Real World Example by Cianna

Real World Example by Cianna - October 2024 Scholarship Essay

Growing up, I've always known the value of a college degree because I witnessed it firsthand in my family. I was raised in a household where I experienced both worlds. My dad immediately got into construction as his career, right out of high school. Although he was making a high amount for his age at the time, he quickly peaked in his career and his pay scale. He was not getting promoted or advancing. His company also was limited to the types of benefits they provided. For example, he did not have access to a 401K matching program to save for retirement, he had very limited paid time off and low-quality healthcare. Now, my mom on the other hand heavily values college education and obtained a 4 year degree. When my parents first got married, my dad was making more than my mom. She quickly climbed in role roles within her company as a training manager for several different pharmaceutical companies. About 10 years after they had been together, my mom had passed my dad in her income and today her income is around double his. She has worked for companies that require a college degree for nearly all of their roles. They offer significant benefits like quality healthcare, 401K matching program, 3 week’s vacation time plus holidays just to name a few.
You can measure “value” in many ways. From a financial perspective, it seems obvious to me that the monetary value of a college degree is significant. A student has many more career options available to them with a college degree on their resume. Many doors are open including all those jobs that require a bachelor's degree as a minimum qualification requirement. They can continue to advance in their career with these jobs rather than hitting a maximum on their pay scale very early in their career. They have access to better benefits where they can start to save for their retirement very early with matching assistance, rather than relying only on social security benefits or trying to manage the savings and investments on their own. In addition, there is valuable experience gained through the experience of college that you cannot replace with a dollar amount. Students develop a network of classmates, faculty and alumni that they can continue to connect with throughout their careers. Students grow in their intelligence and independence during this time. They develop expertise in their area of study, giving them a head start in their first career to build upon. Employers also see a college degree as a valuable asset, so when compared to other applicants, those with degrees will have a more powerful application and greater chances of success in the job market.