Serendipity35

This past weekend, I stumbled upon this section of the BusinessWeek website called "The Debate Room" with the topic "Is college worth the cost?"

Notice that I didn't use that as this post's title because I think they actually ended up debating whether or not a degree is a good investment, and that is not really the same thing. (Okay is on the  BUSINESSweek site...)

Since I attended a few colleges and have worked at a few, I take the "pro" side in this debate. Joining me is Brooks C. Holtom - an academic business person (McDonough School of Business at Georgetown) - who says the math is simple and that the benefits of a degree far outweigh the costs of tuition.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people who graduate with bachelor’s degrees will earn nearly twice as much over the course of their careers as those who complete only high school. College grads earn $2.1 million in lifetime income compared with $1.2 million for high school grads. The cost of four years’ tuition for a public school amounts to approximately $28,000 and for private school is about $100,000. Even if they go with the more expensive educational option, college grads net on average an extra $800,000 in lifetime earnings.

College also prepares you for a well-rounded and healthful life (college grads smoke less, exercise more, and are twice as likely to engage in volunteer work).

The social networks (the real ones, not online) developed in college have lifelong personal and professional benefits.

A college education dramatically increases the probability of finding a job that you enjoy.

Of course, someone is going to bring up someone like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) or Michael Jordan or LeBron James and point out that these people achieved success without a four-year degree. But it's easier to point out the bigger numbers of people who succeed with a degree - not million-billionaire success, but a good return on the degree.