Education and obtaining knowledge is one of the basic needs in the life of a person as it is associated with a lot of advantages and as the commonly say states, knowledge is power. College can be considered to be one of the most significant investments that parents can make to their children, and as the prominent president of America stated, it is an economic imperative. In research done, it indicates that those students who have attended college get to obtain more earnings in their lifetime compared to those students whose highest level of education is high school. Although most people argue on the fact that college students do not get to achieve the same level of success, it is true. The amount of money earned depends on factors such as the institution that the students attended, whether the student graduated from the college, the field of study and the occupation one gets to take after graduation. It is, therefore, logical that good college education is associated with a lot of advantages and all people should make an effort to ensure that their children attend college.

Several ways can be used to know what value education holds and one of the ways is looking at the increase in the amount of money that one earns due to an additional educational year. Although this is argued that, if education and other years in college get to make one more earnings, then the smartest people have the highest probability of getting richer than everybody else and in most occasions, this is not the case as even people who are not bright sometimes get more abundant in life. In the researches done, it indicates that there is a net difference of 10% earnings in people who attended college compared to those who did not participate in college.

Many advantages are associated with a college education; firstly, people get many benefits with their families. Apart from the more money obtained from the good jobs they secure, the jobs that require professional skills and college education usually have advantages such as healthcare and retirement benefits, travel and housing allowances. These kinds of opportunities are rarely offered to those people who have only completed high school level of education. The families are also socially well and economically stable compared to other families.

Secondly, there are better career opportunities that are given to the students who have completed college in comparison to those who have not. Since college offers a wide variety of courses, one can end undoing more courses and majoring in fields, even the ones that they had not studied earlier in life (Hrabowski 212). The economy today tends to shrink the high school individuals to low paying jobs in the industries that pay meager incomes. However, this is not the case with college students who gain enough skills that can allow them to work abroad, in a wide range of fields. Apart from gaining knowledge in college, it will enable people to learn how to think critically and be better problem solvers.

Moreover, as students get to go to college, they meet new people and make friends who become part of their future life. The inner circle of friends usually makes a significant impact on the lives of the students and if the comparison is formed on the students who attended college. With those who did not, it will be observed that those students who went to college have a better social life and know how to handle people, compared to those that did not attend college (Rose 275). The same friends made in college help in networking in the future life, as people can get a job and promotion, based on what their friends told them. Networking through friends can also help learn about any upcoming job opportunities before other individuals learn about it. However, college is also filled with a lot of clubs and volunteer organizations where one can meet other people if the same field. Through this interaction, one can know of many opportunities including internship opportunities and gain many skills that can help one improve their resume.

Moreover, college-level education not only helps one obtain the necessary skills that can be essential in personal development in our daily lives but also helps one to communicate comfortably with other people without feeling left out or embarrassed. As one goes through the education system in college, one gets to interact with other students from different backgrounds, with different beliefs and culture, and through this interaction, one gets open-minded and gains critical interactive skills and improves their social life. College life also improves competitiveness that helps one get a better chance of promotion in a job later in their lives. Time management and organization skills that are obtained allow students to be better in tackling tasks that they may be facing in their lives. The skills will be beneficial in bill payment since one can effectively tack money usage easily.

Additionally, college education helps in securing good jobs, and this leads to satisfaction in life. Individuals who have only high school level education have little chances of achieving job opportunities compared to college level individuals (Charles 350). These people can also be easily replaced by their employees when they meet highly qualified people than them. Educated people are taken to be an investment to a company as they are thought to bring substantial reward to the company, and this encourages the company to pay them more money which in turn makes their lives better compared to others.  Research indicates that people with high levels of education are less likely to be laid off from the company because they are considered to be essential assets to the company. Since the individuals who have completed college usually secure jobs and get a lot of money, they can provide for their families, and this leads to satisfaction in life. When one has a lot of belongings and wealth, sometimes it also leads to gaining respect from a lot of people and being recognized in the social standing.

It is very evident from the benefits listed that, a college education is an essential thing in the lives of students in the present and also future generations. I would strongly encourage parents and guardians to take an initiative of bringing their children to college so that they can obtain the knowledge and the advantages associated with college education. Although many people tend to oppose this because of the several expenses associated, a college education is worth the risk is taken as it allows individuals to prepare for their future lives and make them better citizens.

References

Charles, Murray. “Are too many people going to college? They Say I Say. Eds. Gerald, Graff Cathy, Birkenstein, and Russel, Durst. New York: Norton and Company, 2015. 344-368. Print.

Rose, Mike. “Blue-Collar Brilliance,” They Say I Say. Eds. Gerald, Graff Cathy, Birkenstein, and Russel, Durst. New York: Norton and Company, 2015. 272-284.

Hrabowski, Freeman. “Colleges prepare people for life.” They Say I Say. Eds. Gerald, Graff Cathy, Birkenstein, and Russel, Durst. New York: Norton and Company, 2015. 208-225.