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College Education

In: Social Issues

Submitted By stevie1312
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The following essay encompasses a discussion concerning college and its perceived merits or demerits. To this end, the thesis will seek to explore the issue of whether its benefits outweigh its inherent costs. A narrative relating to college degrees postulates the necessity of the latter to have a good career. The narrative has been formulated and affirmed by the media, the business community, and the government. In a recent speech, President Obama blatantly stated that now more than ever, the college degree was a ticked into the middle class, a good job, and a good income. He goes on to say that the degree gifts the graduate an element of security that keeps them employable. The latter is a result of the perception that the degree creates. Potential employers view individuals with degrees as malleable and capable of acquiring new skill sets. On the business front, there is an upsurge of demand for skilled workers in recent years because of dramatic technological advance. Ergo there is an augmented demand for graduates who can carry out the tasks that a high-tech economy needs. The media has been used to highlight this upsurge and often unwittingly, create pressure on parents to send their children to college. While parents deal with all the information heralding college education as a crucial investment to make, they also appraise the information against the backdrop of college costs. In recent decades, the cost of higher learning has exploded. Numerous colleges charge an almost exorbitant fee USD 50,000 annually. Consequently, a parent in the U.S. pays four times more tuition and other fees than their peer in the world. Interestingly, the percentage of Americans with a Bachelor’s degree has increased steadily, despite cautionary claims of elevated costs and graduate inadequacies in the market. An explanation for this phenomenon could be the fact that there

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