(a person who goes on to graduate
school) as having dependably solid
prospects. At the opposite end of the
spectrum, hardly anyone believes that a
person who drops out of high school is
very likely to be financially secure (see
fig. 1).
For the categories in between—
people with four-year degrees, two-year degrees, technical certificates,
and careers in the trades—the results
were far more mixed. Among the
Many young people are not getting good
advice on choosing and entering post-
secondary education programs.
group without a college degree, only
35 percent believe it is very likely that
someone with a bachelor’s degree from a
state university will be financially secure
in his or her lifetime. Similar numbers
predict financial security for someone
who doesn’t go to college but appren-
tices in a trade, such as carpentry or
plumbing ( 36 percent) or for someone
who enlists in the military ( 33 percent).
And on this topic at least, there is not
much difference between the views of
FiguRe 1. Does a College Degree guarantee Financial Security?
Percentage of respondents who say it is “very likely” the following
people will be economically secure in their lifetime.
Respondents with
a high school
diploma only
Respondents with
a postsecondary
degree
Someone who graduates from college and then goes on to a graduate
school like law school or a PhD program
68%
75%
You, personally
36%
55%
Someone who graduates high school and becomes an apprentice in a
field such as carpentry or plumbing
36%
29%
Someone who has received an undergraduate college degree from your
state college or university
35%
34%
Someone who enlists in the military
33%
27%
Someone whose parents are wealthy but who does not got to college
after graduating high school
30%
25%
Someone who gets a one-year certification in information technology (IT)
management from a technical school
26%
14%
Someone who receives an associate’s degree at a local community
college
26%
14%
Someone who graduates from high school and goes right to work but
never takes any higher education courses
16%
5%
Someone who starts college at your state university but does not
complete the degree
7%
2%
Someone who dropped out of high school
1%
1%
Source: Adapted from One Degree of Separation: How Young Americans Who Don’t Finish College See Their Chances for Success (p. 12), by Jean Johnson, Jon
Rochkind, & Amber Ott. New York: Public Agenda. Copyright 2011 by Public Agenda. Used by permission.
