SUNY Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center

WHY COLLEGE?Exploring the Benefits of College

Used with permission fromEric NeutuchManhattan Educational Opportunity CenterCoordinator, Strategic College InitiativesProject Director, College Connections Project

Northeast Learning Center, Danielson, CT Community Learning Center, Willimantic, CT

How much do you think the average American worker with a bachelors degree? What about HS/GED? BIG DIFFERENCE

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Education PaysThe Benefits of College-Going

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Financial aid?

Education Pays: Annual Earnings Increase with Education

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012, cited in College Board, Education Pays, 2013.

It pays to have a college degree. The more education a worker has, the more likely it is that the worker will have a good job and earn a good salary. More education generally means higher earnings.

This is the first slide that I show students, and I say to them two things (1) There will be a quiz. You will be responsible for knowing and understanding this material. (2) We will discuss it afterwards, and Ill call on people to ask you what information presented here you find most surprising and new to you.

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Education Pays: Lifetime Earnings Increase with Education

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012, cited in College Board, Education Pays, 2013.

Annual earnings accumulate over time.

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Education Pays: Unemployment Declines with Education

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2013,

June 2013 Unemployment: 7.6%

(The actual numbers of able-bodied people interested in work who are not working is even worse. These numbers also mask underemployment among the lesser educatedcases where a worker is doing 20 hours a week stocking shoes at Foot Locker instead of working a 35 hour per week job.)

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Education Pays: Likelihood of Being in Poverty Declines with Education

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012, cited in College Board, Education Pays, 2013.

Not only does the likelihood of unemployment decline with higher education, but so does the likelihood of living in poverty.

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Education Pays: Health Care Coverage THROUGH EMPLOYER

Bachelors Degree or Higher 68% w/Health Care

High School Graduate 50% w/Health Care

Source: Economic Policy Institute, 2010, cited in College Board, Education Pays, 2010.

Onto health careTheres been a lot of talk about health care recently, right? Over the past 30 years, the percentage of workers with health care has declined, which is part of the reason why we had a national debate about health care reform. In 2005, 67% of workers with a bachelors degree were insured, and 51% of those with just a high school degree were insured. So continuing ones education means not only better pay, it means better benefits, including health care (which likely translates into actual better health).

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Workforce Trends: Declining Jobs Are Ones That Generally Dont Require Advanced Education

Occupation

Bank TellersFabricand ApparelPatternmakersPostalWorkersSewingMachine OperatorsSwitchboard Operators, Including Answering ServiceTextile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and TendersTextile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders

Whats driving the unemployment differentials, especially the high unemployment among the lower educated??? I mentioned before that unemployment is lower for those with more education. As we transition towards an information-driven knowledge economy, a lesser share of jobs are available in fields that dont require some form of postsecondary training or education.

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Workforce Trends: Most Hot Jobs Require a GED (& Advanced Education)

Occupation

Change2010-2020

Median annual wage, 2010

Percent Increase

Personal Care Aides

71%

$19,640

Home Health Aides

69%

$20,560

Biomedical Engineers

62%

$81,540

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

52%

$29,710

Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers

49%

$38,430

Physical Therapist Assistants

46%

$49,690

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners

44%

$45,260

Diagnostic Medical Sonographers

44%

$64,380

Occupational Therapy Assistants

43%

$51,010

Physical Therapist Aides

43%

$23,680

Interpreters and Translators

42%

$43,300

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

41%

$60,570

Marriage and Family Therapists

41%

$45,720

Source: Employment Projections program, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

According to the American Council of Education, nearly 70 percent of all existing jobs require some form of postsecondary education beyond high school (Carnevale and Desrochers, 1999), and nearly 80 percent of all new jobs during the next 20 years will require some education beyond high school (Voorhees and Ligenfelter, 2003).

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Workforce Trends in CONNECTICUT:Hot Jobs Require Higher Education

Annual Income Based on Highest Level of Education

http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm

The data Ive shown so far has been for the nation. You might ask, where are the jobs in New York States future?

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Hot jobs in cT?

Is College Worth It? Video

Myth: College degrees are not worth it.

Reality: On average, college degrees are worth it.

John Stossel Is College Worth It? 20/20 ABC News

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V122ICNS8_0

0:15-2:57 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl_24uSPedM

My hope is that this presentation brings hard data to bear on our issues and cuts through some of the myths about higher education. One of those myths is that with college tuition skyrocketing, college degrees are not worth it.

I was watching 20/20 recently, and John Stossel did a report titled Is College Worth It? Lets watch about three minutes of it.

All of us, I think, have probably heard stories of people with college degrees doing jobs that dont require college degrees. Raise your hand if you know someone who has a four-year college degree but works or has worked as a waiter, waitress, bartender, taxi driver, barista, call service representative, etc.a job that you dont think requires a college degree.

The truth is that we deal in averages, and on average, as Ive shown relying on Census data, the more education a worker has, the more likely, he/she is to have a job, higher earnings, better health care, better pension, etc. This is the point to get across to students, so that they dont believe Stossels sensationalized journalism.

Stossels point that no student should take out $$$ in debt for a college degree, especially from a no-name school, is well-taken.

Do you think that students watch these reports, and say, Oh yeah, college is not for me.? Other thoughts, reactions, questions?

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National public radio morning edition

http://www.npr.org/2013/12/11/249975051/parents-worry-schools-overlook-girls-who-arent-college-bound

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Educated Individuals Contribute:Likelihood of Volunteering Increases with Education

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013, cited in College Board, Education Pays, 2013.

