Field of Training and Economic Status - Essay Example

? The Value of Higher Education This report shows a progression over the years who move on to higher education and the ranges of salaries that are attainable between high school students and different levels of degree holders in different professions. There was not one report that showed a correlation between ages, sexes, race, and degree, with salaries tied in, but conjectures can be made, none the less, as to what is attainable with continued higher education. This report also notes the changes in how jobs are attained today as opposed to several decades ago, mainly because the skill level along with higher education requirements have changed. What is definitely agreed on is that higher education is very important in being able to get a job that pays a worker well enough to maintain a home, family and the necessities of living that go along with that. As we grow from childhood, our parents, or other authoritative adults, tell us that the way to succeed in life is go to school, go to college after high school, then get a good job after graduation. Attending college is commonly perceived as the only way to getting a good job that pays enough to have a nice home, car, and support a family. In 2000, 84 percent of American adults over 25 years of age had completed high school, and 26 percent had attained at least a bachelor’s degree. Those numbers were an all-time high score compared to 1975, where only 63 percent of adults had graduated high school, with only 14 percent graduating college (Day, 2002). Research showed that in the years between 1997 and 1999, a non-high school graduate could expect to make no more than $23, 400 in a full-time job per year, whereas a college graduate could make $52,200 and a doctoral degree could bring in $89,400 or more (Day, 2002). What was also interesting to note was the charting results of comparison salaries between men and women with bachelor degrees who basically start out at almost the same salary in similar jobs in the early 20-something age group. In the later ages, women tend to lag behind in salary increases, most likely due to having children and being off work, moving to accommodate a husband getting a better job elsewhere, or just having a degree that doesn’t address the current job market needs (CPS, 2002). Moving forward to the latest report, published in 2012, accommodating survey information from 1984 compared to 2009, the numbers show that almost twice as many sampling respondents have attained a vocational certification, associate’s degree and higher. What was most glaring however, was to see that the numbers had dropped from 60,000 high school graduates in 1984 to 57,8880 in 2009 (Ewert, 2012). With a larger population growth, this means that fewer teenagers are actually graduating from high school, leaving a larger labor force in the population that does not have a higher level of education. For those that went on to college, the greatest amount of bachelor degrees were awarded in the fields of business, with close runner up degrees in education, engineering, health care, liberal arts and humanities, and natural sciences. Advanced degrees attained were in education (as the highest rate), business, law, medicine, with nursing/public health and natural sciences running neck in neck in the fifth position. In vocational certificates, the highest is in health care, with business/office a close second. Auto mechanics came next, with cosmetology, computer trades and construction trades in the third, fourth and fifth ranking positions (Ewert, 2012). What must be taken into consideration is the change in population sampling from 1984 and an upgraded survey to a different sampling group in 2009. The labor market and its current needs are also reflective of what fields student get degrees in, fully expecting to get jobs in that field after graduation, get on-the-job experience and then go for an advanced degree in the same field. What is not calculated into this path of development is how the job market in, say, the journalism field, can change from when the student first starts college and then what that market is really worth by the time the student graduates. That is assuming of course, that it takes only four years to complete the degree. Many students must take longer if they are working side jobs to pay for their education which means fewer courses in one semester. While the principles of journalism will most likely stay the same, print newspapers are becoming obsolete and moving online. The student reporter now learns his trade as an online reporter, using digital recording, SKYPE, digital photography, and the ability to transport information to the web editor for instant (almost) publishing online. Deadlines are immediate. Breaking news reports are practically seconds after the event has occurred. For those trained in the old journalism styles and ways of operations, all this can be harrowing to make the appropriate changes in methods of working in order to keep a job. Continued training and updating skills to reflect the job market are now essential for everyone in order to remain marketable and useful in the job. This is true in every profession today as a natural progression of technology in almost all areas of the labor force. In speaking with some of my older friends and relatives, I have heard that not everyone stays in the degree field they graduated in, even if the first job held is in that field. When job requirements change, or if companies shut down, laid-off workers take jobs where they can, which means changing careers, sometimes in mid-life. What is important to note, though, is a bachelor’s degree is required in just about every job application from an office administrator on up. That is required just to get in the door for an interview. Obviously, this weeds out just about anyone who does not have a degree and a limited work history. The State of Maryland, in its recent report of comparative higher education statistics, made a comparison of educational attainment for the year 2009 between the state and national average. At least 61.7 percent of students had some college or an associate degree compared to the nation average of 56.6 percent. For a bachelor’s degree, the ranking was at 35.2 percent compared to the national average of 29.5 percent. Students attained a graduate or professional degree at 15.4 percent in Maryland, compared to the national average of 10.5 percent (MHEC, 2012). Other statistics for higher education enrollment by race showed the following Maryland percentiles from the same report. RACE MARYLAND NATIONAL African American 28.3% 13.5% Hispanic 4.4% 11.9% Asian 7.1% 6.8% White 55.6% 63.3% All Minorities 40.2% 33.2% Foreign 4.2% 3.5% What is curious to note is the low enrollment rate for Hispanics compared to the national average. That national average