Is going to college a waste of time? With pricy tuition costs and low job projections in some fields, plenty of people seem to consider that it is.  Not everyone believes that a degree is necessary.  Students and their parents are often left in a mountain of debt from paying for college.  A degree doesn't guarantee a job or career.  College-level work may be too much for some recent high school graduates.  Many have opinions that college is a scam.  Despite these arguments, David Leonhardt believes that a degree is imperative.

Even For Cashiers, College Pays Off, an article written for the New York Times, author David Leonhardt presents the issue that going to college and obtaining a degree will get a graduate ahead of those without.  He perceives it as being an advantage. "A new study even shows that a bachelor's degree pays off for jobs that don't require one: secretaries, plumbers and cashiers.  And, beyond money, education seems to make people happier and healthier," writes Leonhardt.  Employers would rather hire someone with a college degree over someone who doesn't.  College courses teach more than just curriculum.  It teaches time management, organization skills, and better study habits. The college experience is another element that sets apart a college graduate from a high school graduate.

Being that this article was published in the business column of the New York Times, the audience is not very specific.  Generally speaking, most people who read the New York Times are businessmen and women.  Teachers and professors probably read it also.  Leonhardt is directing his article more towards parents and students.

The apparent stakeholder is David Leonhardt, the writer of the article.  Other stakeholders for this issue would be high school students interested in or preparing for college, current college students, parents of students, professors, faculty, and employers.  Students are the most important stakeholders because they are the ones that decide their future, whether they want a degree or not.  Parents matter in this situation since they pay for their child or children to go to college.  Professors and other faculty members are also stakeholders because if no one's attending college, they don't have a job.  Professors and advisors are there to push students toward graduating and becoming what they want to be in life.  Employers, especially those ahead of large or corporate companies, want to hire the best.

David Leonhardt expresses that money is the main factor in attending college.  He presents statistics that back up his idea that having a degree is beneficial in the long run.  Last year, full-time workers made eighty-three percent more than those with just a high school diploma.  Compared to non-graduates, college graduates are far more likely to be employed.  Leonhardt regards that having a degree will get someone farther, even in careers where a degree is not required. "Construction workers, police officers, plumbers, retail salespeople and secretaries, among others, make significantly more with a degree than without one. Why? Education helps people do higher-skilled work, get jobs with better-paying companies or open their own businesses" (Leonhardt, 2011).

According to Leonhardt, the answer is to improve colleges, not abandon them.  With the constant change in the economy, how could a high school diploma alone satisfy an individual's educational essentials?  Leonhardt suggests that action could be taken to convalesce colleges.  More financial aid could be given; tuition could be more affordable. So much could be done to make going to college easier.
