The question of whether or not a college degree is necessary in America's Labor Force has been be debated for years. People have considered it a necessity to succeed in ones post high school life however, as our economy has progressed and the price tag of college has increased astronomically the question arises is it worth it? In the articles: "Why a College Degree May Not Be Worth It." By Brooke Berger, "It Takes a B.A. to Find a Job as a File Clerk." By Catherine Rampell, and "Why College Isnt Always Worth It." By Danielle Paquette; an attempt to provide answers to this question is made. There has also been extensive research that has gone into supporting both side of the argument. Reports called: "Is College Worth It for Me? How Adults without Degrees Think about Going (Back) to School" by Carolin Hagelskamp, David Schleifer, and Christopher Distasi; "Workforce Skills Needed by Today's Employers. Market Analysis MA98-5." By Craig A. Clagett provide considerable amount of statistical data from multiple sources to provide a clear answer to this question. 

In my paper, I will agree with Brooke Berger, Catherine Rampell, and Danielle Paquette that there are a certain few that are suited for college. I would like to point out that while in today's society everyone feels their kids deserve a college education, not all are suitable for college. While it is becoming increasingly hard to find jobs without a college education sometimes the price tag that comes along with a college education is not worth the shortcomings later in ones life. I intend to make it clear: College is not for everyone and one should seriously consider if it is worth the price. 

When considering attending college many variables come into play. One must ask themselves numerous questions: is a college degree necessary for success? If not what are some alternatives? Does pursuing a college education make sense economically? The article by Brooke Berger titled, "Why a College Degree May Not Be Worth It." Addresses a few of these questions with the help of her primary source William Bennett. Is a college degree necessary for success and what are some alternatives? William Bennett cites a statistic from his book," by the year 2018 there will be 14 million jobs available, well-paying jobs, which will require more than a high school diploma but less than a college diploma. Right now, a graduate of a community college, which is a two-year college, on average, makes more than a graduate of a four-year college." William Bennett goes on to provide alternatives to getting a four year degree such as going to a two year community college, entering the military and learning trade skills, and simply finding a job as simple as being a janitor (Berger). All of these he states are great possibilities that require less than a four-year degree. Finally when trying understanding whether or not college makes sense for one economically one has to ask why college is so expensive in the first place. According to Berger's article there are three main reasons: a lot of families will pay anything to send their kid to college, many colleges will try to get as much as they can, and the federal government endlessly subsidizes the increase in college and higher education. (Berger) Then one must understand what is different about college than in the past, "In 2008, 81 percent of adults thought college was a worthwhile investment. This year (2013), 57 percent think so. The second thing, of course, is loan shock."(Berger) It is due to many factors that college may no longer be the best choice economically for many people. Between increased attendance, greed, federal subsidizing of colleges, and the possibility of loan shock the question becomes very apparent are all of these risks worth the reward?

As the demand for higher education has increased the supply of jobs that employ these learned skills to their fullest potential has remained relatively stagnant. In the article, "It Takes a B.A. to Find a Job as a File Clerk," by Catherine Rampell the argument is made that a college degree is becoming increasingly necessary in todays job market. Rampell uses many employees at the law firm Busch, Slipakoff & Schuh as examples to support her claim that a B.A. is necessary for even the lowest paid jobs such as receptionists and "runners", which entails simply running documents back and forth between offices and courthouses. Rampell also uses many statistics in her article. She uses two statistics to support her claim, the first being a comparison between the employment rate of those with a college degree and those without, "This up-credentialing is pushing the less educated even further down the food chain, and it helps explain why the unemployment rate for workers with no more than a high school diploma is more than twice that for workers with a bachelor's degree: 8.1 percent versus 3.7 percent."  (Rampell). The second is a comparison between 2012 and 2007 of the percent of posting for secretaries and administrative assistants requiring a B.A, "In 2012, 39 percent of job postings for secretaries and administrative assistants in the Atlanta metro area requested a bachelor's degree, up from 28 percent in 2007."  (Rampell). She touches on the unemployment rates between those with and without a college degree. Surprisingly the unemployment rate is nearly double for those without a college degree. Rampell addresses the value of having a college degree in todays Labor Force through the use of numerous statistics. 

The previous statistics may make attendance to college seem completely necessary however; there is a failure to address the possible drawbacks for certain people attending college. According to the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2015 -- 2016 school year was $32,405 at private colleges, $9,410 for state residents at public colleges, and $23,893 for out-of-state residents attending public universities. Assuming one would graduate in four years that would be $129,620 at private colleges, $37,640 for state residents at public colleges, and $95,572 for out-of-state residents attending public universities(Peterson's). Considering the average annual income of a student is roughly 14,440 including financial aid it is nearly impossible to pay for college without taking on student loans(Norman). About 100 Billion dollars were taken out in student loans in 2014 and about 60% of students were the borrowers. Of these some 12 million students about 17% of them defaulted on their loan payments(McCann). This means that nearly 2.04 million people couldn't pay their debts. This debt will then follow them for the rest of their lives or until they pay it off. On average 69% of college students graduate with roughly 29,000 dollars of debt due to student loans; so the question is, if one is going to graduate only to be unemployed or working as a file clerk does it make sense economically?

