MCKENNA DRAMMEH
SAMARA OSHIRO
STAFF WRITERS
When Moanalua High School students learned about career pathways in grade 9 CAP (Career and Academic Planning), we learned about a wide range of careers available to us--the most lucrative requiring a college education. And by grade 11, “going to college” became a focus, with several weeks devoted to preparing for the ACT college test in February.
For those of us who will face, or are now facing the decision of whether or not we should, or even can, go to college, the common question we ask ourselves is whether or not college is even worth it, given what we want to do with our lives.
College remains the traditional way of preparing for one’s future career and has always ensured students would be prepared to enter the workforce. It is not uncommon for students who enter the military or go straight to work later decide they need a college degree in order to advance in their field.
One of the main problems surrounding going to college for us right now, though, is students’ fear of the financial burdens that comes with attending. With the average four-year public university tuition at $24,000, and a four-year private university costing more than $32,000, the price tag alone--not counting the stress of the application process--is enough to discourage some students. Although it may seem as if college is detrimental to one’s financial state, it is possible to attend college and maintain financial stability. Forbes reporter Reyna Gobel wrote an article on the five reasons as to why college is still worth it.
“There are families that didn’t have to touch their college savings accounts because they coordinated the scholarship search from early on,” Gobel said.
With the number of scholarships made available to students in this day and age, combined with an easy application to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), there is hope in attending college without going broke. (For more information on obtaining a scholarship go to Niche.com, ScholarshipOwl.com, or Scholarships.com) Knowing that taking out loans for colleges are inevitable and at most times seem scary, Gobel also notes, “The secret is balancing education with a reasonable amount of debt.” Taking out manageable, small increments of loans, knowing it is possible to pay the bank back with the money made saved along the way, will help ensure one’s ability to manage their education and the price of it.
For parents able to plan ahead, all fifty states sponsor a 529 savings plan that allows families to save and invest for future education costs and receive tax benefits. (For more information on 529 plans, see sec.gov.)
Derek Newton, a contributing writer for Forbes Magazine, addressed the ongoing issue, answering, “The question [still] persists as to whether colleges help people prepare to enter the workforce. If they didn’t, you may expect there to be large numbers of college graduates who cannot find work, but the unemployment rate among college graduates is historically low – just 2.2% as of November 2018.”
Derek Newton, a contributing writer for Forbes Magazine, addressed the ongoing issue, answering, “The question [still] persists as to whether colleges help people prepare to enter the workforce. If they didn’t, you may expect there to be large numbers of college graduates who cannot find work, but the unemployment rate among college graduates is historically low – just 2.2% as of November 2018.”
A good college offers direction for students looking for assistance in preparing themselves for their future career and getting an education altogether. Although some argue that attending college forces students to live with their parents, delay big milestones, and postpone financial independence, today, more jobs than ever require a college degree. In the 1970s, 72 percent of jobs required a high school diploma compared to the mere 34 percent of jobs that today. From 2007 to 2010, the jobs that require a college degree grew by 187,000 while jobs requiring a high school degree fell by 5.6 million.
Even those who join the military after high school graduation should know that commissioned officers need a college degree. Those who graduate from college can enlist in the military and start at the E4 pay scale, the highest pay scale below the non-commissioned officer ranks.
So if you're looking for a wide range of employment options, as well as a long-established job, college is still the way to properly prepare.