The next couple of years are crucial for high school students. There’s so much to consider when you’re making the decision to go to college or not that it can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for students who are trying to figure out what’s best for their futures.
I know that, when I was in high school, the only thing I worried about was college. The thought of it filled me with so much anxiety that I almost decided not to go because it felt too overwhelming. However, after a lot of research and talking to many people who have degrees, I’ve come up with several reasons why students should pursue higher education even if they feel like they don’t need it or want it right now.
Today’s workplace is more competitive than ever before. There are multiple factors at play here — global economy, globalization making international work options available for all types of employers across the world, increased technology that makes companies more productive meaning less employees are needed — but no matter what caused it or how you look at it, the fact is that jobs are harder to come by than ever before.
This means that employers are looking for reasons to favor one candidate over another when they’re hiring. A college degree is the best way to provide an edge over other candidates in this competitive hiring landscape. It’s proof of your drive, ambition and ability to achieve difficult tasks so, if you don’t have a degree, it’s going to be more difficult for you get the job done.
Also, even if it seems like no one needs degrees anymore because of all these “alternative” options that exist nowadays (such as coding academies), I want to remind you that higher education is not accessible or available to everyone. If someone doesn’t have the time or money necessary for pursuing a full- college education, he or she may not be able to get the skills they need for their desired job. For example, someone who wants to work as a nurse will still have to pass tests proving that he or she has the necessary skills and knowledge of nursing before being allowed to practice and, if you can’t afford college or don’t have access to it, you won’t be able to take those exams and fulfill those requirements.
Having a degree might seem like a waste of time and money but it’s not. The opportunity cost is much greater for those without degrees because they’re faced with such high employment competition that they would struggle even more than those with degrees in finding decent jobs. Employers value degrees so much now that it’s just too risky for them not to go to college.
There’s a lot of evidence that supports the claim that going to college is worth it because higher education graduates make more money and have better career opportunities than those who don’t go beyond high school. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “In 2015, workers with a bachelor’s degree or higher had median usual weekly earnings of $1,156, about 84 percent more than the median weekly earnings of $735 for workers with less than a high school diploma.”
Further proof that pursuing higher education is worthwhile comes from the study which found out that people with associate degrees earn slightly more than those who only graduated from high school so there’s definitely some sort of payoff for going to college. Employers respect people who have degrees and they realize the importance of having a highly-educated workforce so, if you want to be an asset for your company, I strongly suggest that you get your degree ASAP.
In summary, higher education is crucial in today’s competitive labor market because it provides proof that students have what it takes to persevere when times are tough and employers tend to favor them over those without degrees when hiring employees. It places students in a better position in terms of career opportunities and earnings potential which makes going to college more than worth it. There’s a ton of evidence that backs up this claim so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!