Rebecca Meads Learning by degrees is an analysis of the worth of college degrees in the United States. Due to declining jobs for freshly graduated seniors, Mead debates whether it is justified for people to complete a tertiary-third education. Especially due to the 2008 market crash bringing with a heavy burden of tuition costs. Mead’s analysis is effective due to its logical breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of going to an American college. While not swaying her audience to a specific side of the topic. Mead implements exigence to kickstart an opinion for the audience on this topic. Allowing the audience to identify the reasons and reaction of the usefulness of college degrees through the eyes of Mead.

          Logos is heavily featured throughout the text which shows a structured chronological breakdown of tuition costs. Although at points a lack of empathy of perspective cloud the overall argument. Mead clearly splits every paragraph to a for and against in terms of the value of college education, giving the text a great sense of Kairos. The subtopics are in the form of an economist’s view, and it is the cornerstone of both sides. As mead explains that ‘aerospace engineers, who top the list, with a starting salary of just under sixty thousand dollars which is ‘twenty-five thousand dollars higher than the average starting salary of a graduate in that other science’ (Mead, 2010) Thus, Mead’s makes the point that going to college for a STEM area is setting you up for a historically higher paying job than others. There is an emphasis placed on this area as this is classed as the upper echelon of degrees and jobs in American society. Making it beneficial for a person to go through the college system to attain a job in need and one that pays handsomely.

              Furthermore, a statistical value is also given in the argument that a degree is not necessary. Professor Vedder (PHD, University of Illinois) is added as another use of logos. Vedder who holds credibility states “why fifteen percent of mail carriers have bachelor’s degrees.” Further on to say, “some of them could have bought a house for what they spent on their education” (Mead, 2010). This use of logos is very useful as the cut and dry facts greatly bolster Mead’s reasonings. Explaining that it’s not a guarantee that you’ll find a job in your specific industry. However, due to the strong presence of logos, the other rhetoric appeals tend to be overlooked. Yes, the points hold weight, but the strict outlook on financials may influence the audience to get a certain idea of Meads’s ethos and virtues. This is further seen in the text when Mead argues that if you don’t or can’t spend the money to graduate that you aren’t going to be successful. Thus, saying you need to spend tens of thousands of dollars to get a chance at being successful. She believes that within the “sphere of business, a certain romance attaches to the figure of the successful college dropout” (Mead, 2010). Pointing out the common stigma of needing a degree to have any sort of stable job. She further goes on to state that “Steve Jobs, who was enrolled at Reed for only a semester, or Bill Gates, who started at Harvard in 1973 but didn’t get his degree until it was granted, honorarily, thirty-four years later” (Mead, 2010). This is a common misconception as two of the wealthiest men of our generation were college dropouts, yet there are millions of stories of other college dropouts whose upstarted business burned out. As the overall dropout rate of ungraduated in America is 40%. (Education data, 2021). The argument of dropping out and becoming an entrepreneur has gained traction amongst the youth in the last decade, but as the statistics show, this only creates a bigger risk for long-term financial security.

            Additionally, the exigence due to Mead’s analysis creates a discussion on the actual uses of a college degree for the general population. Continuing to a point that questions the actual effectiveness of the college in the United States. Mead wants to create a sense of indecision within the reader. As the common person would generally believe that if you were to earn a specific degree, they would have the opportunity to work within that field. Thus, Mead establishes that this isn’t the case, often making the reader consciously decide whether they agree are disagree with the text. Providing equally strong arguments that spearhead the topic itself. As the United States at the time of writing had a significantly lower graduation rate “than that of many other developed nations, including Canada, Japan, and Korea” (Mead, 2010) The author is using exigence to make the audience feel a specific way without evoking the pity of pathos. Clearly, this is an area in which Mead finds the need to express and reach out to a wider audience. This is supported by the inflation of costs from $31,990 to $36,470 in 2007 to 2010 respectively (USA today, 2019). Partly due to the market crash in 2008 which saw the value of a college education decline as the costs increased. Mead’s objective is to bring light to this topic and allow the reader to make an educated opinion based on facts in the text. By showing other countries’ graduation rates and hinting at the inflation of costs, the reader tends to look at the system rather than on an individual level. It turns more from ‘is college the best thing for me’ to the ‘American tuition system has an unrealistic system in place to get people jobs without large initial debts.’

          Mead greatly explores the importance of college tuition in the United States. The significance of this affects the next generations of leaders within the free world. Thus, it is a subject that should not be taken lightly. Hence, Mead correctly implements logos over all else. Creating logical sense within the two spheres of influence, both those thinking about college and those looking at hiring. It creates a focal point for people to realize and question whether the current system is going to benefit you or your sons and daughters.

HR: discussion with Cadet Sisco and sources stated below

Bibliography:

College Dropout Rates. Educationdata, 2021, https://educationdata.org/college-dropout-rates. Accessed 3 Oct 2021.

Mead, Rebecca. “Learning By Degrees”. The New Yorker, 2010, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/06/07/learning-by-degrees. Accessed 23 Sept 2021.

Usatoday.Com, 2021, https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/05/18/cost-of-college-the-year-you-were-born/39479153/. Accessed 23 Sept 2021.