“many with New College Degree Find the Job Market Humbling

In the article “Many With New College Degree Find the Job Market Humbling,” Catherine Rampell (2011) states that employment rates as well as starting salaries have fallen for new college graduates. This fact makes it very hard for students to believe that it is still important to obtain a degree. In David Leonhardt’s “Is College Worth It? Clearly, New Data Say,” he discusses the fact that although a bachelor’s degree does not guarantee success, it is and will prove to be very valuable (2014). Paul Krugman’s “Degrees and Dollars” speaks on education being the key to success, but technological progress is reducing the demand for highly educated workers (2011). Despite the different focuses of the articles, all three authors are discussing the ramifications of graduates’ beliefs that the pursuit of a degree in the hope of finding a dream job and salary is no longer an assured reality.

The increase in unemployment rates and decrease in salaries for college graduates are the primary causes of degrees not guaranteeing success. Literary critic Catherine Rampell (2011) writes about how employment rates have fallen for college graduates, questioning whether higher education is worth it at all. She states, “What’s more, only half the jobs landed by these new graduates even require a college degree” discouraging students tremendously (Para 20). David Leonhardt (2014) affirms: “Some graduates struggle to find work while others accept jobs they feel overqualified for,” questioning the ideal thought of obtaining a college degree (Para 4). Paul Krugman (2011) brings up an interesting point when he writes, ”Technological progress is actually reducing the demand for highly educated workers” (Para 11). The success of technology is great, but seems to be decreasing the need of physical beings in a work environment, increasing unemployment rates along the way.

Education is important, but is it worth spending years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars for potentially nothing? The question is often asked debated and discussed. “It is no longer true that having a degree will guarantee you a good job, but education is the key to success,” says Krugman (Para 11, 2011). With that being said, the questioning begins. If education is so important, why are graduates unable to find a job in their field? Although students may end up paying back accumulated debt and working a bunch of different jobs to make ends meet, “Changing jobs is not always a bad thing” (Rampell, 2011). According to Rampell (2011), changing jobs helps to keep from getting stuck in one place. It helps to keep an active pattern until finding your dream. Despite the struggle, a four-year degree is very valuable. Americans with four-year college degrees made 98% more an hour on average in 2013 than people