is almost the same as enrollment for African American nationwide. In Maryland, however, the African American enrollment is double the national rate (MHEC, 2012) A case to make regarding the value of higher education is the need to develop skills along the career path of anyone in the job force. As previously stated in some of the personal conversations above, getting a degree is the first step before even attempting to apply for a job anywhere. You will only be considered for an interview if you have a degree. The next hurdle in the job search is determining if you have acquired the additional skills listed in a job you are interested in that pays well enough for you to survive and even save a little money. Aside from having a degree in law, medicine, philosophy, or any other degree, you must know how to work with computers and different types of software packages, such as the Microsoft Office Suite, most commonly used in many businesses and professions. That will include having skills in word processing, spreadsheets and data manipulation, database structure and development, presentation skills, and so forth. If you don’t have those basic skills when you get your bachelor’s degree, you will need to get those before even applying for a job. Obviously, it’s a good idea that during the course of getting your degree, you also take these side classes and utilize them while conducting your coursework. Many older professionals, who graduated before 1990, have found themselves somewhat behind the times where computer and software knowledge is concerned, and they have to take courses to keep up with technical developments within their jobs. If technical skills and educational development are not taken advantage of along the way in any career, a job worker can suddenly find him- or herself without a job. For those people who have been in one career for many years and suddenly find themselves out of a job, many find they must go back to school to either pick up skills or further extend their education to move into a whole new career because their old career, as they knew it, no longer exists. Consider the plight of an older woman, about 60 years old, who finds herself suddenly without a job, and needs to go back to school to learn new skills in order to get a job that pays enough for her to keep living alone and paying the bills to survive. If this woman had no family to help her and she did not have a degree, times would be very hard indeed. Unemployment funds only last so long. The value of higher education and skill development is paramount in this situation. In 1996, over 31 percent of the adult population (18 and older) had degrees and certificates, which was up from 21 percent in 1984. There was also an added 2 percent increase of vocational certificates obtained from 1984 to 1996. However, there was only a 1 percent increase in advanced degrees between 1984 and 1996 (Bauman, 2001). What was missing in all the varied reports used in this paper was finding a correlation between degrees, races who attained those degrees, and salaries tied to these specific sampling numbers, all in one report. In a report from Georgetown University, that outlined the different salaries between holders of a bachelor degree and graduate degree working the same job, range from a difference of $15,000 to $35,000 between the two degree levels. For instance, in a physical science job, a bachelor degree job holder makes $59,000 while the graduate degree holder makes $90,000. In other degree groups, like journalism or the arts, the salaries range at $44,000 (bachelors) to $55,000 (graduate) a year (Carnevale, 2011). Conclusion What most of us can expect for the future is a life that encompasses several careers, not just one, as it used to be thought when graduating from college. Factors to consider are the rapid changes in the job market, faster than they ever were even 60 to 100 years ago. The advent of the technological society and way of living has killed jobs and careers and then, provided new jobs and careers along the way. Only those that have kept a finger on the pulse of events in the job market, and then trained to keep up with advances, will have successful careers. It may not always help keep you your job, but it does keep you marketable for another job. As a student finishes high school, a great deal of thought must go into what type of career is envisioned for the future and what kind of education will access that pathway. For example, a journalism degree gives you an education in conducting interviews, writing news stories and feature articles. These skills can translate into many other fields of business such as marketing, writing business reports, science and medical journalism, and online magazine websites. There are unlimited possibilities. Who knew 10 years ago that social media such as Facebook, Twitter and blogging would be such big items, yet a degree in journalism translates very well into all these fields with jobs in social media management and development for many different companies. It is important to develop critical and creative thinking skills which allow us to constantly evaluate our jobs and the education we receive in order to attain and keep those jobs. ### References U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998, Report to Congress on State Performance, Program Year 2006–07, Washington, D.C., 2008. Downloaded 2/21/2012 from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/resource/perkinsrpt0607.pdf. Day, J. D., & Newburger, E. C. The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings. (2002) http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/. Downloaded 2/21/2012 from www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/p23-210.pdf. Current Population Survey (CPS), 2011 Annual Social and Economic (ASEC) Supplement Downloaded 2/15/2012 from www.census.gov/apsd/techdoc/cps/cpsmar11.pdf Bauman, K. J., & Ryan, C. L. What’s It Worth? Field of Training and Economic Status. (2001). Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). U. S. Census Bureau, Statistical Information. Downloaded on 2/21/2012 from http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/p70-98.pdf Ewert, S. What It’s Worth: Field of Training and Economic Status in 2009. (2012) U.S. Census Bureau/Household Economics Studies. Current Population Reports. Downloaded on 2/23/2012 from http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-129.pdf . Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). (2012). Downloaded on 2/23/2012 from http://www.mhec.state.md.us/publications/research/AnnualPublications/2011DataBook.pdf Carnevale, A. P., Strohl, J., & Melton, M. What's It Worth: The Value of College Majors. (2011). Georgetown University, Washington, D. C. Downloaded on 2/18/2012 from http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/whatsitworth-select.pdf Read More