Were not done with the data yet. Higher education also confers benefits on individuals beyond the college-educated individual him/herselfcalled public benefits. Higher levels of education are associated with higher levels of participation in volunteer activities.

Good for organizations like schools, food banks, churches, etc. that require volunteers.

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Educated Individuals Contribute:Likelihood of Voting Increases with Education

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2013, cited in College Board, Education Pays, 2013.

2012: Obama v. Romney

Its good for democracy when more people vote. Countries with high levels of honest voter participation tend to be more stable.

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Educated Individuals Contribute:Likelihood of Donating Blood Increases with Education

Source: NCHS, 2005 National Health Interview Survey, cited in College Board, Education Pays, 2007.

If youve ever had a blood transfusion, this slide is for you. College graduates are more likely than others to donate blood too. In 2005, about 9 percent of college graduates reported having given blood in the past year, compared to about 6 percent of those with some college or an associate degree, 4 percent of high school graduates, and less than 2 percent of adults who did not complete high school.

Bottom Line: A more education population is good for anyone who needs a blood transfusion.

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Educated Individuals Contribute:Likelihood of Spending Time on Childrens Activities Increases

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2013, cited in College Board, Education Pays, 2013.

The likelihood that an employed mother will spend time w/their child (under 18) increases with more education.

There is evidence that spending quality time w/children is good for those children, so if we have a more educated population of adults, we as a society might raise healthier, more productive children.

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Educated Individuals Cost Less:Likelihood of Receiving Food Stamps Decreases with Education

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012, cited in College Board, Education Pays, 2013.

Educated individuals not only contribute more to the public good through volunteerism, voting, and blood donation, but they tend to also be less likely to participate in taxpayer-supported social welfare programs, like food stamps.

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Educated Individuals Cost Less:Likelihood of Smoking Decreases with Education

Source: DeWalque, 2004; National Center for Health Statistics, 2012-2013; cited in College Board, Education Pays, 2013.

Smoking is bad for you you know that and its also bad for society. A society with a lot of smokers has more second-hand smoke and higher health care costs borne by taxpayers.

Smoking rates in the United States increased in the 1940s, leveled off at about 45 percent in the 1950s, and began a steady decline in the late 1960s. By 2005, only about 20 percent of adults smoked.

The smoking rate among college graduates at ~10% in 2008 is significantly lower than smoking rates among other adults with less education.

Less smoking is good for society because it means lower overall health care costs borne by taxpayers through Medicare and Medicaid and less secondhand smoke.

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Discussion

Does this data surprise you? What surprises you the most?

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Article Reading, Review, & Share Students read one of two articles and then discuss the articles and what theyve learned in pairs and as a whole-group.

Additional Classwork & Homework Activities

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Additional Classwork & Homework Activities

For this assignment, students speak with an adult who has completed college, asking that person a number of questions, including the role that the college degree plays in the individuals employment.

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Additional Class work & Homework Activities

Quiz Students take an open-book quiz on the material presented in the Education Pays PowerPoint. The quiz can be extended to assess understanding of additional class work or homework assignments.

A quiz tests students knowledge of the information presented in the PPT and also of the information on the relationship between college-going and future-earnings in The College Justificator.

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EASTCONN Transitions

LEARN to EARN

Dont know what you want to do?

-Thats OKAY! Call and make an appointment to talk about the different ideas explore options consider things you never thought about before!

Know what you want to do?

- GREAT! Call and make an appointment to talk about where to find your school/training, apply for financial aid and start the next step!

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CONTACT

Amy Hiller-White Adult Education Transitions CoachCI/CT ASL Educational InterpreterNortheast Learning Center in Danielson (860) 779-3770 Community Learning Center in Willimantic (860) 423-2591ahiller-white@eastconn.orgSkype / Video Calls: transitionscoachateastconn

Maureen SierraAdult Education Transitions CoachBi-Lingual in Spanish/EnglishCommunity Learning Center in Willimantic (860) 423-2591msierra@eastconn.org

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You do not need to have finished this step in order to plan the next step. Make an appointment even if you have not yet completed your GED or high school diploma!

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Start your journey here!

Path to personal success and self-sufficiency

Technical Colleges

Some Award Associate Degrees!

Usually award certificates of study in career-specific programs

Note: Some community colleges offer similar certificate programs but at a lower cost

Two year Colleges

Associate Degrees or Certificates of Study

Can prepare students for transferring to a four-year college or universityOffers technical training in specific occupations(bookkeeping, culinary arts, etc.)

Two year Colleges Continued..

Most have an open admissions policy, requiring only a high school diploma or equivalent

Most are non-residential, meaning students live off campus

Students can attend part-time or full-time

Most public two year colleges have low fees

Colleges

Bachelors degrees (& some also award Masters degrees)Emphasis is on liberal arts education.Broad education in social sciences, humanities, sciencesSmaller enrollment and class size, offering greater individual attentionEmphasis is on teaching rather than researchThere are both public and private four year colleges

Universities

Bachelors degrees and graduate/professional degrees..Masters, Ph.D., Law, and Medical degreesEmphasis on liberal arts education or specialized training (e.g., teaching, engineering)Strong emphasis on researchTend to have larger enrollments and larger class sizes than four year collegesCan be public or private

Success can be yours!

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NPR

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