A college degree can be worth so much to someone in certain career fields, but for others, it can lead nowhere. It all depends on the profession that you are trying to go into. However, o
vertime, a college degree is decreasing in its value among many careers.
Learning and understanding different perspectives is challenging and one can go to school for that, but why? Where does that get you? You need other reasons to go to a top-notch school. Many students feel they need to go to college because that’s what society is expected someone out of high school to do. So they end up going without a real clue of what they want to do. This is a growing epidemic in the U.S.
According to Robin Good on medium.com, the overall value of college degrees are decreasing are due to many reasons like, “degrees are no longer a guarantee of getting a job, there is a growing number of alternatives, free or low-cost learning paths that can be taken to learn new skills and earn oneself a living, and many college/universities degree programs offer little or no exposure to actual work practices” (Decreasing Value).
The job market today requires people to actually think and want people who can come up with solutions to unexpected issues that arise the profession. People who welcome challenges and are open to be useful in any situation that comes by.
“For decades, the typical college graduate’s wage rose well above inflation. But no longer. In the economic expansion that began in 2001 and now appears to be ending, the inflation – adjusted wages of the majority of the U.S. workers didn’t grow, even among those who went to college” (Ip). This is enough to see that a college degree doesn’t go far, in the terms of salary. Of course, this all depends on the career. If you specialize in something that the world is short of, then you will get a higher salary. Brain surgeons, anesthesiologists, dermatologists, and mostly anything in the higher medical field. But not everyone is equipped to do that.
Going to a university can be a great experience, but you would be even better off making sure that you are entering a profession that will get you somewhere afterwards. That doesn’t mean you can’t major in writing or programming. The world needs writers and coders amongst the tiring business people and doctors. 
The rise of college costs are another reasons why so many are either looking away from it or just rolling with it and then being stuck in debt for many years. “The prices of education is a big factor to consider in the determination of the worth of a degree … the troubled economy and high cost of tuition and other college expenses has lowered the payoff for many recent graduates. The ultimate return on investment seems to depend greatly on a student’s debt load and the job prospects and earning potential for their given field of study” (Moran).
In conclusion, the decreasing value of a college degree is seen in many professions, but it is up to the individual to see the best of their degree. If they work hard enough, they may be able to get a decent salary or even be able to pay off their debt sooner. This all depends on the university and the cost of living in the area though. A degree is better than no degree.
Good, Robin. “1. Decreasing Value of University Degrees (and Other Academic Certifications).” Medium, Augmenting Humanity, 22 July 2016, medium.com/content-curation-official-guide/decreasing-value-of-university-degrees-2f831c4fd625.
Ip, Greg. “The Declining Value Of Your College Degree.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 18 July 2008, www.wsj.com/articles/SB121623686919059307.
Moran, Porcshe. “The Declining Value Of A College Degree.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 31 Aug. 2011, www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0911/the-declining-value-of-a-college-degree.aspx.
