VOA慢速英語: 大學教育值不值？（雙語）

大學教育值不值？

Is a college education worth the price? This is a question more Americans are asking as college costs continue rising and the job market remains weak.

大學教育到底值不值？隨著大學費用的持續(xù)增長，而美國的就業(yè)市場仍然很疲軟，越來越多的美國人問這個問題。

Attending a four-year college in the United States can cost more than $40,000 a year. That information comes from the College Board, a private company. Many people with a college education are drowning in student debt. They had to borrow money to finance their education.

在美國上四年制的大學，一年就要花費4萬多美元。這一數(shù)據(jù)由一個私人公司——美國大學理事會發(fā)布。許多接受大學教育的人都淪為債務學生，他們需要借錢來資助完成學業(yè)。

A recent study suggests that a college education is worth it, at least in the United States. That information comes from the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution.

最近一項研究表明大學教育是值得的，至少在美國如此。這一資料來自于布魯金斯研究所的一個漢密爾頓項目。

The study found that someone with a 4-year college education earns two times as much as a high school graduate over a lifetime. And for nearly all study programs, an individual with a four-year bachelor’s degree earns even more than someone with a two-year degree.

研究發(fā)現(xiàn)受過四年制大學本科教育的人一生掙的錢，是高中畢業(yè)后直接工作的人的兩倍。而且?guī)缀跛械难芯宽椖勘砻?，擁有四年制本科學歷的個人，掙的錢比擁有兩年制?？频娜艘?。

But not all college majors have a guarantee of good wages. For example, a chemical engineer can expect to earn double the earnings of a social worker over a lifetime. On average, a finance graduate makes more than a nurse or medical aide, while the nurse makes more than an elementary schoolteacher.

但并不是所有的大學生都能掙得不錯的薪水。例如：一個化學工程師一輩子掙的錢有望是社會服務人員的兩倍。通常一個金融系的畢業(yè)生比護士或者醫(yī)務人員掙得多，但是護士又比小學老師掙得多。

Generally, college majors that require skill in mathematics have high lifetime earnings. Graduates in computer science, engineering, and physics have the highest wages. Majors that involve teaching children or counseling have the lowest pay.

通常情況下，需要技能的數(shù)學科班出身的大學生有較高的收入。計算機科學、工程學、物理專業(yè)畢業(yè)的學生工資最高。而涉及兒童教學或者咨詢的專業(yè)工資最低。

Actually, graduates with bachelor’s degrees in some fields earn even less than people with a 2-year associate’s degrees over a lifetime. They include early childhood education, elementary education, and social work.

實際上，某些領域的本科畢業(yè)生掙得還不如2年的大專學生掙的多呢。這些專業(yè)包括：早期幼兒教育、小學教育和社會工作。

The study did not explore the earnings of people with master’s degrees or doctorates.

研究并沒有探究碩士或者博士的掙錢情況。

Brad Hershbein helped to direct the study. He said the research include immigrants who graduated from American and foreign universities. He added that, “we don't try to distinguish how things would be different based on where the education was completed.”

布拉德·赫什貝因幫助指導這項研究。他說研究包括在美國畢業(yè)的移民和國外大學畢業(yè)的人。他還補充說：“我們不是試圖區(qū)分出在哪兒接受教育到底會有何不同。”

The Hamilton Project noted that future earnings should not be the only reason for choosing a college major. It says, “Personal enjoyment, engaging in meaningful work, and filling a social need should also enter into a student’s decision-making.” The numbers are only averages and there are many exceptions.

漢密爾頓項目指出未來收入的多少不應該成為選擇大學專業(yè)的唯一理由。“個人的喜好、參與有意義的工作、履行社會義務這些因素應該成為學生決策的考慮因素。”那些數(shù)字只是一般情況，但仍有很多例外。

Most students have little knowledge of what their future earning will be when they choose a major. Study organizers hope the report will help students make better decisions about higher education. In their words, “college degrees may not be a guarantee of higher income, but they come closer than just about any other investment one can make.”

大多數(shù)學生選擇專業(yè)的時候，對未來靠什么掙錢一無所知。這項研究的發(fā)起人希望這篇報道在學生選擇高等教育時，對他們所有幫助，做出更好的抉擇。用他們的話來說：“大學文憑也許不是更高收入的保證，但是相比其他的投資取得的回報，這些文憑確實讓你更接近目標。

Adam Brock reported and wrote this story for Learning English. HaiDo edited the story.

亞當·布洛克報道并為學習英語編寫。海都編輯。