5G College Is Worth It!

5G College Is Worth It!

Graph Activity

Some people earn a high school or equivalent degree, go to college, or participate in other types of education because they think it will raise their income. Other people say that these days a degree is no guarantee of a job or one with a good salary. Researchers wanted to find out and studied employment rates--how many people do and don't have jobs--and among those who have jobs, how much they earn, alongside how much education those people have, to find out if more education really helps you get a job and earn more money. Read the graph below to see what the researchers found out.

Graph: Earnings and unemployment rates by educational attainment

Unemployment rate in 2014 (%)

Median* weekly earnings in 2014 ($)

All workers : 5%

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, April 2, 2015. Note: Data are for persons age 25 and over. Earnings are for full-time wage and salary workers. Source: Current Population Survey, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

* The median is the middle number in a list of numbers that are in order by size. For example, 13 is the median in this list of numbers: 7, 8, 11, 13, 16, 17, 20.

All workers: $839

Note: You will need to have a copy of this graph to do the exercises that follow.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK ? CS/CPC

COLLEGE IS WORTH IT! 61

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graph Activity / handout pg. 1

VOCABULARY

Attain Average Earning Employment Median Unemployment

Will Education Increase Your Salary?

Hand out the graph from the previous page.

1 What do you notice from looking at the graph "Earnings and unemployment rates by educational attainment"?

2 What do the green lines represent and what do the red lines represent?

3 What do the vertical dotted lines represent?

4 Which education categories had more than the average number of unemployed people?

5 Graphs like this one often show a trend or pattern. What pattern do you notice? People with more education tend to . People with less education tend to . How does this correspond with your personal experience?

62 COLLEGE IS WORTH IT!

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK ? CS/CPC

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graph activity / handout pg. 2

Do the Math

This graph shows weekly earnings. How would you calculate annual earnings? Since there are 52 weeks in a year, you can multiply 52 by weekly earnings to find out how much someone would make in a year. Do the math to find out the median annual earnings, based on the weekly earnings in the graph.

1 The median annual income of someone who has less than a high school or equivalent diploma is:

_________ ? ____________ = ____________

2 The median annual income of someone who has a high school diploma or equivalency is:

3 The median annual income of someone who has an associates degree is:

4 What is the difference in annual income between someone who has a high school diploma and someone who does not? Show your work below.

5 In addition to increasing your salary and chances at employment, how else could more education help you in your future job? List four ways it can help you in the job market.

THE CUNY HSE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK ? CS/CPC

COLLEGE IS WORTH IT! 63

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