“The Imperiled Promise of College” by Frank Bruni

Is College Worth It?

            College may not be the answer to everything. According to “The Imperiled Promise of College” by Frank Bruni college is not the answer to everything. I am in college right now. So, I have an entirely different opinion about college. For me, college is the way to a better life and it is a must. My mom always has explained to me the importance of going to college. I have seen the struggles of individuals that decided not to go to college. Bruni begs to differ about the real importance of college. The main points discussed is not going to college, college cost and finding a job after college.

            Some high school graduates don’t go on to college. For males it is easier to find a good paying factor job. Bruni states, “for a long time and for a lot of us “college” was more or less a synonym for success” (Bruni 1). My neighbor didn’t go to college but is making six figures. He started at a local factor right after college. He was worked his way up to being a supervisor in less than ten years. This is an example of how someone can make good money without going to college. Women, on the other hand, can’t do the physical work of a factor job. So, being a woman I feel like it’s a must to go to college to have a better life. I have seen non college graduates struggle their whole life. They have had to rely on government assistance programs. One day want to be a role model to my children. I want to teach them the value of education. College is more than just a degree. Even in my human growth class we talked about the cognitive effects of going to college. College teaches students to look at the world in a different perspective.  I wouldn’t have had these valuable skills without college.

            College does come with a big price tag. I remember when I first started looking at colleges a couple of years ago. My plan was to go away to college with my friends. The thought of spending twenty thousand for one year scared me away. That is why I decided to stay home and attend college at NCSC. For me, it was the thought of loan interests on top of four years of college. Bruni even states, “An unacknowledged backdrop for the pitched debate last week about federal student loans and whether they would be kept at 3.4 percent or allowed to return to 6.8 percent” (Bruni 3). I do agree with Bruni the interest rate on student loans is outrages. Lucky for me NCSC is in my hometown. My mom always taught me in order to make money someone has to spend money. College is an investment and security for the future. Bruni says, “Because of levitating cost, college these days is a luxury item” (Bruni 4). Almost all of college students have to take out student loans. Going to college can seem like a “luxury item.”  After four years at a traditional college someone will have eighty thousand dollars’ worth of debt without interest. Eighty thousand dollars could buy me a new 2013 Land Rover or a good down payment on a house. Those are “luxury items” to me. It is scary to think after college and its debt what if someone can’t find a job.

            In today’s times, college doesn’t always equal job security. Whenever I told my mom what I wanted to go to college for she made me research that field. I found the nursing degree to have a great job growth in the next years to come. Some students don’t research their job field. Bruni even says, “College graduates have an unemployment rate half of people with only high school degrees” (Bruni 5). There are a lot of college graduates without a job or are over qualified. The only purpose of going to college is to have job security making good money. The percentages of employment of college students are increasing. Bruni states, “According to an Associated Press analysis of data 2011, 53.6 percent of college graduates under the age of 25 were unemployed or, if they were lucky, merely underemployment, which means they were in jobs for which their degrees weren’t necessary” (Bruni 7). There is always a risk to everything we do in life.

            The main points discussed is not going to college, college cost and finding a job after college. I agree with Bruni on some of his points. He only discussed the negative things about college. I hope to not be another college statics and prove Bruni wrong about college. College is an investment for my future. It’s more than just a degree. There are valuable skills learn at college that can be used for the rest of someone life.

Works Cited

Bruni, Frank. "The Imperiled Promise of College." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 May 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/opinion/sunday/bruni-the-imperiled-promise-of-college.html?_r=1>.