College is Still Worth it for Many

While not everyone needs to go to college to earn a decent living -- a lot of kids can go into a trade and make a great living -- statistics reveal the truth. On average, a college education makes a huge difference in lifetime earnings. The report linked here was published on the Arkansas Senate site in July 2020. Some interesting findings in the report...



"Over the course of a 30-year career, a person with a bachelor’s degree will earn an estimated $1.25 million, compared to $550,000 that a college dropout will earn over the same period."

"a person with a bachelor’s degree will earn an average of $32,000 in their first year in the workforce, compared to a high school graduate who will earn [on average] $12,700 in their first year of working."

"Even when the cost of college loans is factored in, a degree is worth the investment, especially in Arkansas. The average debt for a bachelor’s degree in Arkansas is $26,800, compared to the national average of $28,650."

There are programs that exist to really knock that debt down too. In Arkansas, a qualifying student can join the National Guard and participate in the National Guard Tuition Assistance Program, that covers tuition at any public college in Arkansas.

The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the state's flagship university, offers a tuition assistance scholarship, to students who graduate with an associates degree from a UA community college, allowing them to pay the same tuition they paid at their community college to finish their four-year degree at UA-Fayetteville. Tuition at UA community colleges is less than half the tuition at the home of the Razorbacks.

And of course, there are lots of other scholarships available to help with costs.

Though there seems to be a move afoot that discourages students from seeking college degrees. But just like not everyone is cut out for college, not everyone is cut out for work in the trades. By leading those kids away from college, we might be steering them away from the very success we are supposed to be preparing them for.

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