Reasons to go to college

Reasons to go to college

Depending on what you are looking for, attending college may or may not be the right thing after high school. But allowing for the fact that Americans collectively owe more than $1.3 trillion in student loans, it is appropriate to ask the question: Is college worth it? 

Incredibly, numbers say yes, despite the terrible student loan situation. Getting a degree after high school — whether on a traditional four-year campus, in a community college, or through a career-specific certificate virtual program — is more beneficial than not. Here are ten healthy reasons why.

1. It increases your earning potential

There’s enough evidence that the saying “College is an investment in your future” is true because most young Bachelor’s degree-holders aged 25 to 34 earn in the neighborhood of $50,000 a year, while other people without a degree don’t make $30,000 per year. Those data are from a study by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2016.

2. It assures you gain job security

Everybody has bills to pay, food to purchase, and Netflix accounts to afford (some consumers); that’s why having steady employment always brings peace of mind. If you count at least a bachelor’s degree, you’re likelier to get a job. 

The unemployment rate for Americans with a college degree is low, 2.8% in 2016, according to the information provided by The Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the unemployment rate for Americans who could only complete high school doubled those numbers because it reached 5.4%.

3. More probabilities of getting ensured

Getting a job with plenty of benefits, like health insurance, is a strong reason why many students go to college, says Kim Cook, rep of the nonprofit National College Access Network. She stated that a degree opens job opportunities that will help people support their families.

92% of Americans aged 25 to 64 with a college degree are insured. The more education you receive, you will likely get health insurance. On the other side, 82% of people without a Bachelor’s or any other degree are insured.

4. It leads you to learn a valuable skill

Many people think that going to college means moving into a college dorm with a beautiful garden and sophisticated facilities. It’s possible to earn an associate degree in two years or a few months.

According to the system, the Bureau of Labor Statistics offers an occupation finder tool that is useful for searching for unique career options based on average pay or the degree that you probably need. 

For instance, you would need an associate degree to be a dentist. Dental professionals earn up to $55,000, and in some cases, they surpass the amount of $74,999 in a year. 

On the other hand, electrical installers and repair workers make the same amount of money, which means they need only a certificate in that field to average that annual income.

5. It helps you make lasting connections

For better or worse, landing a job often leads you to meet other people and get more contacts. Forty-four percent of Americans seeking a job claimed to have some relationship — sort of a professional connection, or even family members, pals, or somebody else, according to the research by the 2017 Pew Research Center report.

In professional organizations like the American Medical Student Association, the people you meet on campus, social media like Facebook, groups such as fraternities and sororities, and small get-togethers play an essential role. They open opportunities for you in the job market.

6. You can get more support once you start a business

Entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg and TV shows demonstrate that entrepreneurship is emerging as an ideal career path. You don’t need a university degree to succeed, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Some data showed that a third of the entrepreneurs in 2014 had a college diploma, according to a 2015 report by a foundation called Ewing Marion Kauffman.

Many universities are doing their level best by bulking up their entrepreneurship offerings and increasing the number of courses and opportunities for graduates to get more experience. 

Some schools, such as Texas A&M University, also count on on-site incubators to help entrepreneurial students have their workspace and other free services such as legal counsel and accounting help.

7. It helps you become more financially fit

Besides making more money, people with college diplomas tend to be more financially secure than their peers without educational degrees (high school completed only). Suppose you have studied to get a bachelor’s degree or a Master’s. 

In that case, you’ll have a retirement plan and earn more income in the future from investments, savings accounts, and real estate. These were the results of a study carried out in 2015 by the Lumina Foundation, an organization focused on helping students get better college outcomes.

8. It expands your career options

Having a college degree opens doors that were closed in the past. Likewise, it also gives you a more comprehensive range of jobs to choose from. Of 3.9 million supposedly good jobs that appeared during the Great Recession, 2.8 million are currently occupied by people with at least a college diploma, according to data from a 2015 report by Georgetown University. 

There’s no official definition of a good job, but the report describes it as a full-time one, a job post that provides an income of more than $53,000 a year and other employer benefits like health insurance and a retirement plan.

Corey Miles, a renowned sociologist and an instructor at Virginia Tech, claims that college gives you options, which is the best thing for anyone to have. He also affirmed that people who attended college don’t have to beg for a job that only helps pay the bills.

9. It helps you meet your soul mate — (take this into account seriously)

Although it’s not necessarily a reason to go to college, the prospect of finding your better half is encouraging. Numbers show that around 28% of married couples met on campus, according to a 2017 Facebook study.

If you are sick of thinking about the typical reasons to get a degree, thinking about dating someone from college can be exciting. The experts say that sometimes hearing the same sermon about the academic reasons to go to college hardly ever attracts high school graduates.

10. Going to College broadens your horizons

Even if you plan to study subjects such as philosophy and sociology, which generally may interest a selective group but don’t necessarily lead to an occupation, college is never a waste of time. 

A significant part of employers says that broad skills (for example, critical thinking and an excellent capacity to solve problems) are eventually more important than the degree itself, according to a paper issued by the Association of American Colleges and Universities in 2016. The study focused mainly on liberal arts education. 

In a nutshell, college always provides an opportunity to become more and more experienced beyond the classroom. “It’s one of the chances you have to better yourself, get contacts and visit other places,” – Cook says.