WPE Sample Topic 2
The sample reading passage below is followed by a writing prompt.
Reading Passage
"No College Degree Required"
from San Luis Obispo’s newspaper, The Trib, Career Section, 1/27/08
What do Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and entertainment mogul David Geffen have in common? Huge bank accounts and no student loans. These industry leaders are some of the most successful people in business, and none of them has a college degree.
The belief that you need a college education to have a well-paying and rewarding job is quickly fading. A four-year degree definitely has its benefits in the business world, but it’s not the only path to a successful career.
In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, eight of the 10 fastest-growing occupations through 2014 don’t require a bachelor’s degree. And these jobs, which include health technology, plumbing, firefighting and automotive repair, are less vulnerable to outsourcing. After all, if a fire breaks out, you need the fire department to be a few blocks away, not halfway around the world.
While the educational requirements for many good jobs have risen, many occupations still don’t require a four-year degree. Several of these positions require vocational training or an associate degree. All of them require some on-the-job training or an apprenticeship.
Here are 25 of the top-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree and their average salaries, based on data from the BLS and CBSalary.com:
- Air traffic controller: $102,030
- Funeral director: $79,517
- Operations manager: $77,839
- Industrial production manager: $73,000
- Transportation manager: $72,662
- Storage/distribution manager: $69,898
- Computer technical support specialist: $67,689
- Gaming manager: $64,880
- First-line supervisor/manager of police and detective: $64,430
- Nuclear power reactor operator: $64,098
- Computer specialist: $59,480
- First-line, non-retail supervisors/manager: $59,300
- Nuclear technician: $59,200
- First-line supervisor/manager of fire fighting and prevention worker: $58,920
- Real estate broker: $58,720
- Elevator installer and repairer: $58,710
- Sales representative, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products: $58,580
- Dental hygienist: $59,790
- Radiation therapist: $57,700
- Nuclear medicine technologist: $56,450
- Power plan distributor and dispatcher: $57,330
- Fashion designer: $55,840
- Ship engineer: $54,950
- Detective and criminal investigator: $53,990
- Commercial pilot: $53,870
Writing Prompt
For your essay, summarize the article from The Trib. Taking into consideration the benefits and drawbacks to having a college degree, explain your position using details from your experience, reading, and/or observations.