It is common for individuals to question whether college is worth the commitment. These people also have evidence to support the claim of not being worth it. Very successful people such as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg either dropped out of college, or did not attend at all. Most surprisingly, John D. Rockefeller dropped out of school when he was 16, and by the end of his life, he had $1 billion dollars. However, these cases are very rare. A majority of people will not come across things in their life that will lead to success like these individuals. An ordinary person needs something that helps them stand out in the job market. A college degree is perfect for this. A college degree will lead to many advantages in an individual’s life, and also in the society that the individual is a part of. Though a college degree can be very expensive, the end payout will be much greater than the cost of tuition and the time it took to achieve this degree. An individual will benefit by having an all-around better life, a higher average income, and many experiences in college that will be remembered for a lifetime. A society will be at an advantage with a higher number of college graduates because there would be a more productive workforce, more jobs which require higher education will be satisfied, and a robust democracy and civilized society will begin to form.  All of these advantages that are gained by obtained a college degree in total greatly outweigh the many costs that comes along with the degree. The more people that understand this, the better off the world will be. 

There are many reasons why an individual would believe that a college degree is not a necessity in life, and therefore is not worth the cost. These people could use the individuals who have become very successful in life without a college degree as evidence. However, these people are outliers. The likelihood of an individual becoming very successful without a college degree is small. If this were an easy task, then nobody would go to college. Instead, most people would wait for their opportunity to become successful. Unfortunately, this is not how the world works. Most people have to work hard and diligently to become successful. A college degree along with hard and diligent work greatly increases the chance of success. 

Other people believe that college is not worth the cost because there is a high risk of a student dropping out of college. They say that the number of college graduates has not greatly increased since the 1990s. The argument is that, because of the high cost and low payoff of a degree, fewer people are attending college. Danielle Paquette, a journalist, writes, “In 2013, 65.9 percent of graduating high school seniors enrolled in a two- or four-year college, a level that is only modestly above the percentage in the early 90s.” Although this may be true, it does not accurately represent the level of college graduates. Students in the 90s did not have of much as an incentive to graduate college. A degree was much rarer and not as appealing in these years. Because of this, many students who attended did not feel required to put forth the necessary time and effort in college to acquire a degree. As Paquette writes again, “In 1997, only 35.3 percent earned a degree in four years.” If the students knew the advantages of a college degree, they would have been more likely to maintain their grades and remain in school.

Many of the advantages of a college degree are beneficial to the individual only. One of these advantages is a higher income. Many people know that jobs that require a college degree usually pay more because of this. Jennifer Koebele, a scholar, writes that, “A median weekly salary of a high school graduate is $678 while the weekly salary of an individual with a bachelor’s degree is $1,1370.” Although a college degree does come with a price, this statistic shows that an individual will have the income to pay back their loans. Also, after the loans are paid off, all of this extra income can go straight into the pockets of the jobholder. This is one of the most well-known and biggest advantages of obtaining a college degree. A higher salary will eventually pay off the dollar cost of college and leave the individual with currency that they can do what they choose with. 

An individual will also have many experiences in college that cannot be obtained anywhere else. College is a place where many leave the comfort and safety of their home with their parents for the first time and form lifelong friendships with people that they would not have met otherwise. Casey Slide, a journalist, writes, “The idea here is that college is more than just a way to get a high-paying job, it’s a way to enjoy life and become the person you were meant to be.” College is where many people are brought together with the common goal of obtaining a college degree. The advantages are far beyond the obvious increase in income. Many people might say that the experiences that they have in college alone outweigh the cost that they paid. These experiences are different for everyone, though, everyone who attends college can agree that they will never forget the memories that they have while attending such as exposure to people from different backgrounds, hearing new ideas, reading new things, learning new skills, and having fun at new socials events like parties.  

Oddly enough, an individual with a college degree may also have a healthier lifestyle, which would lead to a better all-around life. Matea Pender and Jessica Howell, scholars, argue that, “Not only do individuals with a college degree earn higher wages than their peers without a college degree, they also lead healthier lifestyles, experience greater job satisfaction, and engage in more civic activity.” Many people dread waking up in the morning and going to work. This can make an individual have a life that they do not enjoy. However, if they would have obtained a college degree, they would most likely have a job that they chose based on their interests and skills. This would increase job satisfaction, which would lead to a happier life. Also, an individual with a college degree would be more likely to make healthy decisions such as not spending their higher income on damaging substances such as alcohol or tobacco. If a college degree would increase the quality of life, how could any cost outweigh that? 

An individual will benefit from the cost of college more right now than they have ever before. As stated above, there are many benefits that are received when a college degree is acquired. However, what if one still believes that college has to high of tuition to cover the benefits? All they would need to do is some research. Katherine Peralta writes, “Though the price of education has risen, the out-of-pocket amount students pay is lower than the ‘sticker price,’ given the amount of aid that students receive that they don’t have to pay back, such as grants and tax benefits.” Now is the time to attend college. Though the price of tuition may be intimidating, it does not count the student aid that is available in this country. The government has tried to make college easily accessible to everyone. Depending on many variables such as family income, location, and major, tuition could be much lower than the original price. As the literal price for college decreases, the benefits stay the same. With less cost but the same amount of benefits, the benefits become more rewarding. The benefits are acquired at a lower cost but the college graduate is still granted with the many advantages. The benefits then outweigh the cost by a greater amount. 

