to move the nation toward a new world where people are more humanized. But rather, the students are faced with an oppressed educational system and it has become like a routine even for teachers as they teach the same facts and figures in the same way daily. They are imprisoned in a system for decades. Even Paulo Freire, (1970) argued that the “banking” concept has become an instrument of oppression creating incomplete human beings and no attempts are made to make them fully human. He further argued that the banking concept is making humans who do not question or want to change the system. Rather banking education is impacting in such a way that other institutions which are important like welfare for the society also are becoming reproduced institutions. Thus, the nation is becoming static because people become “automatons.”

Moving a nation requires a lot of external forces apart from education. As Paulo Freire (2007) stated the educational system needs to be changed from the “banking concept” to the “culture circle concept” in order to touch the nation to be able to get the nation to move. The concept proposed by Paulo Freire (1968) in his book “Pedagogy of the oppressed” comprises four steps to revolutionize the educational system in order to get the nation on move. One of the steps is the “problem-posing concept” which is rather a generative complex one but executable. Using this concept in our educational system will allow critical reflection by human beings of different origins and backgrounds and thus seeking complete independence and objectivity thereby looking for solutions to major problems which will involve the development of education in changing the nation and later on the world. This is because moving a nation is challenging there are many problems that we need to consider which are very challenging. These challenges include a variety of cultures, political options, and ideas that need effective and appropriate consideration in order to get a nation to move. It is only after understanding these challenges that solutions can be looked for and actions can be taken to solve them. According to Paulo Freire (1970), human beings need to evolve from the banking concept and view education as a tool of liberation. It is with this aim that the problem-posing concept needs to be applied. People need to feel free and be able to think outside of their box. We need to motivate through education to start seeing education through another lens where they feel included rather than being an object in class, they feel appreciated and learn to accept differences within the classroom to be able to bring them out in society. They should become human beings who can formulate their ideas and express them in any kind of environment. They should not be like those “highly qualified” who after getting certificates one after the other just to show off academics qualification and tend to forget how to disagree, listen, or have not learned how to move forward together because they were not rightly taught how to communicate. Therefore, the right way to communicate is important because when we talk about moving a nation there may be conflicts and differences among people and thus proper communication through dialogue is important. Even doctor Nancy Dome (Online source) stated in a magazine where she talked of Epoch education, that one must have open channels of communication where people have no fear to retaliate against power or oppressive forces to bring changes and inclusion in diversity.

Communication is indeed a good way to share ideas and learn from others this can happen at a small scale at the school level. Education must evolve from one-way traffic, that is, the teacher-student relationship where there was no dialogue to a more open atmosphere. Teachers must become like politicians and so start bringing about the political aspect of education in class. Even, Paulo Freire (1968) stated education must be a combination of action with serious reflection. This can only be done when teachers start to bring in dominant interests and ideologies in the classroom for discussion with possible societal problems that need to be solved. In doing so, teachers are expected to make students see the reality of society. Further to that, a small committee with different stakeholders can be held at the school level where students are invited to learn and also share their views with people from outside the school environment. By doing so, education will become a platform to bring about transformation. At the same time, students who were initially enclosed in the four walls of the classroom will be involved in the issues of the society such as the economic aspects of the country and other issues which are pertinent to the nation. This will help to develop the critical consciousness of students and make them more open to social transformation. Moreover as Ellen Galinsky (Online source) in her book “Mind in the Making” the development of critical thinking will arouse curiosity in the brain of the child where the latter will not only grasp the knowledge but rather analyze and be able to make judgments. At that time the child will require to work on his imagination and become more inquisitive. The dialogue will thus enhance communication and education will break the barrier of being restricted and merging in society. Then the way society was perceived as being oppressed will evolve as there will be new aims, beliefs, aspirations, and sharing of knowledge. Even Paulo Freire (1970) stated that the aim of education must be replaced by posing problems to human beings in the world that will eventually aim to liberate human beings from the oppressed educational system. Studies have shown that poorly developed communication skills right from childhood to adulthood lead to rejection and isolation in society (Botting, N. and Conti-Ramsden, G. (2000); Clegg, J., Hollis, C. and Rutter, M. (1999). Such rejection and isolation will maintain the status of oppression within the community. Thus, using the concept of communication in education will allow dialogue and at the same time force people to talk even if they are having emotional difficulty to express they should be motivated through education. Communication will eventually lead to planning to find solutions to real problematic situations to move the nation by empowering them with emotional and intellectual dispositions.

