No issue is more disturbing and debatable for those concerned with college education than the issue of real value of college degrees. The tendency towards escalating cost of tuition fees made many people wonder whether a genuine payoff and opportunities college degree can offer to a graduator, in the long run, worth a high-priced investment.

This problem became especially acute for low-income parents, because the majority of them can't afford to take an additional burden for paying such a fabulous sum of money for education of their kid. Annual tuition fees in different colleges range in average from $12,000 to $25,000.

Undoubtedly, such numbers provoke many people to think it over and weigh all arguments for and against college education.

Considerable rise of college charge caused a reappraisal of real value of higher education, in general, and college degree, in particular. A college degree, which can be interpreted as an official recognition for the successful completion of a vocational or an academic program, is now called into question. Many high-school graduators prefer well-paid employment to spending 4-6 years in college to earn a piece of paper which doesn't even earn them squat back.

Though, money is not the only sticking point on a way to higher education, perspectives and vision of the future can't be underestimated in the ultimate choice of a person, who foresees the necessity of obtaining college degree for success, regarding it as a necessary component of success formula in life; for prestige, considering a college degree to be a valuable and expensive contribution to his collection of achievements; or for money making, viewing it as an additional plus while getting fixed up in a job.

From my perspective, there are obverse and reverse of this issue. On the one hand, college degree is not a guarantee of anything, nor is it a factor of success in life. Timing and luck play a big part, as do personality, perseverance, confidence and native intelligence.

There are many people who succeeded in life without being college educated and having a certificate of their intelligence. History knows many that sort of examples, it is enough just to mention such celebrated minds as Ted Turner and Mark Twain, who weren't tainted with the influence of college education. It proves that skills and inborn intelligence help much better in specific areas and often trump degrees.

On the other hand, a college graduator has a wider range of opportunities, can choose a high-paid job in his specific field easier than his counterpart - high-school leaver and also can expect to have higher income in future. "According to the Census Bureau, over an adult's working life, high school graduates earn an average of $1.2 million; associate's degree holders earn about $1.6 million; and bachelor's degree holders earn about $2.1 million." Overall, those with degrees tend to fare better than those who don't have them.

So, I can only add that future college applicants and their parents have to speculate on this question very carefully, because a decision to enter a college and obtain baccalaureate degree are one of the most important choices a person has to face in life.

Remember that a real importance, a genuine price and benefits you can get from a college degree in long-term outlook can be defined only by you.