In the research analysis, "Workforce Skills Needed by Today's Employers. Market Analysis MA98-5" by Craig Clagett there is an effort made to evaluate whether or not community colleges curriculum is preparing students for the workforce. There was a research project preformed asking employers what are values and or abilities that they look for while looking at possible employees. This research narrowed the skill set down to seven key abilities employers look for in post college graduates:  knowing how to learn; competence in reading, writing, and computation; effective listening and oral communication skills; adaptability through creative thinking and problem solving; personal management with strong self esteem and initiative; interpersonal skills; and leadership effectiveness. These skills were at one point in time only necessary for managerial jobs but are now being sought out in all levels. Clagett concludes that, "Foremost among these are oral and written communications skills. Even employers of technical workers in high technology industries assert the need for improved communications skills among their employees. Also essential are interpersonal skills, the ability to work in teams, goal- and priority-setting skills, problem-solving skills, and basic computer skills such as word processing, spreadsheets, and accessing the Internet."(Clagett) In other words employers consider all of the previously mentioned skills important. Most of these skill are "taught" in community college however, employers found oral and written communication skills to be lacking. Considering that most of the "essential" skills are being taught by a community college it calls to question the value of a university education. If a community college can teach one the skills needed in the work force what is the value of paying far greater for a university education?

In the article "Why College Isn't always Worth It" by, Danielle Paquette she discusses the importance of a college degree. She states that a college degree is necessary however; it is crucial that one graduates on time and from a school with "healthier resources". It is proven that yes people who graduate from college average a higher paid salary than those who have not, " Americans with four-year college degrees made 98 percent more per hour on average in 2013 than people without diplomas, up from 89 percent five years earlier and 85 percent a decade earlier."(Paquette) There was another study done by the National Center for Education Statistics supporting this as well, "In 2013, young adults with a bachelor's degree earned more than twice as much as those without a high school credential ($48,500 vs. $23,900) and 62 percent more than young adult high school completers ($48,500 vs. $30,000)."(The Condition) However, the issue of the return on ones college hinges on their ability to graduate on time. In recent years this has become a prevalent issue, "Those who do graduate are taking longer and longer to earn diplomas: Less than 60 percent of full-time students who are enrolled in college for the first time graduate within six years, according to the Institute of Education Sciences." (Paquette) Not graduating on time can lead to substantial problems, especially if one has taken out student loans, "It's not surprising that the study finds students who take out loans and don't graduate on time incur much more debt. Two extra years on campus increases the balance by nearly 70 percent."(Paquette) In the end one needs to determine whether or not they can make it out of college on time without picking up large debts from student loans. If one finds that they can indeed make it out on time without picking up thee debts then college may be for them. However, one must understand the risks that come along with the possible rewards. 

In the TED talk "What Is a College Education?" by David Ray attempts to answer two questions: What is a college education and does everyone need one? Ray states that from 1920 until current times the idea of who should be attending college has changed drastically. In 1920 it was stated that about 2% of an age cohort should be attending college (Ray). After World War II the idea of college changed drastically with the introduction of the GI Bill and a period of sustained American prosperity and a period of expansive government for roughly 25 years. By the 50's and 60's roughly 50% of an age cohort would be attending college with about 25% of the graduating. (Ray). Things have changed since then the United States is no longer in a period of prosperity and expansive government. Because of this states have cut funding for public universities year after year. Due to that the universities have had to increase their prices. By increasing these prices it begins to call into question the value of a college education and its possible benefits. Then one must look at the other side of the spectrum, the job market. In the past three recessions the percentage of jobs in the market has decreased drastically. The US has then slowly recovered over the expanse of many years. This is most commonly known as a jobless recovery. The recovery time is incredibly different in comparison to previous recessions in the United States. When these are graphed the last three clearly take the shape of a U where as the ones pervious to it clearly take the shape of a V showing a much quicker recovery in the job market. It has been four and a half years since the most recent recession and the US has still yet to reach its original amount of jobs. Not only that but the jobs that are being created are low skill low-income jobs. This is where the shift in the structure of the American job market can be seen. Knowing this it becomes hard to justify the amount of students attending college considering the possibility of unemployment or underemployed. As of 2013 53% of college graduates were unemployed or underemployed (Ray). David ultimately comes to the conclusion that in order for us as a nation to have a college education as a gold standard we must become more motivated as students and learners. 

The question of whether or not a college degree is necessary in America's Labor Force has been be debated for years. People have considered it a necessity to succeed in ones post high school life however, as our economy has progressed and the price tag of college has increased astronomically the question arises is it worth it? When one is considering whether or not college is for them they need to ask themselves a couple of questions: Am I motivated enough? Can I graduate on time without taking on large amounts of student debt? Do I have an idea of what field I will be going into after college? Is this degree necessary for me to succeed? All of these things need to be answered before one commits to pursuing a college education. If the answer is no to any of them then one may want to weigh the risks versus the reward. College is not for everyone and cannot be considered a golden standard in the United States until either people become more motivated or the price of college is reduced drastically. It is because of numerous reasons that college has gotten to the point it has. Because of our development as a nation this golden standard of the necessity of college has arisen. However, it is because of this idea that a college education is completely essential to ones success in life that people are drowning in student loan debt. College is not for everyone, only people who are particularly motivated and are able to see where they want to go in life will be able to get the full use of college. 