Liberating human beings towards a more democratic education is indeed very important. This is because in the actual world we still find the reproduction of issues like race, inequality, gender, and power among societies. Paulo Freire (1970) argued that the society we are living in is suppressed by those in power who try to manipulate those who are powerless making them vulnerable. Education alone will not be able to eradicate this indifference within the community because it was and is still here as a result of the “banking concept” which has been instilled in nearly all aspects of the nation. This is why the theory developed by Paulo Freire (1970) about the pedagogy of “conscientization” comes into play. His idea was to increase the level of literacy among those in our society. This is because if we have a nation that does not know how to read or write, it is difficult to bring about change not only in a country but around the globe. In Australia, (Tania Canas, 2013) for example, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, stated that with asylum seekers there is still the inhumane treatment of people based on race, color, and religion, (UN rights chief slams “racist” Australia, 2011). Such treatment shows how oppression is still a reality and therefore social transformation is a must. Therefore, the conscientization of the people will bring about a notion of “self” through dire reflection and orientation. People will be able to acknowledge the oppressive powers and then there will be the development of a critical awareness of the social reality through required action and reflection. Further to that, people will be made to face the reality than live with the social myth which has been dominant so far. This concept can be applied again within a small group of the community by uncovering the real problems and needs of our society. Moreover, conscientization will break the vacuum that teachers were once teaching within the four walls of the classroom and give education another dimension through the recognition of education as a political aspect. Human beings will be stripped from the myths they have been living so far. Moving the nation will require that those who felt powerless as a result of certain social, economic, or environmental issues be liberated from the oppressed mindset which had been reproduced so far to see the reality and be daring enough to face and find plausible solutions which do not reproduce what is already there.

It is indeed the role of educators to start the change within themselves to get the nation to move. Teachers should be active to bring in the creativity within the educational curriculum through the act of conscientization. We must not forget that educators are among those stakeholders who can touch the nation by educating the child. Therefore, providing the right education by involving issues of society, political aspects, and social and environmental issues will help to break the academic focus to a certain level. This is because it will allow students to be faced with the actual issues rather than just focusing on academics and focusing on getting a well-paid job where the reproduction of old ideologies will still prevail. It is therefore through concrete conscientization that educating the nation will revolutionize the status of education from being static to being active with serious reflections. Conscientization will need to be reinforced through actions where people can share their daily issues and start from a small group and move toward the nation. The aim of this theory is to break the reproduction banking concept in our institutions which is still causing much harm to the nation when considering issues like ethnicity and racial discrimination still present in European countries which were published recently in an article by Alena Bieling (2021, Online Source). Education alone by sitting in a classroom cannot bring about a change in mindset it is thus important for educators to be involved and also become an agent of politics to break apart the reproduction of dominant interests and ideologies because human beings need to be set free from these ideologies that have blocked the nation from moving. Then only, then will be able to confront those in power for a change in society for future generations to prevent the continuity of all sorts of inequalities and injustice in the world.

