Over the last decade tuition for secondary education institutions have skyrocketed, leading to many not being able to attend college and having to work after high school. In addition, if individuals are able obtain their degree in whatever they may be majoring in, it has been difficult to find a decent job that they qualify for. In society it has been preached since kindergarten that if you do well in school and go to college, that a “good job” is almost certain; however this is not the case. More often there are people who have spent 4 plus years in college only to be denied a job that they have the skills for, or be over qualified for a job that they could have gotten with a high school degree.
In my economics class we often talk about opportunity costs. Opportunity cost is basically the “something[s]” you give up when choosing an alternative selection. For example if I choose not to go to work today in favor of hanging with friends, my opportunity cost is the money I would have made from working today. Back to the topic, the dilemma that everyone faces proceeding High School is deciding whether to go into the work force/military straight out of High School or to go to college. The opportunity cost of deciding to not go to college is to gain more knowledge in both general fields and more knowledge in what that individual may be majoring in and to potentially make more money in the future with a better career after obtaining a degree. The opportunity cost of not working straight out of high school is the working experience, the income and the money they are spending on tuition. There exists a general consensus that states you have to go to college to earn more money or you will not be as successful. However the present conflict between those who have obtained a college degree and finding work with that degree refutes this socialized belief.
Personally I believe that secondary education should be less expensive, this is obviously a bias statement as I am a student however there are many benefits that would come with this notion. If tuition were cheaper, there would be more individuals going to college which would most likely lead to more aware citizens, which would then lead to more aware voters, more aware politicians and so on and so on. There are too many individuals that have done exactly what society expected them to do to be successful, however are not being able to achieve their potential because of the lack of job availability as a result of the nation’s current economic status.
I may agree that education in college must be cheaper because I am a student too. But on the other hand, some people do not pay for education. I do not know how they do it, but I guess that their parents do not have big salary, so college is paying for them. And because they do not pay for classes they come only for first lesson, and then they stop coming and they often drop classes. I pay for my education, so I try to go to every class and not drop because I know I have to pay twice more for the same class.
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ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with the fact that secondary education is financially ridiculous. I began working at a early age, therefore I had exoerience to accompany my education. I was able to obtain a job based on this fact only. Yes eduation does play a role, but many employers value experience in occuaptions. I have many friends that attended school with me and continued on to finish their MBA's. Many of these friends are working in positions that are underpaid for their educational level. When I decided to return to school to further my education, it was such a harship due to the costs. The state of Maryland doesnt allow tax credits for tuition costs as other states allow. This was very disturbing to me. I understand why many chose to enter into the workforce initially rather than furthering their education. This is very frustrating! Netherless, our government should encourage and support continued education with additional funding or incentives.
ReplyDeletei think it depends on the person to decide whether they want to continue their education or start working, because there are people i know that just arent cut out for college, they keep failing subjects and they are just wasting time. they either dont have the proper discipline required or in most cases they just choose not to do their best.
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ReplyDeleteOne of my friends and I talk about this issue often these days. She is currently a student at an art institute. However, she is taking couple years off from university due to its expensive tuition. It is so sad because I know she is such a talented and skilled artist and I know how much she loves what she is doing. I understand that there is always opportunity cost when you decide to do something. However, in case of education, or in any other choices we make, sometimes we have to make decision against our will. In the process of deciding between going to college and going into the workforce after high school,I think quite of many people choose to go to college just because that is what the society expects from them. I see some people going to the different field than what they have majored in college. If we only look at this, going to the workforce seems really fair idea rather than wasting 4years of tuition at the college. What you majored in college might not have to relate to what you do at work. What counts is your degrees. If you want to get a better job with more pay, then you should more likely to earned college degrees. Taking everything into consideration, college is not just an option for high school graduates but rather became a mandatory step in the society.
ReplyDeleteIt is untouchable because our college tuitions are going to the States governments’ budgets, and 80 percent of whole under graduate students is in public schools. In this situation, collecting much more taxes is only one way to decrease college tuition, but it is natural that almost all people available for economic activity want to pay as less taxes as possible. So do I. I am not sure if I can say I will pay more tax when I belong to the economic society after I graduate.
ReplyDeleteIn many European countries, the cost of living is more expensive while college tuition is nearly free. Personally, I prefer this system because even the States would never make any profit if students who will start their career are enormous debtors.