How Important is a College Education in Today’s Economy

Since the seventeenth century, people have understood that knowledge is power and obtaining knowledge should be available to those who want it. We as a race have developed tremendously since the seventeenth century when it comes to education. The development of this knowledge has extended to post-secondary school, as well. As a college education became more available to the public, so did the need for people with college degrees. A college education is important to the economy because college degrees help create jobs and train workers, work place and life skills are developed in college, and it helps our nation compete with the competitive global economy.

In the beginning of the movement for an emphasis on education, there were very few colleges that offered another degree beside ministry. The post-secondary school allowed young men to learn about the profession which they wanted to flourish in, the education to perform the job was only obtained through a college education. For example, without a college education, a neurosurgeon would not be able to perform the tasks that their job requires them to. College opens the opportunities for jobs to be created along with training for jobs. Workers increase their earning potential by developing and refining their capabilities. The more they understand their job functions, the more valuable they become to an employer. (Radcliffe 2009). For employers, having an employee who is more qualified for the position is more appealing than an employee who has the bare minimum of an education of the job at hand. Inquiring a deeper knowledge of a subject allows the person to confidently know what they are doing. College expands on a high school education and helps the student focus on what they want to do with their lives career wise.

In addition to the knowledge to perform their jobs correctly, college teaches students life and work lessons for the future. It is not easy getting through college, it is drastically different for some than high school. Students not only learn how to manage their time and how to self-motivate, they also learn leadership and independence. Traits like time management and leadership help the student beyond college. In the workforce, knowing how to manage your time and get your job done quickly and effectively can help promotions come faster. College also teaches a trait that helps in life and the workplace, responsibility. In college, a student is responsible for their work getting turned in on time, or they fail. Responsibility is a trait can be carried to the workplace as well. A good employee will not procrastinate their work and take responsibility for their actions, which can be learned in college. Not only do you learn traits, college allows students to make connections with people that could potentially help them later in their career. The more connections which are collected in your college career, the more options you have when you begin a job search. (McGuire 2011). Thus, college connections carry out into the workplace and help the economy grow.

Additionally, a college education helps the nation compete with the global economy. Two major concepts that influence wage rate and the nation’s ability to keep up with other countries is training and education. (Radcliffe 2009). The need for educated people has become evident when looking at our nation compared to others. For example, one in four U.S. students did not reach the PISA baseline level two mathematics, while fifty-five percent of students in China are considered “top performers”, with the United States only having nine percent of its students classified in that category. (Ryan 2013). Seventeen countries are ahead of the United States according to the OECD (The Organization for Economic cooperation and Development) ranking chart of countries based on their average in mathematics, reading, and science.

Countries that have higher education scores are a good sign that a country’s economy will grow as well. As technology has advanced, so has the competitive industry between countries to be on top of the curve for the “next big thing”. About ninety percent of the fast-growing jobs of the future will require a post-secondary education. (Yen 2014). In college, students learn how to critically think about situations at hand. With more educated people, the nation would have a population that was able to critically think about decisions the government made and could potentially help the nation with speaking up. College opens minds to the world; it allows people to form their own opinion and to become educated about today’s economy.

In conclusion, a college education benefits not only the student, but a future employer and the nation. Even though a four-year degree is not for everyone, training and learning a trade at a community college can be just as satisfying. If the option for a college education was not available, there would be limitations on the economic growth of a country. A country’s economy becomes more productive as the proportion of educated workers increases. (Yen 2014). A college education is important because it creates jobs for the future, it teaches life and work lessons, and it helps our nation compete in the competitive global economy. As a nation, we should strive to educate our people in reading, math, science, and critical thinking. If high schools would prepare students more before they actually enter college, there would more than likely be an increase in college attendees. Education empowers people to develop as a person and gain knowledge through learning. Without education, there is no development in a country’s thinking or economy. (Ryan 2009). Therefore, knowledge is the ultimate power someone can possess.

References
McGuire, J. (2011, March). Importance of a College Education. Collegeview. Retrieved from http://www.collegeview.com/articles/articles/importance-of-a-college-education

Radcliffe, B. (2009, October) How Education and Training affect the economy. Investopia. Retrieved from http://www.investopia.com/articles/econmonics/09/education-training-advantages Ryan, J. (2013, December). American schools vs. the World: expensive, unequal, bad at math. The Atlantic. Retrieved from