For Aaron Burner, the choice to continue his education after graduating from Quakertown High School in 2008 was not much of a choice. While a college education was something Burner desired, he acknowledged pursing one was a necessity.
“After high school you go to college because it is the best option,” said Burner.
“If I felt I wanted to attend a tech school then I would have already been involved in one in high school,” said Burner.
After visiting various colleges Burner settled on Kutztown University. Burner found his time at college to be beneficial, balancing school and work while developing “life skills.” “College is your first chance in the real world to be on your own, away from Mom and Dad,” said Burner.
Burner graduated from Kutztown University in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science.
After a year of working as a roofer and then in a pretzel shop, Burner’s four years of hard work were finally rewarded when in February 2013 he found a job in his field of study.
Burner now works for Avogadro Environmental Corp. in Easton testing the air quality at various facilities along the East Coast.
“I get to test air admissions, which is good for humanity and I get see new manufacturing facilities every week, so every week is like a new one for me,” said Burner.
According to the BLS’s “Occupational Outlook Quarterly” of spring 2014, jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M) are anticipated to grow to more than 9 million between 2012 and 2022.
Software developers, civil engineers, and network and computer systems administrators are projected to grow the fastest. They typically pay over $60,000 a year, and require at least a bachelor’s degree for entry level work.
The U.S. is ranked first in top universities around the world, boasting 31 out of the top 100 universities, according to nationmaster.com.
Yet, in a study released by National Center for Education Statistics in 2009, 61 percent of the U.S. population between the ages of 25 and 64 have not completed a higher education program, falling behind Japan, Russia and Canada.
As a result, many fear there will be a shortage of workers in the U.S. with the qualifications to fill these S.T.E.M jobs, which could lead to prolonged unemployment in the U.S. as companies look abroad.
“We’ve been selling the idea anyone can get a degree, but only some go on to earn a degree, there should be more training programs,” said Al Rieger, an economics teacher from Bucks County Community College.
Rieger earned his Master degree in economics from Perdue University in 1973 and started his career in the private sector working for Chemical Bank, now JP Morgan and Chase.
“Globalization killed off lower paying jobs,” continued Rieger, highlighting the ever-increasing importance of college degrees, job training and certifications, as more and more minimum wage jobs are being replaced by new technologies.
A trend experienced by most people as they approach check-out lines in  grocery stores, where cheap and efficient computer screens have replaced what a minimum wage worker once did.
As our society becomes increasingly technologically advanced, many worry that workers will be displaced by technology at startling rates and left with outdated skills, resulting in prolonged unemployment.
“Improving technology keeps growing our productivity but it is important not to leave people behind, and education and training play an important role in that,” said Rieger.
“The demand curve for training and higher education keeps increasing, and as demand for training and education increases, so does its price,” explained Rieger.
This is something Mark Grigorenko, a 19-year-old engineering major here at Bucks County Community College, knows a little about. Grigorenko attends Bucks full-time, while working part-time for his father’s construction company.
Grigorenko’s first pick for a four- year college to transfer to was Drexel University.
However, Drexel’s tuition is more than he can afford and he has to choose between his second and third choices, Rider and Weidner University.
Grigorenko feels that not enough is being done to make places like Drexel more affordable, stating “Drexel is a great school but it’s really expensive while Rider and Weidner are half the price and both are engineering schools.”
For Grigorenko, his financial aid was able to cover almost all of his tuition here at bucks, leaving just his books as an out-of-pocket expense.
“The cost of those schools is one of the reasons I came to Bucks,” explained Grigorenko.
While the cost of tuition has been on the rise, the cost of not having a college degree is even greater.
In 2012 the unemployment rate of individuals with a bachelor’s degree was six percent, whereas the unemployment rate of individuals with only a high school diploma or a G.E.D was 18.3 percent according to the N.E.C.S
“Sometimes finding the right job is worth the wait, don’t waste time on a job that’s going nowhere,” advised Burner.