Is College Degree Valuable?

This article explores the value of a college degree and its impact on career opportunities, job security, and income. It discusses the benefits of higher education, the correlation between a college degree and entrepreneurship, and the affordability of a college degree. The research concludes that a college degree is valuable, providing better job opportunities, job security, and higher income potential.

Running Head: IS COLLEGE DEGREE VALUABLE? 0
IS COLLEGE DEGREE VALUABLE?
student name
4/19/2019

IS COLLEGE DEGREE VALUABLE? 1
Contents
1. Literature review..........................................................................................................................2
1.1 Value of college degree.........................................................................................................2
1.2 College degree and entrepreneurship.....................................................................................4
1.3 College degree and affordability...........................................................................................5
2. Conclusion...................................................................................................................................8
3. References....................................................................................................................................9

IS COLLEGE DEGREE VALUABLE? 2
1. Literature review
1.1 Value of college degree
The data collection method use to conduct the research on “is college degree valuable?,”
would be the secondary research method. There have been various previous studies over this
topic, and different views have been presented. This research would include analysing various
journal and news article. The research has been conducted that analyse the benefits of college
education or higher education. There are variant as per the consequences of better schooling
across and inside demographic segments, varieties of identifications, and institutional segments
(Webber, 2016). The research deliberated the significance of diploma accomplishment and
variation in income trails in the future. Education can pay 2016 includes and updates some of the
important thing signs inclusive of the distribution of income within all education level and profits
earning by means of occupation, by using the arena of study, and by means of educational area.
The various advantages of higher education can be dignified in dollars or are associated with the
administrative centre. Others relate to fitness, to selection-making tactics, to an involved
citizenry, and to the general life quality. The prevalence of economic indicators in this record
doesn’t mirror the load of those signs within the standard cost of education, but the practicability
of quantifying and terse the results (Douglass, 2018).
The researcher’s that earning a college degree is a very significant part of an individual’s
life and has now become a key American dream has considered it. It has been identified the path
by which an individual can get a job, purchase luxury products like vehicles and car and able to
arise the family. The advantage of higher education include career opportunities include higher
skilled jobs, enhancing career opportunities, which would eventually lead to stability and

IS COLLEGE DEGREE VALUABLE? 3
happiness. As per national report high school graduate could do the job and the amount earned
by them would be $30,000 each year on an average (Pender, Ma, & Welch, 2016). However, the
student who has been to college and attained degree like bachelors graduates could earn 50,000
dollars per year on an average. Moreover, discussing the salary pay for professional degrees,
doctorate, or masters are around 70,000 dollars in an average (Pender, Ma, & Welch, 2016).
Therefore, it can be said that the difference in earning capacity of an individual can only
be enhanced through a college degree. However, on the contrary it has been discussed that there
are more criteria for the earning value that would be race and gender. The argument in favour of
the value of college degree includes another major benefit that is career opportunities. As per the
researcher, having a college degree is a pathway that is been adopted by everyone. In today’s
scenario, everyone has their career objective when they are entering into higher education.
Moreover, students are not only expecting to have a degree for better pay but also for a better
choice of career jot more satisfying career journey (Guo, Chen, & Yu, 2016). The combination
of pay and willing job profile would be the result of investment in college education, efforts, and
time spends by every student. The reason for this is the college is not only providing degree for
sake of name but are providing skills improvement activities and opens up opportunities for
every individual. According to the researcher, the employment option would shrink if an
individual has not attained a higher education level. A great majority of only school graduates
are finding job opportunities in the service industry but the pay for them is lower than their
efforts. Through this, it can be said that the people are under employed due to lack of college
degree.
A scholarly paper includes another major advantage of a college degree, through which it
can be said that the college degree is valuable. The job satisfaction and job security is the major

IS COLLEGE DEGREE VALUABLE? 4
benefit considered by the researchers. It has been identified that the secondary college degree
results in better job security. The value of the individual to the employer is through the degree of
the personnel. In today’s scenario or corporate world, the educated staffs are very relevant to all
the companies. Data reflected that the economic recession are less vulnerable for college students
to layoffs. The individuals suffering from job cuts are the employee of lower level who did not
attained a college education. It does not mean that having a college degree is the guarantee to the
job opportunity but the risk of unemployment reduces to a greater degree (Keys & Cadena, 126-
53).
1.2 College degree and entrepreneurship
The value of college degree can be analysed in various fields like in case of earning
opportunity through entrepreneurship. An article “Is college education worth it? Evidence from
its impacts on entrepreneurship in the United States” includes a research over the influence of
college education or degree on entrepreneurship. Some people believe that the college degree is
not essential because the career opportunity for being an entrepreneur is always open. Certain
scholars suggest that official schooling is counter-productive to novelty and entrepreneurship as
it endorses conformism and diminishes forbearance for vagueness (Webber, 2016). As per the
scholar’s opinion, the degree of universities is not always essential. As per the research it has
been observed that the individuals going for the degree are running for the job profiles in the
corporate segment and do not prefer to go for self-employment. It has been identified that the
people loose interest in innovation and self-employee net after getting the degree, and the reason
could be the open opportunities in job profiles. However, the colleges could have provided the
encouragement to the students to go for the entrepreneurship and inspire them for innovation and
self-employment. The nation prosperity depends on the increased business opportunity in the

