Casperino 1 Casey Casperino Professor Lago College Writing 2 October 2013 Is a College Degree Worth It?

The journey through high school is an important one, where young adults are challenged with some hard decisions. The big question they are faced with is what they want to do with their life. Should they go to college? Should they go to a trade school? Maybe they should just find a job? Those that do choose college then are faced with knowing what major they want or not. All this stress may having them asking the same question as Anthony Carnevale, Is college worth it? (Carnevale 297). The time, effort and hard work that has to be put into getting a college degree is undoubtedly worth it. As college application deadlines were approaching, I found myself also questioning college. Early on in my childhood, I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, a teacher. As I continued to grow, many adults would ask me if I knew what I wanted to be and I would always respond with wanting to be a teacher. I would always get mixed responses, mostly negative, which was very discouraging. Once I got into high school, most of my teachers would question, Do you really want to be a teacher? or simply tell me to stay away from majoring in education. This made me question whether or not I was making the right decision for my major, or if I was making the right choice by going to college. My mom, Carol Casperino, was offered a full ride scholarship to Berkley College, in her senior year of high school. During this time period, there was not a norm. Some people went to

Casperino 2 college, but some also went right into a full time job. My mom also had a full time job lined up for her. Although, most would have taken the full ride, my mom chose to deny it and start working after high school. I asked my mom if she regrets not going to college, she does not. At the time, she thought working was the better option and she stands by her choice. She is happy where she is in her life now, even without a college degree. Although she did not think college was worth it then, she does stress the importance of continuing our education to my siblings and me. My mom is currently employed as a legal secretary at a law firm specializing in medical malpractice. She has been employed by this law firm for sixteen years, and ten at the previous one. She has dealt first hand with changes in the work place. Back when she started as a secretary, she used type writers and her work was giving to her on tapes. Today, both of those are nearly obsolete. They have moved forward to word based programs on computers and emailing the files that would have been on tapes. My mom says has been and continues to adjust fine with the changing in her work and a lot of the changes make her work easier to complete. Although my mom lucked out without a degree, stability was not something my dad, Joe Casperino, had in his working career for a long time. Out of high school, he began working at an auto body shop, never once thinking about going to college. He worked at the first auto body shop for 15 years until they closed down. Not long after, he got another job at another auto body shop. This experience was not the though. He would work through the fall and winter and then early spring, he would be laid off, for about 5 months. This pattern continued for a few years, when he decided to try another place, but the same thing happened there. He knew there was something he had to change. Having three kids at home, he could not afford to be laid off year after year. He knew something had to change.

Casperino 3 After searching the job listings day after day, he did not have much luck. He would have liked to just get another job, but that was not happening. He starting looking into driving schools, to obtain a commercial driving license, CDL, which could give him more job options. Going back to a school environment was something my dad never imagined doing, but doing so certainly paid off. After completing the requirements for the CDL, he applied for a job with NJ Transit, and was employed through them less than two weeks later. Since being employed by NJ Transit, he has returned to working at the auto body shop as well. This time around he is now an assistant manager. He deals with more paperwork type of work than hands on as he used to. This new type of work he was doing, made him have to learn how to use and operate the technology, which is constantly changing. Sometimes he has trouble adjusting to the constant changes but he manages. Both of my parents were able to be successful without a degree, but that does not make me change my mind that a degree is worth it. Times have changed since my parents graduated high school and now. A diploma back then could get you a good job and today that does not usually happen. Today, there is a 22.9 percent unemployment rate for those recently graduated from high school. Obtaining a Bachelors degree cuts that percentage to 8.9 percent, and varies in each of the different fields (297). Continuing your education even further cuts your percentage of unemployment even further. Knowing that there is a higher chance of being employed with a degree is a good sign. Other than less risk of unemployment, a college degree gives you the knowledge and skills you need to be successful in your career and that is what is really the important part.

Casperino 4 Work Cited Casperino, Carol. Personal Interview. 2 October 2013. Casperino, Joseph. Personal Interview. 3 October 2013.

Carnevale, Anthony P. Cheah, Ban. Strolh, Jeff. College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings: Not all College Degrees are Created Equal. Writing and Reading across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. 12th ed. Boston: LongmanPearson, 2013. 297. Print.

Casperino 5 Interview Carol Casperino, Legal Secretary Joseph Casperino, Bus Operator

What was your first job? What did you do after high school? How many job switches have you had? Why didnt you go to college? Do you regret it? What changes have you seen in your current job? Are you happy with your job?