Have you heard the latest debate on LinkedIn? An article was posted suggesting there is not a need for a college degree due to the amount of knowledge and information available online. This is a valid statement when one looks at the history of higher education and the foundations of the lecture method of transferring knowledge.
In the early development of American higher education, the main purpose of curriculum was “directed toward the acculturating of young people -their character formation, preparation for careers, access to society, language and manners” (Cohen & Kisker, 2010, p 32). With lack of resources and availability to books and information, professors read, studied and accumulated information which was then transferred to students via the lecture method.
In modern day, the purpose of curriculum has altered. Today, “curriculum enables people to make sense of their lives and the world around them. Individuals use curriculum with varying degrees of intentionality to interpret events, to deepen their understanding of what they learn and who they are as learners, and to create a shared experience for teaching and learning” (Huggett, Smith & Conrad, 2010, p 1).
Thus, curriculum has altered from the “preserving of what was already known” to the “advancing of knowledge” (Cohen & Kisker, 2010, p 32). The main motive of education today is to the purpose of advancing knowledge and not to simply “pass on knowledge and information” (Cybercollege Internet Campus, 2006, p 1).
This is interesting, I can hear you say. But, why should you go to college? What benefits does it add personally to your life? Here are my top ten reasons.
Top 10 reasons to get a college degree:
1. College graduates earn more money over a lifetime.
· According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, students who graduate with a two- or four-year degree in hand can expect to earn up to 70 percent more than those who complete only a high school diploma.
· A college graduate tends to earn more. A bachelor’s degree graduate earns $17,500 more per year than a high school graduate and $15,500 more than a student with some college or a two-year degree, according to the Pew Research study.
2. College graduates are more likely to have a job.
College graduates tend to have more employment opportunities than individuals without a college degree. Only 3.8 percent of bachelor’s degree graduates are unemployed, compared with 12.2 percent of high school graduates and 8.1 percent of students with some college or a two-year degree.
In addition, college graduates find jobs faster than high school graduates—in 27 weeks versus 31 weeks.
3. College graduates receive job benefits.
According to the Pew Research survey, 61 percent of college-educated millennials worked for an employer with a retirement plan, while only 36 percent of high school-educated millennials worked for an employer offering a pension plan.
4. College graduates are more satisfied with their work.
College-educated young adults were more likely to view their current job as part of a career track (86 percent) compared to high school-educated young adults (57 percent). In addition, 53 percent of college graduates in their 20s and 30s said they were “very satisfied” with their work, compared to 37 percent of high school graduates.
5. College graduates have access to greater resources such as networking.
You’ll have more access to resources. In addition to the financial resources, you’ll have access to through your higher income, you’ll also have resources in all kinds of unexpected and intangible ways. Your roommate from freshman year who is now an attorney, your friend from chemistry class who is now a doctor, and the person you met at the alumni mixer who may offer you a job next week are the kinds of benefits and resources that are hard to plan for — but that can make all the difference in the world.
6. College graduates have higher-self-esteem.
The Huffington Post reports, “Studies conducted by the College Board and others like it have found that those who have completed additional schooling is not only more well-equipped to handle mental challenges, but also report a higher level of satisfaction when doing so” (2013).
7. College graduates have better career opportunities.
“Earning a college degree is the most common pathway to a better career. Entering college, not everyone knows what they want to do when they grow up. But most know they want to have a better job—not only one that will pay more, but one in which they are more satisfied and secure. That combination of benefits is why so many people make the investment of time and money to go to college. College helps mold you into a more professional individual. Because college gives you a broad range of skills, many college graduates end up in fields that are not what they studied in school. College can open-up unexpected opportunities that aren’t always there for those who haven’t engaged in a higher level of education” (The Education Corner, 2017).
8. College graduates have highly developed critical thinking skills.
The Wall Street Journal reported last year that, according to an Indeed.com study, employers are asking more often for critical thinking skills in their new hires. The study says that since 2009, mentions of critical thinking have doubled in job postings.
9. College graduates have highly developed communication skills.
Attending college enables you to communicate with classmates and instructors on a regular basis, whether through online discussion boards or in person. Think of these interactions as preparation for your next job. Regardless of industry, solid communication skills will only increase your chances of landing that next job.
10. College graduates share an educational legacy with their children.
“Finally, one of the greatest benefits to having a college education is passing on the legacy to your children. Children of a college grad are more likely to have a better quality of life and pursue extended education themselves. Those children also have a much easier time getting into good schools because their parents have emphasized the importance of an education to them. They also tend to have better grades and test scores.
“As experts often state, children of college grads — even those who don’t attend college themselves — are more motivated to reach for their dreams. They know that their parents pushed through adversity to earn their degrees, and they apply that same philosophy to going after what they want in life — a bar that is placed that much higher by having college-educated parents” (Huffington Post, 2013).
Benjamin Franklin authored a proposal for the development of education in the newly formed United States, entitled “Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania.” His outlooks later became the foundational theories of the University of Pennsylvania. Herein, students were instructed to become contributors to society and to the “betterment of the community” (Cohen & Kisker, 2010, p 25). A college education today aids in this admonition from our Founding Father to create lifelong learners to contribute to society and its members.
Sources:
Atkinson, T. (2017). The Successful Scholar.
This book, The Successful Scholar, is filled with the tips and necessary information to aid the student through their first year. It contains graphs, pictures and diagrams. There is information on learning personalities and how to identify the best methodologies in relation to these learning personalities. All of which are in color.
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By Tracy Atkinson
Tracy Atkinson, mother of six, lives in the Southwest with her husband and spirited long-haired miniature dachshunds. She is a teacher, having taught elementary school to higher education, holding degrees in elementary education and an EDS in higher education. Her passion is researching, studying and investigating the attributes related to self-directed learners and learning styles. She has published several titles, including MBTI Learning Styles: A Practical Approach, The Art of Learning Journals, Calais: The Annals of the Hidden, Lemosa: The Annals of the Hidden, Book Two, Rachel’s 8 and Securing Your Tent. She is currently working on a non-fiction text exploring the attributes of self-directed learners: The Five Characteristics of Self-directed Learners.
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