The importance of an college education

As the years go by, the competitiveness and nature of professional occupations grow to be tougher and tougher, running with the flow of the society`s transgression. As such, the need for more competent and effective young professionals also appears to be a crucial contributing factor in acquiring a good-paying job and staying in the middle-class sector. This kind of attainment, however, does not prove available to all. There are a lot of certain prerogatives for those who have earned at least a bachelor`s degree in college; hence, this paper will discuss the importance of college education.
A report once covered Vice President Joe Biden giving a talk to a graduating college class, and had quoted him claiming the importance of college, alongside the ability to pay for it, are the necessary factors needed to stay on the middle class track (Kates, 2009.) In further support and expansion of this claim, Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) idealized through their extensive researches how college influences a student by citing several essential factors and their relationship with workforce earnings. They first proposed through a study that the quality of the college the individual attended has a significant impact on the fresh career earnings, especially for those who studied in various academic fields. This may prove that the essence of the cognitive preparedness and versatility of the individual is relied upon to accentuate a better workplace performance which would soon yield valuable results for the company applied in. However, based on the same study (Pascarella & Terezini, 2005), they also included the point of view of the employers that the fresh graduate employees may usually "lack an absolute level of job skills required for above-average performance." This claim is explained by having to note that these students are usually trained to be academically prepared revolving solely on the work`s content areas but fall short in areas that are related to the circumstance of the work such as interpersonal skills and priorities. Thus, employers often notice that these individuals find difficulty adjusting to the workplace especially in strategically applying their gained knowledge to their work environment.
They also idealized the net effects of college in the 1990`s. In their research, they were able to find strong amount of evidence which were enough to conclude that a bachelor`s degree provides a higher net occupational status advantage over that of a high school diploma by about 95%. Their study also presented the equation involving a positive relationship between postsecondary education and workplace participation, and that their integration would result to a negative relationship with the possibility of being unemployed. In other words, they strongly suggested the idea that a postsecondary (college or tertiary) education has an incredibly crucial impact on the unemployment rate.
On the other hand, postsecondary education on the perspective of the individual who attained it has complex influences on work satisfaction. "Having a college education tends to have a positive indirect effect on hob satisfaction through its impact on such factors such as job prestige and earnings, job autonomy, and nonroutine work" states Pascarella and Terezini. This relationship tends to negative since individuals with a college education appears to have higher work expectations, which then prompts them to take up jobs that does not necessarily require a college degree.
However, on the same study, when a college-educated individual is matched with a high school-educated individual on the same job and/or position, the college-educated individual tends to manifest a more significant and effective advantage on job performance because of the minor education that they were required to take that eventually improves their social, leadership, and analytic skills.
In the same study, concerning the net earnings premium of those with a college education, it appears that the net annual earnings for those with a bachelor`s degree are 37% for men and 39% for women. Moreover, the net earnings for those with sub-baccalaureate particularly those with an associate degree are about 17.5% for men and 27% for women. Their hourly wage premium is approximately 13% for men and 22% for women. This statistics can suggest that the individuals still have the possibility of improving their net annual earnings by obtaining further amounts of college education or vocational training even without pursuing a degree or certificate.
However, a college education does not solely revolve on the idea of graduating with a degree. It can also idealize the issue of credentialing or program effects (Pascarella & Terezini, 2005). But despite the matter of credentialing, employers will still opt to choose those with a degree than those who had four years of college education but without a degree. Similarly, the researchers reveal that those with a bachelor`s degree earn 15% (men) and 12% (women) more than those without.
In discussing the importance of college education, the factor of quality will essential in determining the impact of the education to the holistic well-being of the individual which would then be influential on how he adapts with his job. Such quality of college education can be further idealized through Birnbaum`s study regarding institutional diversity which points out that "less diverse higher education systems face greater risks of losing students to out-of-state institutions that fit these students` needs" (1993). However, the study also suggests an equal relationship between the quality and cost-effective output. More diverse institutions tend to be more cost-effective at revealing products that cater to the specific needs of the society. To elaborate, in comparison between a research universities and regional public universities or community colleges, the f...