Do you really make more money with a college degree these days?

Jump to Last Post 1-10 of 10 discussions (10 posts)
  1. Amanda Ligi profile image61
    Amanda Ligiposted 12 years ago

    Do you really make more money with a college degree these days?

    https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/5999250_f260.jpg

  2. dipless profile image69
    diplessposted 12 years ago

    The stats say yes, and for specialised industries I would say this is still true. However a more general subject is often very difficult to find a graduate level job, so many take jobs they could have got without the degree. However one thing is clear, that is the final salaries of degree holders, especially Masters and doctorates, are substantially higher than the national average.

  3. profile image0
    SmarttChickposted 12 years ago

    This is a very complex question, and the answer is as well.

    In the post-WWII years, those with degrees were often automatically moved into the managerial ranks, regardless of the degree. People saw this as an indictment of not having the degree, and as student loan and federal funding opened up, there was a SURGE for everyone to get a degree, ANY degree, as it appeared to guarantee a higher salary. 

    This game went on though the decadent 1980s and into the mid-1990s where other similar stupidity seemed to permeate American society (like taking unlimited 2nd mortgages out on your home since home prices ALWAYS go up,...).

    As tuition and fees at all institutions have continued to outpace the cost of living, other realities (great recession, wage stagnation, housing bust, unemployment, etc.) have sucker-punched the workforce. 

    If you look only at the unemployment rates for people with degrees (~4%) as opposed to those without degrees (~8%), you will think that indeed, you are better off with a degree, but I will add this caveat:

    Most of us don't have trustfunds to pay for college, and it keeps getting more expensive. If you borrow $50,000 - $100,000 for a bachelor's degree (not uncommon today), you need to look at how much you'll make in your new profession and compare that to how much your student loans will cost each month.

    Sometimes, it might be better to work in a lower-paying job, attend schoool PART TIME (paying as much on your own as possible) and avoid the high student loan payments that accompany too many of college degrees being awarded today.

  4. Jesus was a hippy profile image60
    Jesus was a hippyposted 12 years ago

    It depends what you do. I started driving a taxi when I was 20 years old and walked straight in to earnings up to £1000 a week. I know carpet fitters and window cleaners that earned the same money while university graduates were struggling to find a £400 a week job.

    Of course now there is a recession, they will find it even harder to find a job, but in relation, my earnings are lower too.

  5. plussize-lingerie profile image61
    plussize-lingerieposted 12 years ago

    I think the answers above are great. I think it is becoming less clear cut as to whether a degree is beneficial, which is something of a tragedy.

    I'm not sure when we as a society decided that we should make education something that's not worth having, but that's where we seem to have got to.
    The idea that the degree only benefits the recipient rather than society as a whole and the government through tax receipts is one that will come back to bite us, but not until long after these politicians have left office so they don't care.

    Increasing costs of eductation are simpy another example of the ladder being pulled up after a generation with no thought to the long term effects on the quality of workforce being generated in 10 years time.

    Frankly, I could go on, but the truth is currently a degree might be worth getting, depending on what job you want afterwards, but think carefully.

  6. keithlipke profile image61
    keithlipkeposted 12 years ago

    It really depends on what degree you get, or what job you're doing at that time. Check out BLS.gov for more info on salaries.

  7. AnimeHime2011 profile image61
    AnimeHime2011posted 12 years ago

    Not really positive and I think that it depends on where you live at as well. But I'm gonna try to see about what kind of things that I'll be able to do after I finish the step of finishing my GED.

  8. cleaner3 profile image69
    cleaner3posted 12 years ago

    I hope that I do make more money. but right now I fit the profile of working and going to school part time. I had another smart person tell me that it sometimes is better to go part time and get A's instead of going full time and get C's.  When a prospective employer looks at my resume and see's A's and compares it to another resume who has C's .
    Who do you think he will hire? Even though the other person has the same degree that took 2 years and mine took 4 years. Would you go to a doctor that had grades of C's or grades of A's for surgery?
    Good Question

  9. Tiger Mom profile image60
    Tiger Momposted 12 years ago

    Yes.  It's a buyer's market right now.  Employers dictate the minimum requirements for a job position.  Even entry level positions who traditionally do not require a bachelors degree are requiring one now.  In order to get into interview for a job, you have to have a bachelors degree.  The jobless do not require a degree, and make less, obviously.

  10. profile image51
    moisesklineposted 12 years ago

    Statistically, it's been proven that degree holders make more money than those without a college degree. It's true that employers will prefer a resume that boasts of a college degree over one that lacks it. It also depends on what industry you make your career in. If it's medical science, engineering, or business, then having a degree is important to even get your foot in the door. I believe college education, and subsequently, a degree increases your chances of a well-paid job. If you read California College San Diego student reviews, you'll find that most students agree with the fact that a degree has helped them in many ways to build a strong future.
    http://www.cc-sd.edu/about-us

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)