Higher Learning: Is College Worth It?
Mark Zuckerberg, Russell Simmons, and Bill Gates have one thing in common: No college degree. Should we follow in their famous footsteps?
BY: TIARA KENNEDY
When taking out another loan or paying for textbooks, it is easy to wonder if college is worth it. Here are questions to ask when you are just unsure.
When you’re taking out another loan or paying for textbooks, it’s easy to wonder if college is worth the investment. The Pew Research Center reported that 86 percent of those surveyed are willing to pay the price. But, today, 14 million Americans are jobless and a lot of them hold bachelors’ degrees. Is college worth the time and money? Here are some questions to ask yourself when you start to wonder.
Is It Your Dream?
Today, 94 percent of parents expect their children to go to college, the Pew report says. Junior Briana Alston said she is in school partly because of her parents. “Ever since I was little, my parents would say you’re going to college, no ifs, ands, or buts about it,” she says. Teyona Kelly, a 26-year-old from Maryland says she did not see herself going to college. “It wasn’t something that I really wanted to do. I got out of high school and didn’t want to do four to six more years of school.” Instead she chose to attend a medical assistance trade school.
Rhonda Sharpe, Ph.D., an economics professor at Bennett, says that “most people come to college looking for a job, not to follow their passion.”
Does Your Career Require It?
When debating the value of higher education, many note the list of successful Americans, including Bill Gates and Russell Simmons, who didn’t earn a degree. But for black women, having a degree is important. Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce’s study, “The College Payoff” found that women must earn a doctoral degree in most fields to earn as much as black and white men with bachelors. But, in order to have a career in the medical and science fields, a bachelors degree is a must. For some careers, such as real estate and cosmetology, an associates is sufficient.
Can You Afford It?
The college dream is not cheap. According to the Bennett College Fact Book, it costs students $24,222 to attend. Junior Ashley Miller recently transferred back to Bennett. She says she’s often thought about dropping out due to financial difficulties. Miller’s mother is paying for both her and her brothers’ college education. “My mom is a single parent, too,” Miller says. Some students, like senior Kamaria Faison, are willing to pay the price.
“When it comes to how much I’m putting into it, I do not see the reward right now,” she says. “My assumption is that I will see those numbers on my paycheck increase in due time.” But, the current amount of student loan debt is alarming. American college students are over 948 trillion dollars in debt, according to MSNBC. Dr. Sharpe said she does not the statistics as a problem. She thinks students should expect to exit school with debt. “We don’t complain about students having high amounts of car debt, so we shouldn’t complain about student loan debt.”
Does It Offer More Than Education?
Students leave college with more than a degree. The Pew study found that 69 percent of people say that college was useful in helping them mature. Faison said that since coming to college, she has gained a sense of integrity. “Personal growth has, by far, in my eyes, exceeded what I expected.”
Dr. Sharpe says college gave her unshakeable confidence. “You’re not going to tell me what I can and cannot do,” she explains. “And you’re definitely not going to tell me something that I know isn’t right.”
Dr. Sharpe concludes that the value of a college education depends on your goals. “When you start talking about the value of college, there isn’t a right or wrong answer. It’s from your perspective,” she says.