Persuasive Essay

Is a Four-Year Degree Essential to Getting a Good Job? Most people in America see a college degree as a crucial step toward acquiring quality employment. In order to get a good job in this country, nearly 7 in 10 adults strongly believe that having a college degree is essential. Statistical evidence proves that 53% of recent college graduates are either underemployed or unemployed. In this essay, I want to show that a college diploma isn't worth all that it used to be. To get hired today, graduates need to obtain hard skills. In today’s tough economy, people all across America are struggling to find mediocre jobs much less the jobs that their college degrees have supposedly “qualified” them for. About 1.5 million people who have a bachelor's degree, that were age 25 and under last year were either unemployed or underemployed. This is the highest share America has seen in the last eleven years. A generic college degree used to be a valuable credential when there were fewer graduates, but now that the work force is overflowing with college graduates who are unable to find quality jobs in their field of training, a generic college degree is less advantageous. According to the College Board, bachelor’s degree tuition at a private university for four years ends up costing a staggering $105,092.00, and that is assuming that there are no detours along the way. Because of such high costs, parents are struggling, students are applying for financial aid, and scholarship applications are at an all-time high. Due to these excessive costs, many high school graduates are attending trade schools instead so that they can learn a specific skill such as nursing. In today’s flooded job market, diplomas are worth less, and specific skills are worth more. This means that, in many cases, technical and associate’s degrees might be worth more financially than a liberal arts degree. It is expected that some of the quickest growing jobs are going to be in so-called "middle-skill" positions which do not require a full, four-year education, such as nursing. It's one more sign that, for those that are trying to fix America's employment picture, evidence proves that a "college for all" view is the wrong idea. Instead, we need to move towards a "skills for all" view. In order to obtain a quality career in today’s work force, evidence proves that a two-year associate’s degree or four-year bachelor’s degree will not guarantee you a job. Most employers in business today are looking for highly trained professionals that are motivated and detail oriented. I believe that a specific skill-set is a lot more valuable than the diploma itself.