Herrera1 Julissa Herrera Professor Lago English 1100 16 December 2013 College Degrees and the Workforce In todays

generation, college degrees are important because it opens up opportunities to higher paying jobs and acquires the college student with more knowledge in their field. As a college student pursuing a degree in Social Work the question lingers if college degrees are needed. A college degree is necessary to enter many fields such as Social Work. Now a Bachelors degree amounts to a high school diploma because of that it is encouraged that college students obtain a Masters degree. Social Work is one of many majors that a student should obtain a Masters in. Social Workers seem to be needed less year by year. Despite the obvious, students enrolled in the Social Work field wont change their major because it is what they want to do in life. Growing up, Ive always been fond of working with people. Volunteering and interacting with different people and learning about different cultures have always interest me. In high school, I decided that I wanted to help people for a living. I told myself I wanted to be a Social Worker. When I started to express my feelings towards my choice of career to my peers, many stated that the income in that field was very low. My interest wasnt only based on my annual income, but the happiness that my job would bring me. I just want to love what I do for a living. I want to stick with one job for the rest of my working life.

Herrera2 One can go into the Social work field with a Bachelors degrees but a Masters degree is way better. I loved the fact that both my interviewees have been in the field for over ten years and both encouraged me to get my Masters in Social Work. Amanda Renaud and Christian Holle explained that Id make a better salary and would be even more educated in the field if I extended my education career. One of my interviewees was Amanda Renaud whom is an Outreach Advocate and Intensive Outpatient Supporter whos been in the field for twelve years. She has a Bachelors degree in Social Work. Another person I interviewed was Christian Holle whos a Professor of Psychology and Clinical Psychologist. Hes been in the Psychology field seventeen years and has a Doctorate degree. In the reading, College Majors, Unemployment And Earnings: Not All College Are Created Equal the author, Anthony Carnevale stated that a college degree is still worth it (297). I go along with Carnevale one hundred percent because obtaining a degree makes it easier for you to get a job you want. You are more qualified and the employer would know that you actually know the field. Certain characteristics that my interviewees felt that a Social Worker should have are communication, case management, and note taking skills. The worker should also be supportive, empathetic, caring and definitely a people person. They expressed that these characteristic were essential for a Social Worker since they would be dealing with different people all the time. Even though you have a college degree a person must keep up with changes in the work place. Technology is one of the changes. When it came to the new technology phenomenon in the work force Amanda and Christian had different views. Christian said that new technology is very exciting and easy to adapt. On the other hand, Amanda

Herrera3 expressed that computers have been a hassle to get used to but it gets a little easier each day. With computers comes the Internet, which is another big change in the work force. For example, online job applications it has been an absolute plus for the unemployed. It makes it a little easier to find a job. Also, comes the documents and PowerPoints you might have to work on to display different cases. I am actually a technology lover. I love to browse the web and learn new things. I highly doubt that the new evolution of technology would affect me. Acquiring a college degree is important. Carnevale expresses how college is still an asset in order to succeed and make a good living. This is highly true. Since my sister graduated in May 2013 her journey to find a good paying, in her field job has been lengthy. Eventually she found one. My sister entered an entry level of her major, which is Public Relations. Since she has a Bachelors degree in that field her job is starting her at a higher hourly wage. Attending a college is a plus. Since she was more knowledgeable in that field she was chosen to take that position in the office and was able to get an income that was going to help her live a better life. The point is clear that college degrees are great assets. But somethings shows differently. In the passage No Long term: New Work And The Corrosion Of Character written by Richard Sennett he states, Today, a young American with at least tw o years of college can expect to change jobs at least eleven times in a course of working, and change his or her skill base at least three times during those forty years of labor (312). These are surreal statistics but they arent true in all case. If a person knows what their passion is and what field is that they want to work for this will not be the case. A person must be passionate and know for sure that this is what they were made to do in life.

Herrera4 To conclude, college degrees are necessary and important in order to enter many fields. Social Work is one of many that this applies to. A college degrees helps you receive higher pay and gives you higher credentials, which an employer is always looking for. Technology is a factor that makes the job force different from back then to now.

Herrera5 Work Cited Carnevale, Anthony P, Ban Cheah, and Jeff Strohl. 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. Pearson: Boston.2013.297-301.Print.

Sennet, Richard. No Long Term: New Work And The Corrosion Of Character. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. Pearson: Boston.2013.307-315.Print.