Pro & Con Quotes: Is a College Education Worth It?

“Higher education is a critical driver of economic progress. It is also the key policy lever for improving mobility from one generation to the next, especially for low-income, first-generation, Black, and Latino students. As the state’s economy has evolved, the job market has increasingly demanded more highly educated workers, a trend that is projected to continue into the future.

In addition to having higher earnings and better job benefits, college graduates are more likely to own a home and less likely to be in poverty or need social services. Society as a whole is also better off, thanks to lower unemployment, less demand for public assistance programs, lower incarceration rates, higher tax revenue, and greater civic engagement.”

“The truth is it [college] remains a crucial driver of success. But we must empower our students with the skills to be innovators, creators and entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship education empowers students to think creatively, to seek opportunities and solve problems, to empathize with others, to take risks, to accept failure as part of the growth process, and to help take a passion or idea and turn it into a viable business. Learning to think and act like an entrepreneur emboldens students to take charge of their own destinies, and in doing so, it powers the American Dream.
My success story [which includes no college education] is the kind of entrepreneurship story that people like to glamorize, but the reason those stories are popular is because they’re so unlikely. What we need right now aren’t idealized stories of success, but a reliable pathway for all bright young minds with the right ideas to make the most of their opportunities, and entrepreneurial education provides just that.”

“The message that college is ‘no longer worth it’ is not only false but also dangerous for America’s low-income students…

On the whole, a college degree remains the surest bet for social and economic advancement. The economic returns of college are especially profound for low-income students, and yet they are far more susceptible to college avoidance than their more affluent peers, who are likely to go to college anyway.

Such views are hugely problematic for those of us hoping to improve economic mobility in the United States. Almost all the job and wage growth now goes to people with some form of postsecondary education. “

“[M]ost students who finish a U.S. higher education have trained minds that can handle a variety of positions and occupations. While that may not materialize for every student, it’s simply folly to argue we should discourage higher ed aspirations for millions because there are unfilled jobs in service fields. Meanwhile, China knows that higher ed attainment is directly correlated to successful economies. That’s why they export their students here and import our universities’ practices…

Our society loses the ability to function when its citizens do not know history, cannot and are not trained to read complicated texts and cannot weigh decisions for themselves, their world…

Any employer wants employees who can problem-solve and who knows how to learn. There are many paths to those attributes, but college – or some modern evolution of it — is the most likely equalizer for these soft skills.”

“The trouble with the ‘college is not for everyone’ message is not in the recognition that the trades are a necessary part of our life. It is the message that college is only for ‘some’ people.

In an attempt to beat back the perception that a college education is elite, those who call for an appreciation of the professional tracks have inadvertently put forward that carpenters don’t need to know history, mechanics don’t need critical thinking, HVAC technicians don’t need to understand economics, or that landscapers shouldn’t be fluent in a second language…

I want everyone to have the benefits of a college education: to have the skills to live a life full of enjoyment, reflection and self-betterment.”

“Education helps us be better people. It helps us be better citizens. You came to college to learn about the world and to engage with new ideas and to discover the things you’re passionate about — and maybe have a little fun. And to expand your horizons. That’s terrific — that’s a huge part of what college has to offer.

But you’re also here, now more than ever, because a college degree is the surest ticket to the middle class. It is the key to getting a good job that pays a good income — and to provide you the security where even if you don’t have the same job for 30 years, you’re so adaptable and you have a skill set and the capacity to learn new skills, it ensures you’re always employable.

And that is the key not just for individual Americans, that’s the key for this whole country’s ability to compete in the global economy. In the new economy, jobs and businesses will go wherever the most skilled, best-educated workforce resides… And I want them to look no further than the United States of America.”