Another advantage that an individual with a college degree has over someone without a degree is the amount of exercise that they do. Although this is an odd comparison, studies have shown that it is true. Missy Katner, a biologist turned into a journalist, writes, “Among young adults, 68% of four-year college graduates reported exercising vigorously at least once a week, making them 28% more likely to do so than high school graduates.” Exercise can greatly increase the mental health of an individual. College graduates realizes the benefits that come with exercise and are more likely to capitalize on them. Exercise can increase the self-esteem of an individual. It can also give an individual something to look forward to or a goal to reach. With a goal to reach in exercising, an individual will be more likely to take care of their bodies and minds. They will also push themselves in other aspects of their life so they can have more time to accomplish their exercise goals. This will lead to a more productive person and I person with a better mental health status.  

A society can benefit as well when more individuals within the society have college degrees. Contrary to popular belief, there are not enough employees to satisfy the jobs that require higher education in today’s societies. David Leonhardt writes, “The pay of people with a four-year college degree has risen compared to that of those with a high school degree but no college credit.” This statistic says a lot about the need for college graduates. If there were enough college graduates to satisfy the jobs that require them, then the pay gap would not be rising. Instead, the pay gap in increasing yearly because the need for college graduates is growing. As more people obtain college degrees, the society will have a lower unemployment level and will be better off because, the jobs that a society need to be successful will be filled by people with college degrees. There are more jobs than there are college graduates. Once the thirst the society has for college graduates is quenched; then society will be better off by having skilled individuals doing the jobs that are required to run a society, and that outweighs the cost of college. 

A society with more college graduates will also create a robust democracy and will be more civilized. Fred D’Agostino says, “The skills that are required to obtain a college degree are the same that are required in robust democracies and a civilized societies.” To obtain a college degree, one needs to be dedicated, have good time management, meet new people and work proficiently with them, and be able to handle stress. These are all skills that are needed to create a robust democracy and civilized society. A society with a workforce full of dedicated people that are working together well is hard to beat. Also, this work force would not be wasting time because they have the skills to know when things are supposed to be done and get them done within the timeframe. This will lead to a well-established democracy by having a good workforce to produce the necessities for the society and dedicated officials to keep the society running. A well run society outweighs the cost of college by not having a society with no structure. 

Another way that the benefits of going to college outweigh the cost for the society is the more college graduates there are, the more productive the work force will be. The entire purpose of college is to introduce new knowledge to the students. This knowledge shows the student that there is much to learn in the world. No one person knows all. The student then realizes that everywhere they look, new knowledge is available to be comprehended. The more college graduates there are, the more knowledge the society will have. Also, the society will be more likely to comprehend new knowledge. Walter McMahon writes, “Higher education creates human capital that is complementary with university-based research and development in both creating and disseminating new knowledge”(183). The human capital in the workforce will be much more productive with more college graduates in the society. The techniques that are used in college to learn the material will then be used in the workforce by the employees to learn and understand the tasks that they are required to do. This will create a workforce that outputs labor at the most productive level. The new knowledge that is learned in the workforce will be comprehended more clearly. This will lead to a workforce that fully understands how to do their job. This means that there will be fewer accidents on the job. Also, there will be less time wasted because fewer questions will be asked on the job. The employee will be more knowledgeable about the jobs process and will be more qualified to make certain decisions that others without a degree would not be able to. 

College graduates can help the society in ways that the average person does not see. College graduates handle themselves differently than a non-graduate. Gary Miller, a journalist, writes, “College graduates also contribute more and take less from society. During their lifetime they pay more taxes, enjoy better health, are less likely to be involved in criminal activity, and are more likely to volunteer in their communities and to vote.” Considering that the average college graduate earns a higher income, it is obvious that they would pay more taxes. With more taxes being paid to the society, there is increased room for expansion and upgrades within the community. With the increase of money for the community, more restaurants and attractions can be built to increase the number of individuals within the society. The increased number of individuals means that there are more people to pay taxes towards the society. With more taxes being paid, even more expansion is available. The community will endlessly expand and become more successful due to more college graduates entering the society. 

As the civilized society becomes more profitable and more active along with having enough people with college degrees to satisfy all the necessary jobs, more beneficial opportunities open for the society. With all the extra profits that come from a society full of college graduates, more fire departments, police stations, and hospitals could be built to help the citizens of the society more. As the number of first responders rise, the level of deaths and crime would decrease. The society will be a much happier place to live and the citizens of the society will benefit from this and the price that they paid to attend college would now be paying for an improved life in society. Also, with this new expansion available in the society, more colleges can be built. With more colleges being built, this may lower the price of college because of the new competition in the market. With a lower price of college and more colleges available, more people will attend. As stated before, the more college graduates, the more the society will benefit. Therefore, as more people graduate from college, the society will endlessly benefit. 

College is an unforgettable experience. The benefits of attending college are virtually increasing daily. When a college graduate buys an item that causes happiness or pleasure with the income that is higher due to the college degree, they are increasing the benefits that they received from their degree. Likewise, as a society increases the amount of college graduates within it, the society will benefit endlessly. The society will become more profitable, and in return, will have benefits at the microscopic level of the society. With all these benefits, how could anyone say that the price of college is not outweighed by the benefits of obtaining a degree? As time goes on after the degree is acquired, the benefits continue to rise forever. Even after the price of college is paid off, the benefits still continue to grow. The entire price of going to college for an individual is different for everyone. It is dependent on variables such as the time committed, the price, and the loss of opportunities that were taken due to attending college. However, the entire price of college for each individual will be paid back eventually. The price of college will always be outweighed by the benefits. 
