Do you need a college degree to be successful in today’s world? Is attending a 4-year university achieving a degree worth the expense and time? In 2020, 63% of high school graduates enrolled into a college or university, previously down from 66%. (US Bureau of Labor Statistics) College can be either be a huge waste of time or be the best investment a 16–24-year-old can take. Investing four years into a piece of paper with the hopes of numerous jobs offers after graduation is still very hard to achieve but still attainable. 

 In the article “Learning by Degrees,” Rebecca Mead believes that attending college and earning a degree is extremely helpful in acquiring a well-paying job but having developed certain skills needed in the workplace and not attending college can be the best decision a person makes in their life. In this piece, Mead’s delayed thesis helps her argument. She uses logos on several different occasions to display the benefits of attending college and earning a degree. Mead than presents the opposing claim using ethos questioning that college could be a waste of time. Mead addresses that having certain math and statistical skills can lead to a higher paying job.  

This article is targeted at people trying to decide whether college is worth it. Mead begins with explaining different majors starting pay and the median salary of that major. According to Mead the safest of all degrees is accounting. Accountants will be offered jobs before even stepping across the graduation stage. Other degrees such as economics are not too shabby earning a minimum starting pay of fifty thousand dollars a year.  

Professor Richard K. Vedder, a Harvard University professor who believes firmly that college is a waste of time. Professor Vedder believes that possessing normal human skills and day to day functions is just as valuable as a college degree. He questions why 15% of mail carriers have a bachelor’s degrees and why they wasted that hard earned money. Professor Robert I. Lerman believes high schools should prepare a student for the real world by teaching them skills used in the workplace.  

College is not cheap by any means. The average cost of college has tripled within the last twenty years. (Education Data) Is college a waste of time when even the most successful people did not even graduate college? People like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates did not even have degrees but went on to become some of the most successful and influential people in our world.  Does a higher education lead to economic advancement?  

Mead gives examples of both sides of the argument when it comes down to college. Mead uses strong ethos and logos behind her argument. Citing Professors and data was seen in this article to justify the claims made.  

The intended audience of this article is perspective college students and current college students questioning their decision. Mead’s motivation in this article is to show how college can be what the student makes it. Whether that be a 4.0 student with honors or simply just skating by to earn a degree. Mead does believe that not attending college is just as effective as. A bachelor’s degree still holds value and most likely having that degree will result in earning a well-paying job.