-In my presentation I will talk about college education and why it isn't the best decision for everyone.

Its a common idea that college will bring you success and that not going to college will bring you failure. This isn't always true. More than half of graduates are unemployed or working in a job that doesn't require a bachelor's degree. This a problem because tuition is getting more e pensive and taking out loans seem like the only way to pay for it. The percent of !mericans with bachelor degrees has increased by "#$ over the past ten years. The result is a college diploma that is worth less today than what it was "% years ago which means in smaller pay for graduates and employment problems. &o earning a diploma is more likely to give you huge debt rather than a high paying job.

-In "''%( the average student loan debt was only )'%%% but today the average debt is more than )*+(%%% which is three times the debt in the '%s. !lso half of college students are e pected to take out loans in order to pay for their education. ,hich means a person paying for college is likely to accumulate huge debt that will delay their future goals. ! )*+(%%% debt take about "% years to pay off. -ver those ten years( buying a house( buying a car( or getting married will probably put off in e change for student loan payments. !ccording to the .ederal /eserve( the age group that owes that most money is between thirty and forty years old. &o the sacrifices that you make while earning your diploma may not give you the future you want.

-!nother reason why college isn't the best choice for everyone is because a college degree doesn't automatically guarantee you will have a job let alone one that pays well. ! college education doesn't teach skills that are useful in the workforce. ! survey on workplace preparedness showed that eighty four percent of employers rate college graduates as unprepared or somewhat prepared. &ome argue that college only gives you a degree to show that you are qualified rather than give the knowledge to actually perform the job. 0ecoming good at jobs like accountants( social workers( and journalists doesn't happen during college but rather on the-job-e perience. !nd many employers would rather

have someone who can perform their job well over someone with a degree who cant. !n e ample of this is employers looking overseas to find people who have shown they can do a good job and work hard. 1ollege isn't a ticket to success but its up to the individual to work for their goals.

-0ecause college isn't the best choice for everyone there are alternatives that better fit some people's interests and abilities. Trade school( for e ample trains students to perform the jobs of welders( plumbers( electricians ( and mechanics. 2obs like these are in high demand and pay better than average. .or e ample( master electricians and welders can make more than )"%%(%%%. 0ut these kinds of jobs aren't being filled due to !mericans viewing the work as intellectually inferior. !nd many people will assume that because the work is dirty( the job is dumb. 0ut no matter what happens to the economy we will still need plumbers and electricians because toilets will still get clogged and power lines will still need to be repaired. There are many benefits to trade school when compared to a four year college. .or e ample( the average cost of a bachelor's degree is )"*+(%%% but a trade school diploma costs about )##(%%%( that is a savings of )'3(%%%. !lso graduates of trade school usually enter the work force two years earlier. !nother( alternative is to join the military where you can be paid with medical( housing and education benefits. Military service will also give you job and leadership e perience that employers look for. Today( it seems like people are willing to blindly pay for college without weighing the costs and benefits.

-Is a college diploma needed to succeed4

5o. ! statistic from the 6& 1ensus shows that by the year *%"7 there will be "3 million jobs available( well-paying jobs( which will require more than a high school diploma but less than a college diploma. There are also many e amples of people who never finished college but went on to become very successful like 0ill 8ates( &teve 2obs( and Mark 9uckerberg. The point I am trying to make isn't that college is bad but that college isn't the only option in life. The path you take in life is less important than how much effort you give it.