College Is It Right for You? Essay Example

Did you know that over half of young adults have student loan debt and many of them admit it was not worth it? The purpose of this paper is to show that college is not for everyone. College is not worth the debt nor, worth massive debt, especially if the students do not know what they are going to college for. Taking out loans for college can impair future success. This paper also shows how student loans affect student’s personal life, many students could not pay off their bills and had to default their loans. Students choosing the college they attend based on where their friends are going to college is responsible for some adult’s debt that do not think it was worth it. Despite making more money from receiving a degree from an expensive college, massive college debt results in former students being unable to pay bills. 

While the experts say college is worth the debt because students can make more money in their life with a college degree, debt can impair future success and can delay life milestones such as obtaining a house or a car. It is true that in some cases college graduates make more money in life than high school graduates. According to Megan Leonhardt, a senior money writer, said “Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed similar findings. Americans of all ages with a college degree reported earning $65,482 on average in 2016. Those with only a high school diploma earned an average of just $35,615” (3). College graduates earn more money than high school graduates. Admittedly, most college graduates have a higher salary because superintendents hire others with more education or higher skills. On the other hand, college debt can inhibit life milestones and going to college does not guarantee a higher paying job. Megan Leonhardt, a senior money writer, stated” That’s because the inflated cost of a degree causes financial hardships for graduates trying to build their lives after college: It can even force students to delay major life milestones, such as buying a house and starting a family” It is not worth massive debt to receive higher education. For example, college debt can make students unable to start a family or get a car or buy a house. College is not worth going to if it causes financial hardships and delays life milestones.

College is not right for all students, especially the ones who do not know why they are there or if their future job does not require college. Students should not go to college if they do not know why they are going there. Dirk Johnson “Is A College Degree Still Worth It?” said “Without a parent who has attended college, or a high school counselor who has helped forge an academic plan of attack, students often land in college unprepared. A lot of people go to college not quite sure why they’re there, said Jeffrey Selingo, the author of College (un)Bound. And they pick a major because of something they saw on TV” (Johnson 6). If students go into college not knowing why they are there, the students would not like it at all. Students would also be more likely to drop out of college too. Students should not go into debt if they simply would drop out because they did not know why they were there. If students need to go to college, they should create an academic plan. Furthermore, students should not go to college if their job does not require a degree. Terrie Morgan-Besecker “Majoring in debt: Some asking if college is worth cost” said, “Vedder said he's convinced that, for more and more people, college is no longer the right choice. He has come to the conclusion, in part, by witnessing the fate of his own graduates, many of whom are working in fields that do not require a college degree” (Morgan-Besecker 2). College is not the best choice for everyone. Vedder talked about many of his peers did not need a degree for their job after college. Students should not go to college if their field does not require a degree because it would be a waste of money. There is no point in college if a student's future job does not require a degree. College is not for everyone, especially if it does not correlate to the student's future job or if the student is not ready for college and does not know why they would go to college.

College is not the best path according to students, many former students did not see the value in receiving an education for their debt, college does not guarantee a better paying job. College is not worth the debt. Dirk Johnson “Is A College Degree Still Worth It?” stated, “Debt is surely a big reason that fewer Americans today believe that going to college is a good move. According to A Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey, only 49% said they believed a four-year degree was worth the time and money, compared with 47% who did not see the value of college. That narrow two-point margin was down from a 15-point spread in favor of college in a survey conducted four years earlier. People between the ages of 18 and 34 were especially skeptical about college. Some 57 percent registered a thumbs down on college, compared to only 29% who saw it as a smart path” (Johnson 1-2). Many former students did not see college being worth the time and money. Younger former students did not see college being a smart path at all because of the commitment of the debt. An abundance of Americans do not think college is worth it today solely based on the price of the debt. Even the people who took college did not think it was the best idea. 

College does not guarantee you a better job and many think they will get a better job after they go to college, for some that is not the case. Terrie Morgan-Besecker “Majoring in debt: Some asking if college is worth cost” said “Aug. 28--Denise Williams entered Monmouth University in New Jersey in 2005 with hopes of earning a degree that would land her a job as a television news broadcaster. At age 21, she didn't give much thought to the more than $20,000-a-year cost for tuition and room and board. The college had a great communications program, and nearly the entire cost was covered by student loans. She assumed she'd get a good enough job to pay back the loans after she graduated. Six years later, the 27-year-old Hanover Township woman struggles to meet even her most basic needs as she deals with the reality of paying off the $45,000 in student debt she amassed. That dream job as a broadcaster never materialized. She instead works as a full-time customer service representative, earning just over $11 an hour -- ironically at Sallie Mae in Hanover Township, the nation's largest private student loan processor. Each month, $376 -- or more than 30 percent of her net earnings -- goes toward her loans. That doesn't count another $50 a month she pays to her mother, when she can, to help cover a $500 monthly payment she makes on another loan on which Williams defaulted. "I couldn't keep up. The payments were too high," Williams said. "They'd ask me, 'Why are you behind?' I have other bills. I have to eat. They don't understand or care. All they want is their money." For Williams it was a painful lesson. And she's not alone.” (Morgan-Besecker 1) College is not preeminent because it does not guarantee students a job even if they get a specific degree. Denise Williams thought she would get a “good enough job” right out of college. Instead, she got a low paying job and struggled to pay off her bills. Years later she still struggled to pay off her bills and struggled to meet her most basic needs. College is unavailing let alone worth the debt based on former students' opinions and not being guaranteed an excellent job to pay off their debt easily.

Despite earning extra money from receiving a diploma from an expensive university, college debt is more hurtful than helpful for most former students. Many young adults have college debt and most of them say it was not worth it college is not the best option because debt causes a delay in achieving milestones also college does not guarantee a job. Another key thing to remember is that many of the students going into college did not know why they were attending college and what to major in. To sum up everything that has been stated so far college is not worth the debt for the exact purpose of delaying milestones being costly and not guaranteeing a better job than high school graduates.

Work Cited page 

Johnson, Dirk. “Is a College Degree Still Worth It?” UNBOUND, unbound.upcea.edu/innovation/alternative-credentialing/is-a-college-degree-still-worth-it/. 

Leonhardt, Megan. “36% Of College Grads with Student Loans Say the Debt Wasn't Worth It-Here's What Experts Say.” CNBC, CNBC, 20 May. 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/04/18/36-percent-of-college-grads-with-student-loans-say-debt-wasnt-worth-it.html. 

Majoring in debt: Some asking if college is worth cost by Morgan-Besecker, Terrie, Times Leader, The (Wilkes-Barre, PA), Aug 28, 2011.