IS COLLEGE DEGREE VALUABLE? 5
nation that would help employees to generate employment. On the contrary, Bates believes that
education enhances the likelihood of entrepreneurship in construction and skilled service
industry (Guo, Chen, & Yu, 2016). The scholar paper reflects the effect of degree on the income
level for the individual, which is presented as below.
Figure 1: (Source: (Guo, Chen, & Yu, 2016)
The study investigated the influence of college degree on financial earnings and self-
employment. It has been found that the correlation between the self-employment and college
degree is positive and it affects the annual income of an individual positively. However, the
mixed results were also attained as some scholars believed the negative effect of a college degree
on self-employment rate (Briscope & Rodriguez, 2019).
1.3 College degree and affordability
The value of the college degree can be analysed through its nature of expense and
affordability of degree. From a recent news article, it was said that the New York was found to
be the initial state that offers every wealthiest resident's access to tuition freely to its four-year

IS COLLEGE DEGREE VALUABLE? 6
institutions and public community college. This program does not make the journey of college to
the degree free but it could highlight the strength of college movement in the nation. In included
Barak Obama believed that the college degree must be considered as an “economic imperative
that every family in America has to be able to afford.” The family or students to have the higher
education college degrees tend to take loans and the statistics reflect the majority of a student
found under debt for education purposes (Bowen, 2018). Nevertheless, the problem was that the
bachelor’s degree was not found enough for students to have expected higher paying jobs
opportunities. It was observed that the income in future would depend majorly on the level of
education taken by an individual instead of their capability (Keys & Cadena, 126-53). According
to quantitative research, it has been found that 40% of people have dropped college intentionally
or unintentionally. They are also not able to cover up their debt amount. It also includes that he
value of the degree of college depends on the institution centre as well. The smaller amounts of
people who had the opportunity to attend and attained the degree from elite colleges are found to
be in a better position that the one who was not selected for the same. It has been identified that
the colour in the United States is still considered to be one of the major factors. In case of
selection of students for the elite schools, a wealth black may not have a chance over the middle
class white family (Qu, Bradeley, & Rumble, 2018).
From the analysis, it can be said that the value is of college education and not the degree.
It has been observed that the skills and capabilities enhanced through a college education is
helpful for the individuals in their career development. People who are having a college degree
for sake of the name can initiate the work life with good opportunity but the growth would be
restrained in such case. The researchers are generally in favour of a college degree, through
which it can be said that the college degree is valuable. Moreover, from analysing the situation, it

IS COLLEGE DEGREE VALUABLE? 7
can be said that the cruel irony is that the degree of college is less worthy to people who are in
need of financial boos that is people born poor or are from poor families (Guo, Chen, & Yu,
2016). An economist Brad Hershbein and Tim Bartik research over the children and their lives
that were born into the wealthy, middle class, and poor family through an interview conducted
with eighteen thousand Americans (nytimes, 2019). Moreover, it can be said through the analysis
that the college degree applicant for job would have long-term job security. All the factors could
be favourable for the individual in most of the cases like higher income level, advanced
opportunities, employment benefits that would result into better job satisfaction for degree
holders in work life (Sunder, Meyer, Palmer, & Tinch, 2016).

IS COLLEGE DEGREE VALUABLE? 8
2. Conclusion
From the literature review, it can be concluded that he research problem considered for
the literature review included “Is college degree valuable?” There are various researches taken
place since years. A scholarly paper includes another major advantage of a college degree,
through which it can be said that the college degree is valuable. The job satisfaction and job
security is the major benefit considered by the researchers. The advantage of higher education
includes career opportunities include higher skilled jobs, enhancing career opportunities, which
would eventually lead to stability and happiness. As per national report high school graduate
could do the job and the amount earned by them would be $30,000 each year on an average.
From analysing various scholarly researches conducted in the past, it can be said that the
researchers are generally in favour of a college degree, through which it can be said that the
college degree is valuable. Moreover, from analysing the situation, it can be said that the cruel
irony is that the degree of college is less worthy to people who are in need of financial boos that
is people born poor or are from poor families. Moreover, the value for the college degree do not
considered when other factors like colour, caste or racism are considered.

IS COLLEGE DEGREE VALUABLE? 9
3. References
Bowen, H. (2018). Investment in learning: The individual and social value of American higher
education. Routledge.
Briscope, F., & Rodriguez, P. (2019). “This Is Your Worth”: Is the Catholic School Advantage
in Urban Catholic Schools’ College Culture Disappearing in a Neoliberal Era? Education
and Urban Society, 51(1), 3-32.
Douglass, G. (2018). Economic returns on investments in higher education . In Investment in
Learning, 359-387.
Guo, X., Chen, W., & Yu, A. (2016). Is college education worth it? Evidence from its impacts on
entrepreneurship in the United States. Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship,
28(1), 1-26.
Keys, B., & Cadena, B. (126-53). Human capital and the lifetime costs of impatience. American
Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 3, 7.
nytimes. (2019). college-useful-cost-jobs. Retrieved 2018, from
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/opinion/college-useful-cost-jobs.html
Pender, M., Ma, J., & Welch, M. (2016). Education Pays 2016: The Benefits of Higher
Education for Individuals and Society. Trends in Higher Education Series College Board.
Qu, S., Bradeley, T., & Rumble, J. (2018). Identifying a knowledge gap of blueberry health
benefits: The role of education, income, generation and gender. Journal of Southern
Agricultural Education Research. Journal of Southern Agricultural Education Research,
68.
Sunder, K., Meyer, C., Palmer, J., & Tinch, C. (2016). nmate education as a service learning
opportunity for students: Preparation, benefits, and lessons Learned. Teaching of
Psychology, 43(2), 120-125.
Webber, D. (2016). Are college costs worth it? How ability, major, and debt affect the returns to
schooling. Economics of Education Review, 53, 296-310.