We all rationalize the decisions we make every day…. Like I really believe I am the best driver in the family despite strong and sometimes very vocal opinions from my wife (she’s almost as good though) and I really think it’s OK that I missed the local theater group’s production of Billy Elliot in favor of my weekly poker game. Okay, so I am not the most selfless guy I know.
But nowhere is rationalizing our own points of view more apparent than in some of our latest data. We asked Americans the minimum amount of education necessary to have a successful career, and the most popular response was just to offer up one’s own level of education:
- Nearly 6 in 10 adults who have received a high school degree (or less) claim a HS degree is all that is necessary to have a successful career;
- Almost 1 in 2 adults who have earned an associate’s degree say a 2 year degree is the minimum threshold;
- More than 1 in 2 college grads feel a 4 year degree is essential; and
- More than 1 in 2 adults who have earned a post-graduate education say a college degree is necessary, if not even more.
I suppose it’s human nature to view the world through the prism that is our life experience. At the end of the day, who’s right? Well, here are some interesting stats from an article in The Week magazine from last spring. Based on this cost/salary analysis, do you think a college degree is worth it?
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