The act of conscientization to promote the concept of Paulo Freire (1970) which is problem-posing to move education from the banking concept to making education more active will not be complete if the whole nation is not conscientious. We cannot ignore the fact that the world, we are living in still has a very low rate of literacy growth. According to statistics from World Atlas data (Online Source), the literacy rate of adults aged 15 in 2020 was 86.7%. This percentage represents an annual increase of 0.36% from 2001. We can eventually deduce that to move the nation, education needs to take another course on the path to educating the nation through educators. This is where we come to the theory of Paulo Freire (1970) which is codification. Through this concept, educators will be able to bring the whole nation to start to ponder over issues relevant to their society that are inhibiting progress. Codification will involve giving a person a big picture of a real situation and then there will be de-codification where people will start breaking the big picture in bits to understand and reflect upon the given picture. This methodology will bring grouped ideas, understanding, and other aspects that will lead to liberating human beings. The use of the big picture in terms of a theme in particular in the form of a concrete representation will be used to pass on an important message to the nation to bring about change from static to becoming active. For example, when educators use pictorial illustration to transform the banking concept and promote understanding among the students, they are touching those who have a certain level of disability of understanding. In doing so, the educator is eliminating rejection and isolation in the classroom. This act should be promoted in society in order to prevent discrimination against the disabled. Further to that, the thoughts of people will change to be more open to accepting changes.

The average student debt of a recent college graduate is $37,172. Trade Workers and craftsmen are in decline. Without these people, daily life will become very difficult. College was once necessary to be a success. College degrees aren’t necessary because college puts students in debt, they are not required for people to get most jobs and most people can make more money without a college degree if they choose the right jobs.

Students are attending college less and less now compared to before because it puts them in debt too. Before students attend college they usually don’t think about the debt after they graduate college so they end up paying debt their whole life. Most of the time they think they can afford college at the time but in reality, they really cannot, so they end up in debt. Research shows that “A college degree isn’t the stepping stone it once was to a better job and a better life. In fact, studies show that while less than 20 percent of college graduates leave campus with a job, a staggering 80 percent leave buried in debt. One student’s experience illustrates the difficulty: Karen Mora Lopez recently had to drop out of a work-study business administration program at Pepperdine University because she couldn’t afford the steep tuition and already had a full-time job” (Spencer). Debt is killing dreams. Recent studies have revealed that “young adults are delaying major life milestones due to the sheer mental weight of college debt. They’re putting off buying a reliable vehicle or a first home, waiting to get married or have children, and shelving any hopes of traveling to experience new places and cultures”(Spencer). College students should focus more on buying a car, house, etc. before they spend their time and money going to college so they don’t end up going into debt and then not being able to buy stuff they need later in life. Most college students end up paying their college debt their whole life because it’s expensive. Make sure you’re financially stable before attending college so you aren’t in debt your whole life.

College degrees are becoming less important each day because there are a lot of jobs that you can get and make more money than some jobs that require a degree. College degrees have lost their importance over the years because people that go to trade schools to find a profession are making more money than people with degrees because the world is in need of trade workers. What matters more is having the skills to do the job, not a certificate that shows you have spent 4 years studying a subject. Instead, you can look at other opportunities like internships, trade, travel, and opportunities that could earn you money while you find out what career you really want to have. Based on research,” there is a major difference between degrees, too.CBS News ran an article about the 20 worst-paying college degrees. Coming in dead last was Child and Family Studies, with a starting average salary of $29,500 and a mid-career average of $38,400. Art History was 20th, with a starting average salary of $39,400 and a mid-career average of $57,100.On the other hand, the average plumber made $53,860 a year, and the average electrician made $53,080 in 2015”(Andrew Syrios). A college degree will not guarantee you a high-paying job. It will not even make you a skilled leader with a shot at the corner office. You should not try to force yourself to take a career path you do not want to take, you should just explore the jobs you are interested in and try to have a fun and successful career. If trade workers were not making so much money without college degrees then degrees would probably be more important. If you do not think you are ready for college then try to find a job that still pays nice, does not require a degree, and is something you might enjoy.

