Is College Really Worth It?

To this day, it has been widely accepted that going to college results in a career with great pay and benefits. Almost anyone would also agree that skipping out on college will not get a person very far in life and may result in the stereotypical McDonald's burger flipping. However, arguments have recently been made as to whether or not going to college really pays itself off in the long run. It is no secret to anyone that the tuition prices of colleges have skyrocketed. This raises the question, "Is college a bad investment for a young adult?"

In a report "Trends in College Pricing 2011", college prices for an in state public four year college were reported to be over eight thousand dollars, and nearly three thousand dollars for an in state public two year college. Not to mention the books, parking, and other expenses payed by college students. Why would anyone want to pay these ridiculous prices that will only put him into a profusion of debt? The U.S. Department of labor gives the exact answer to that question. In their quarterly report, "Usual weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers," they found that College graduates with a Bachelor's degree make nearly twenty seven thousand dollars per year more than employees with only a high school diploma. After only a few years of work, an employee with a Bachelor's degree would surely pay off his debt and begin progressing far beyond someone who only possesses a high school diploma.

Georgetown's "Help Wanted" report concluded that by the year 2018 "about two-thirds of all employment will require some college education or better." Even if employment is found by someone with only a high school diploma, it is almost certain to be a great deal worse than the employment that can be found by someone with a Bachelor's degree. So, unless you believe your calling from God was to flip burgers at the local McDonald's, College has proved to continue to be the preeminent choice.

http://education.yahoo.net/articles/is_going_to_college_worth_it.htm

California's History

In chapter 19 of The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck vividly expresses his view of large scale American government. Steinbeck uses the example of the acquisition of California, to illustrate the situation of the "Okies" or farmers. Chapter 19 talks about how California was forcefully taken from Mexico by America because of vain purposes. Steinbeck then mentions that the descendants of these Americans are the wealthy farmers who pay their workers low wages in order to protect their land. To establish his view of the industrialization of farming, Steinbeck uses the metaphor of California's history as well as despondent diction.

There is no doubt that Steinbeck opposes the government and the movement of industrializing farming. He effectively communicates this through his metaphor of California's history. In this chapter, Steinbeck compares the money hungry Americans who took California from Mexico to the big name farm owners making lots of money. John Steinbeck gives chapter 19 a depressing and hopeless tone.

To help portray this tone, Steinbeck uses despondent diction through words such as "tattered", "frantic", and "wretched". These words assist Steinbeck in persuading the reader of his opinion. By putting in such negative words, the reader has no choice but to view the situation as bad or dejected.