Any way you measure
it, a college degree is the best investment of your life. In today's
dollars, a bachelor's degree is worth more than $2.1 million over
40 years. "Having that post-secondary diploma can make such a difference
in lifetime earnings," said Washington, D.C.-based Employment Policy
Foundation President Ed Potter.
During a recession, obtaining a college degree becomes even more crucial.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, all seven of the job categories
that are predicted to grow faster than average during the next decade
require a college diploma. These careers, which include teaching,
healthcare and technology, will account for 42 percent of the nation's
projected job growth by 2013.
Conversely, men and women without a post-secondary degree are losing
ground. The Department of Labor reports that employments for those
with bachelor's degrees grew by 1.8 million during the past 10 years
compared to a loss of nearly 700,000 jobs for those armed with a high
school diploma.
But earnings are only part of the benefits. A college education enriches
your life in ways that cannot be measured by dollars. "Education is
power," Frederick Douglass observed nearly 150 years ago. Today, education
remains the path out of poverty toward opportunity. It is also the
route to achievement, enrichment, knowledge and success. Most important
of all, education makes dreams come true.
Whether personal or practical, the college experience can be both
life affirming and career enhancing. The classroom and the coursework
expose you to diverse people and ideas. They open up a world that
challenges and stimulates you in ways both big and small. You'll discover
new interests or pursue familiar subjects with passion and depth.
Business, history, literature, teaching, medicine, technology, the
arts -- the list is endless. Along the way, your knowledge base expands,
your critical-thinking skills become sharper and your confidence grows.
And once earned, a college degree is forever, as the payoff from higher
education can never be erased, broken or laid off. Here are a few
examples of that payoff:
Even during a recession, the U.S. Bureau of Labor projects
that 23 million jobs will be created in the next decade. Management-related
occupations will account for nearly a third of the total, according
to the Employment Policy Foundation, a non-profit, non-partisan
research and educational foundation focusing on workplace trends
and policies.
In addition, a just-completed survey conducted for the Chronicle
of Higher Education shows that despite unease with the economy,
Americans faith in higher education is unwavering. The nation continues
to have confidence in the value of a college degree, with more than
half of respondents saying it is "essential for success." Your future
depends on it.
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