A Bachelor’s degree offers major benefits to those who qualify this educational program. First of all, a bachelor’s degree allows American students to get a job in a specialized field or enroll in a master’s degree program. Thus, the bachelor’s qualification allows both to work and to study further. Research has shown that a bachelor’s degree can open up career opportunities and pave the way to a better, happier life and job satisfaction.
Secondly, a bachelor’s degree serves to increase a person’s lifetime earnings through better chances for promotion, since, as a rule, the level of salary is in direct correlation to the level of education. Data shows that College graduate earnings far exceed the salaries of those who don’t hold a degree. The analysis of the U.S Census reveals that college graduates earn about 38-95% more than non-graduates. Bachelor’s degree can make an average of over $60,000 per year compared to $ 37,000 with high school diploma. Thus, men with Bachelor’s degree earn approximately $900,000 more in median lifetime earnings than high school graduates. For women this figure is about $630,000. According to research by SSA.GOV, individuals who hold Bachelor degrees are likely to have easier entry into high-paid positions and tend to be more valued as high-class specialists.
Thirdly, Bachelor degree holders enjoy greater job stability. According to research, since 2010 U.S economy has created 11 million jobs, out of which 95 % has been taken by Bachelor degree holders. The unemployment rate among Bachelor degree holders was just 4% in 2014 against 12% for those who have only high school diploma. Though Bachelor degree holders are still subject to layoffs or underpayment in the times of economic uncertainty, these issues have a less pronounced effect on this working group compared to high school leavers.
Fourthly, in the USA, many jobs in such sensitive spheres as Healthcare, STEM, Government and IT require higher education. So, earning a degree greatly increases people’s marketability because they become qualified for a wider range of positions and become more competitive candidates. A study showed that about 49% Airbnb, Uber and Twitter employees have a bachelor’s degree. While in other companies this figure is lower, it is still high, which shows employers’ interest in this qualification group. At the same time, a large number of Bachelors employed by companies working in diverse spheres allows Bachelor degree holders to change their position easily and try themselves in different fields. Also, Bachelor degree holders enjoy greater flexibility in their working arrangements and are more likely to get jobs as remote stuff or hold positions with flexible working hours.
Finally, Bachelor degree holders enjoy higher job satisfaction through having a competitive salary and chances for promotion. According to statistics, 5% of US workers who hold a bachelor’s degree say they’re very happy with their job. The factors that might impact their job satisfaction are the chance to advance further in their careers, increase their earnings and improve job conditions. Studies show that the problem of job satisfaction is closely connected to the problem of meaningfulness of work. The meaning of work, in this context, is understood as the satisfaction of human needs (Rothausen & Henderson, 2019). This meaning is of a social nature, which is determined by the social division of labor. Each person produces certain goods or services to meet a particular social need, which consists of individual needs (Rothausen & Henderson, 2019). Since bachelor degree holders, as a rule, are involved in a complex activity aimed at the production of more elaborated services and complex goods, they feel they contribute to the society more. This feeling of one’s contribution and need drastically increases job satisfaction among this education group.
Though there are some billionaires who did not graduate from the University they should be viewed as exceptions from the general rule. Such people as Bill Gates and Steve Job, CEO of Apple, became very successful due to their talents but they never denied the importance of higher education or Bachelor’s degree. Moreover, there are more billionaires who got the Bachelor’s degree than there are those who did not, which testifies to the relevance of higher education for building a career.
A bachelor’s degree offers many benefits that considerably outweigh a high school diploma. Thus, bachelor degree holders have better opportunities for promotion and increased financial gains. Moreover, they are less likely to be made redundant in a crisis or the times of financial instability. Bachelor degree offers a number of qualifications needed in different work spheres which allows bachelor degree holders try themselves in diverse fields. The qualification also gives people better chances of getting a distant job or a job with flexible time schedule. Finally, bachelor degree holders experience a higher job satisfaction due to a more complex character of work they do and services they provide. Taking all the above said into consideration, one can conclude that Bachelor degree holders are well trained to develop social networking platform for success.
Reference
Rothausen, T. J., & Henderson, K. E. (2019). Meaning-based job-related well-being: exploring a meaningful work conceptualization of job satisfaction. Journal of Business and Psychology, 34(3), 357-376. Web.