College Education

Many people that I talk to do not find a college education to be very important. I come from a family that has never had anyone, which I can link to in my family tree, graduate from college. I come from a place where the oilfield has taken over the town and people are simply blinded by the money in it. With experience in the construction business people tell me several times a day that going to college is not worth the time or money, and that some day starting my own construction company is the way to go. The more I hear the more I could not disagree. My firm belief is simply this, a college education allows you to do something you enjoy, in the long run the pay and the benefits are greater, and knowledge is power.

It is true that the escalating cost of higher education is the reason why many people do not believe in continuing beyond high school. This is even truer for the families in the lower income brackets (Porter 1). They see the benefits of a full time job are greater then the burden of spending four years in college. But in the long run you can see that the benefits of higher education are greater.

People around me are constantly bragging on how much money they make, and constantly complaining about how much they hate work. By completing college you can pick a career that not only allows you to make as much money as you want, but one you can also enjoy. Most people would rather spend there lives doing something they look forward to doing every day rather then dreading the time that there alarm clock is going to ring. A career is something you do every day, and a big part of how happy you are. A bad day at work usually means a bad day all together. When your doing something you want to be doing, it's rarely a bad day.

Many people are eager to get into the quick cash after high school and do not see the point in spending so much time and money on college. What they don't realize is hard work and dedication always leads to great things. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average high school graduates annual earnings is $30,800 while the average annual income for someone with a bachelor degree is $49,400. Even more impressive is the annual earnings of someone with a master's degree which is $59,500. ("How a college education can pay off" 1)

But more importantly than money, knowledge is power. It is the power to take control of your own life, the power to choose your career, the power to know that you can handle any task you are faced with, and the power to have confidence that you are an intelligent person. Societies in the past have proven this so widely known statement. "In the middle east women are kept from having any power by outlawing