Why College?

If you are a high school teacher, you likely have a difficult time convincing some of your students that they should plan to go on to college.  Reluctant students may say that going to college is not worth the cost.  Wrong!  Data shows that going to college is a good investment.  
One thing you can point out to your students is that going to college is not as expensive as they might think.  Once financial aid is taken into account, the average student cost for tuition and fees at public four-year colleges this year was about $2,000.  A more compelling point to share with your students is the significantly higher income of college graduates when compared with that of high school graduates.  Three decades ago, college graduates earned 40% more.  Last year, college graduates earned 83% more. 
It is not only that a college degree provides entry to high-paying occupations.  A college degree also brings higher pay in many fields that don`t require a degree (e.g., plumber, waitress or waiter, firefighter, teacher assistant). 
This is real data.  You can use this data to motivate your reluctant students to think of attending college as a good deal.