Deciding to enroll in college or join the workforce after high school is an easy decision for some. For others, however, the cost of higher education can make recent graduates wonder if the degree is worth the debt.
In a recent survey found in a NBC article, “Americans Split on Whether 4-Year College Degree Is Worth the Cost,” the national survey found 49 percent of Americans agreed college is worth its cost, as many people go on to get decent jobs. But at the same time, 47 percent said a degree is not worth it with the amount of debt accumulated once they graduate.
We at The Equinox recognize college can be expensive and you may end up graduating with loans that could potentially hold you down for years. However, a college degree does help open doors that may not have been there without a degree.
Photo by olivia belanger / administrative executive editor
Photo illustration by alexandria saurman / managing executive editor
It helps with expanding your network of contacts through your professors and who they know, allowing you to meet people you may not have been able to before.
It gives you connections for internships and allows you to volunteer for opportunities that have the potential to expand your knowledge. College allows you to grow and realize who you are.
Even if you don’t end up getting the job you want in your profession, college is still important because you come away with a degree, and there are many jobs out there that will turn you away if you don’t have one.
We also realize that not everyone has the same path or has knowledge of where their path is going and that is okay. We wish that it was more acceptable among our society to take gap years.
Going into school with no idea of what you want to do is an awful feeling, and the pressure of having to go to college right after you graduate from high school with no set major or plan is worse.
But we think students should feel okay switching their major multiple times, or even jump from school to school until you find the right one. Everyone is different and there is no right way of taking steps towards getting a career.
Education is important for our future. This generation of college students will soon be the next generation of grown adults making political decisions, creating new technology and shaping society. That’s not to say that those who don’t go to college will not help contribute to our future.
Many of the people who we rely on have jobs that don’t need degrees such as mail carriers, maintenance workers, real estate brokers, streetcar drivers and home care aids to name a few.
There are many successful people out there who never went to college and we really appreciate everything they do.
In the long run, We at The Equinox feel that getting an education at Keene State is completely worth it because we have taken advantage of our resources and enjoy being involved on campus with this organization.
