Determining whether or not a college degree is necessary in the American Labor Force caught my eye when I was looking through possible topics. This is due to the fact that I am currently a college student. In todays world there are more and more people creating start up companies that are sold for considerable amounts of money. Also no one can forget Bill Gates a man who never actually finished his four-year degree having dropped out of Harvard after only two years of education. Success stories like these call to question the necessity of a college degree. Though I have seen both sides of the argument I personally hope to graduate college with a degree somewhere in Finance and Real Estate. The research I have found thus far has changed my perception of the necessity of a college degree in the work force. Considering my exposure to college has been a little more than a semester I cannot definitively assert that it is or isn't necessary. However, I have been researching this topic for several weeks and have found arguments for getting a college degree and arguments in opposition to getting a degree. This has given me important statistical information surrounding both people with and without college degrees. It has also opened my mind to other ideas surrounding this topic and possible resolutions to this question. 

In the interest of answering my research question, I will present three sources. The first is an article by Brooke Berger titled, "Why a College Degree May Not Be Worth It." In this article, Brooke Berger addresses numerous questions surrounding college education with the help of former U.S. Secretary of Education, William Bennett. The article primarily addresses four questions: is a college degree necessary for success? If not what are some alternatives? What is different about college than in past years? How can the situation be improved? Brooke Berger poses all of these questions, which are answered by William Bennett. Is a college degree necessary for success? William Bennett cites a statistic from his book that states, "By 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." (Berger). 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. Brooke Berger then poses the question, what is different about college than in past years? William Bennett goes on to cite more statistics stating that more people are going to college however, less are considering it worth the investment. He then speaks about the increased prices of college. Bennett attributes this to three reasons the first being that parents are funding students' college education and are willing to pay top dollar to allow their children to go to college. He then speaks of the ever-increasing want of money that colleges have. He finally states that the Federal Government endlessly subsidizes the increases in college and higher education. Berger poses her final question of how to improve this situation. Bennett comes back with a simple but effective answer; shed light on the topic he states, it's that easy. He says, "Sunlight is the best disinfectant." (Berger). The values addressed in this article are the unnecessarily high costs of college and the true reasoning behind sending a student to college. The author, Brooke Bennett and the source, William Bennett are credible. The author, Brooke Berger, has numerous articles published on the U.S. News website and also collaborated with the former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett while writing this article. 

The second source is an article from a debate board that consists of highly qualified writers. Craig Brandon's article," With College, Only The Motivated Need Apply," represents a different side to the argument surrounding whether or not college is necessary to succeed in today's economy. Brandon makes the argument that yes, if a student is motivated and has clear goals then they should absolutely go to college however; he also makes the claim that most are "party animals that drink more than they spend time studying." (Brandon). Craig Brandon goes on to cite a book, Academically Adrift that states that kids don't really learn anything in their six years at a so-called four-year college. He also delves into debt problems, "These graduates have an average of $25,000 in student debt that they must pay off working as waiters or clerks. This debt can never be forgiven, even if they declare bankruptcy, and God help them if they default, because the debt can quickly reach the $100,000 level. Banks and college administrators are complicit in this systematic fleecing of our young people, the debt-for-diploma deal, selling them classes they don't want to attend at outrageous prices that increase relentlessly year after year." (Brandon). He expresses that even if these kids, that should be going to college, make it out they won't last long due to the outrageous prices of college. Brandon stands firm on the statement that at the current price tag of college it makes no economic sense to send most to college. Over ninety percent of high school counselors suggest a parent send their kids to college to appease the parent's wishes but in reality is it really beneficial to the students? Craig Brandon says no (Brandon). This article addresses the values of saving a kid from making a great mistake in their life. Though it may not seem that college could lead to bad things coming out of school thousands of dollars in debt has been detrimental to hundreds of students entering the work force for the first time. Craig Brandon is a credible source because he is the author of The Five-Year Party: How Colleges Have Given Up On Educating Your Child and What You Can Do About It, which won the silver prize in the education category in the 2010 Book of the Year Awards.

The third source is an online article from the New York Times. 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 author, Catherine Rampell, is a New York Times writer. Before that she served as the founding editor of a blog called Economix, which was honored with an award from the Society of Business Writers and Editors. She has also received numerous awards after that. 

The Argue-ability of my topic is quite clear. There are copious amounts of articles and debates about whether or not a college degree is necessary in today's society. Many stand firm on the belief that a college degree isn't and many believe that it is. There are many success stories of people that never graduated just like there are many people that have graduated from college and succeeded in life as well. Having researched this topic I am finding myself to be coming to the belief that no, college is not for everyone and yes, one can succeed without it however, a college degree is indeed becoming a necessity in todays society. 