The cost of college has been increasing, day by day, slowly but surely and kids are not able to afford it. Over the years, college prices have been increasing rapidly so some kids are not able to afford it. Nowadays not everyone can afford to go to college. And those who are able to afford a bachelor’s degree carry an ambition that they are going to make a lot of money once they graduate. Some degrees pay for themselves but most degrees will not pay for themselves. College degrees are becoming more expensive each year, you must mortgage your life to pay the price of a certificate, and the return on investment for these college degrees is often much below the burden of debt acquired. Recent studies have shown that “college tuition continues to skyrocket year after year. The current sticker price of a moderate in-state public college is around $25,000 per year. A moderate private school averages about $50,000 annually”(Spencer). The unfortunate truth is that student-loan debt now outpaces mortgage and credit-card debt combined in the United States. Several decades ago, the United States educational system simply worked. A college degree was affordable, and graduates secured offers for higher-paying jobs by virtue of earning those degrees. College costs have been rising roughly at a rate of 7% per year for decades. Since 1985, the overall consumer price index has risen 115% while the college education inflation rate has risen nearly 500%. If the price of college was more affordable, then more kids would probably attend it if it was in their price range. Most of the time kids will still go to college if they can afford it at the moment and once they actually get to college and have to pay stuff off they depend on college loans, etc, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, birth rates declined during the 1990s. (While the numbers increased in the early 2000s, they dipped again from 2007 through 2011). There may be several reasons for this decline, but one factor is the increase in women who are in the workforce. They’re more likely to delay marriage and childhood. Fewer children mean there are fewer students attending school. The Hechinger Report notes that there were 81,000 fewer high school graduates in 2017, and this trend is projected to continue. Currently, southern and western states account for almost three-fourths of all high school graduates. However, the West, Midwest, and Northeast are projected to experience steeper declines in the next few years. And this means fewer students attend college in part because there are fewer candidates. College prices are too high and they should consider lowering prices to have more students attend.

If you are not actually interested in college then you should not attend it and you should just try to find a career that does not require a degree so you do not get put in debt. A college degree is not going to guarantee you the best job in the world making the most money so sometimes not going to college is the better option. Finding a trade job instead of getting a degree could be a better option because you can probably enjoy your career more and make more money.“The problem is that people attend college with the mentality that they are going to find a dream job and make a lot of money once they graduate. People need to understand that just because someone attends a college that does not guarantee anything for them, except being in debt for a long time”(Centeno). “The numbers show that nearly 50% of students who start a bachelor’s degree never finish. And the average student loan debt for students in America is $30,000”(Centeno). Most of the time the reason why students do not attend college is that after high school they never know what they want to do as a career so they are not interested in college. Nowadays more kids don’t attend college because they have no plan and because of the price of college increasing each year. However, Durvasula isn’t surprised that affordability would be a problem. “Four to six years is a long time to stall income generation for many people and to simultaneously be incurring debt.” As a result, she believes that affordability is critical and that higher education is not within reach for many Americans. By last summer, Americans owed more than $1.3 trillion in student loans, more than two and a half times what they owed a decade earlier. Young people and their families go into debt because they believe that college will help them in the job market, and on average it does. People who have dropped out of college about 40 percent of all who attend earn only a bit more than people with only a high school education: $38,376 a year versus $35,256. For many, that advantage is barely enough to cover their student loan debt. And not all have even that advantage: African-American college dropouts on average earn less than white Americans with only a high school degree. Meanwhile, low-income students of all races are far more likely to drop out of college than wealthier students. Even with scholarships or free tuition, these students struggle with hefty fees and living costs, and they pay the opportunity cost of taking courses rather than getting a job. The value of a college degree also varies depending on the institution bestowing it. The tiny minority of students who attend elite colleges do far better on average than those who attend nonselective ones.No other nation punishes the “uneducated” as harshly as the United States. Nearly 30 percent of Americans without a high school diploma live in poverty, compared to 5 percent with a college degree, and we infer that this comes from a lack of education. But in 28 other wealthy developed countries, a lack of a high school diploma increases the probability of poverty by less than 5 percent. In these nations, a dearth of education does not predestine citizens for poverty. It shouldn’t be here, either: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, fewer than 20 percent of American jobs actually require a bachelor’s degree. By 2026, the bureau estimates that this proportion will rise, but only to 25 percent.