There are many different ways to achieve an education such as trade schools, training programs or institution of higher learning. Nonetheless, attending college is generally accepted as the standard requirement for achieving a high paying job.
U.S. Department of Education statistics show that 76 out of 100 students who graduate in the bottom 40 percent of their high school class do not graduate from college, even if they spend 8 1/2 years doing an online college; that’s even with colleges having watered down classes to accommodate such students. Only 23 percent of the 1.3 million students who took college entrance examinations in 2007 were prepared to do college-level study in math, language skills and science. Even though a majority of students are grossly under-prepared to do college-level work, each year colleges admit hundreds of thousands of such students.
While colleges have strong financial motives to admit unsuccessful students for failing, students the experience can be devastating. They often leave school having piled up thousands of dollars in debt. There is possibly trauma and poor self-esteem for having failed and perhaps embarrassment for their families. Marty Nemko, author of America’s Most Overrated Product: Higher Education, says that worst of all, “Few of these former college students, having spent thousands of dollars, wind up in a job that required a college education.”
Throughout most of the 20th century, a high school diploma was sufficient enough to assure American employers that their job applicants and employees would be able to handle most basic tasks. Many companies operated their own internal training and development programs for recent high school graduates to ensure a well trained work force. As a result, many Americans enjoyed long, successful careers, working for the same companies until they were ready to retire.
Changes in the job market have put an end to those traditions. Most workers entering their first job today will change career paths at least seven times before they reach retirement age.
With workers jumping ship more frequently, few companies can afford to invest heavily in employee development. Therefore, more employers rely on job seekers to develop their own skills prior to joining a company. Consequently, the demand for workers with college degrees has skyrocketed over the past few decades.
You often hear people say that college is not for everyone. Choosing not to go to college makes finding employment much harder, or you may not advance in your career as quickly as you might like. It is imperative for a job applicant to be as highly skilled and educated as possible. Being educated in this country means acquiring at least a bachelor’s degree