The costs of higher education are greater than the benefits essay examples

After the basic education, students are expected to join universities or colleges. In the recent years, it has been observed that the costs of education have been on the rise. Many parents therefore are struggling to ensure that their children have access to this higher education due to its associated benefits. However, many people doubt whether the benefits of higher education exceed the costs. This research paper is motivated by the escalating costs of higher education and it will evaluate whether the costs of higher education are worth the benefits.
Increasing higher education costs have led to problems especially in low income families. These parents forgo their consumption of other goods to meet the payment of school fees. These parents live difficult lives in that they are not able to meet their daily needs after paying school fees for their children (Graff, 78). The expectations are that these children will secure jobs after their education and support the parents financially. However, this rarely happen because by the time these children secure jobs, the parents are too old or are dead and therefore the parents do not actually enjoy the benefits of educating their children.
Being in a higher learning institution implies some opportunity costs. The cash used to pay the school fees could be invested in other sectors to generate cash. This cash can be used to improve the living standards of the family members during the current time as opposed to the unforeseen future. The other opportunity cost is that the students could be in another job generating cash instead of investing in education where the benefits are only expected in the unforeseen future. Therefore, adding the costs of paying fees and the opportunity costs of being unemployed increases the costs of higher education further implying that the future benefits of higher education in a way may not be worth the costs incurred when in school.
In the modern world, securing a job has become difficult. The results are that people complete their college education and stay for a long time having not secured a job. When such an individual secures a job, he/she serves for some time and then retires. Considering the fact that education involves investing a lot of money in expectation of returns in form of salary which is very low depending on the type of job, then the costs of higher education override the benefits.
On the other side of the argument, there are so many benefits associated with higher education. Higher education usually is associated with increased chances of securing a job. In an interview, an individual with higher education is more likely to secure a job as compared to an individual with no college certificate (Levin, 96). Therefore higher education reduces the costs of having to stay from the job market for a long period of time.
An individual who has pursued higher education is likely to land in a better paying job as compared to those who have not pursued this level of education. Better salaries ensure that the costs incurred in pursuing higher education are recovered within a short period of time. Even though the costs of higher education are high, the benefits are higher since higher salaries ensure that the costs incurred are recovered within a short period. These better jobs open greater opportunities for these people and the chances of success of the individuals with higher education are higher. Higher education opens more opportunities for employment of individuals as compared to those who have only completed their high school.
One of the major reasons why people pursue their education is that their minds become open and therefore can find greater opportunities that they can use for their benefit. Education also equips individuals with skills of making decisions that are more accurate. Individuals with higher education are exposed to greater opportunities as compared to those who have not pursued higher education. Using the skills of evaluating opportunities, individuals are able to develop viable business that generates income (Graff, 101). The benefits of such opportunities counter the costs incurred in pursuing higher education hence the benefits will be seen to override the costs.
Higher education makes individuals meet with people from different cultures, nationalities and believes. One is able to understand and appreciate people from all backgrounds and therefore it becomes easy to deal with all these people. This is beneficial in that one has a chance to work from anywhere with people from different places. This is important in helping people achieve their live desires. People with higher education are comfortable working from any region in the world and this ensures that securing a job is an easy task. Therefore arguing that one can spend much time without a job may not be reasonable.
In conclusion, the benefits of pursuing higher education are very many. Individuals are able to secure high quality jobs easily that pay well. With a good job, there are many benefits that cannot be compared to the costs incurred in school (Levin, 152). Higher education opens more opportunities for individuals that can lead to better lives for people. The society also benefits in a way from the services provided by individuals with higher education. Generally, higher education ensures that one achieves his/her life goals. Therefore it can be concluded that the benefits of higher education are far much greater than the costs.

Works cited.

Wissolik, Richard D, and Katie Killen. They Say There Was a War. Latrobe, Pa: Saint Vincent College Center for Northern Appalachian Studies, 2005. Print.
Levin, Peter. Write Great Essays. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill International (UK) Ltd, 2009. Internet resource.
Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. ” they Say/i Say”: The Moves That Matter in Persuasive Writing. New York: W. W. Norton, 2007. Print.