The Dollars and Cents of a Four-Year Degree

The longer you stay in school the better off you are when it comes to earning potential over the course of your lifetime. Recent estimates have found when it comes to the importance of an education there are some rather astonishing figures to support the claim of higher earning.

A high school diploma will net the average individual an additional $200,000 income over a lifetime. Some college without a degree will increase that figure an additional $150,000 totaling $350,000. A four-year degree increases this figure another $500,000 to total $850,000 in earning potential over the course of a lifetime. These figures can be found to be a nice motivator for going back and finishing a degree.

Businesses need a defining factor by which to narrow down the field of potential employees. That factor is often a college degree. Since ability and capabilities are among the things you just can't see on a piece of paper, education is used. Even though a person's education may not be a true measurement of his or her actual ability, it is often used in the business world to narrow down the growing field of applicants.

This may not seem fair to the many people who have the practical skills needed. However, companies are now seeking employees that can fill multiple roles. They are looking to consolidate positions that were occupied by several people in the past. Unfortunately, the only way to show whether or not you have these specific skills is if you list them on your resume. Those individuals who have a four-year degree are believed to have the necessary skills by the merit of their educations. A college education provides a brief introduction to many skills that employers are seeking.

Even if the earning potential alone is not enough incentive when it comes to the importance of earning a college degree, perhaps the reasons below will provide a little additional motivation.

1) Reaching for a degree gives challenge. Not much in life offers the same level of challenge of as returning to college. It can be frightening and exciting at the same time. Returning to school can open your eyes to new ideas. Learning challenges your preconceptions and tests the limits of your own experiences. Continuing education can open your mind to the thoughts and ideas of others.

2)A degree forces you to learn new skills. There is never a bad time to begin learning new skills. There is no age restriction on expanding your intellect. The truth is that as long as you open your mind to learning you are feeding your intellect and gaining new skills.

3) A degree can provide career advancement. Whether you realize it or not, a college degree is one of the quickest paths you can take to career advancement. It shows everyone around you your desire to improve.

Hopefully you can see how much a degree can affect you. It can improve so many things about your life. A degree improves how you view yourself and how you see the world around you. Make now the time to go back to school and earn your degree.

Online Education: Is It Right for You?

Living in the information age, we have grown so accustomed to having access to countless facts and figures with the mere click of a few buttons. It only makes sense that there are many people around the world embracing the idea of online learning and educational opportunities. However if you are one of those people who feel that the information age has left them behind to some degree the chances are quite good that online learning may not be the best available option for you.
Below you will find a few questions that can help you narrow down whether or not you would truly benefit by taking some of the many online courses that are being offered.

1) Are you disciplined? We would all like to think that we can discipline ourselves to some extent. The problem is that when you are in control of your own education you need to have more than some discipline. You need to be able to meet deadlines, take the tests, and hold yourself responsible for learning all the information that you need to in order to pass the course. There is no one to blame but yourself if you do not do well in your online classes.
2) How do you learn best? We all have different learning styles. Even though, one is not better than the other, we need to be certain which style we are. Online courses are reading intensive. If you have difficulties retaining the information you read you may need to find an alternate learning method or seek solutions with the assistance of the course instructor before moving forward in an online learning environment.
3) Do you have a true desire to succeed? The answer to this question is quite important in determining whether or not online learning is for you. This type of learning, more than any other is easy to give up on through apathy. If you aren't determined to do the assignments, to study the notes, and to really learn the material that is presented to you then you really do not need to waste yours or the instructor's time by continually making up excuses. Online courses are largely self-paced but you do have a limited amount of time in which to learn the material before you need to move on.

Whether you are a first time college student or a professional that is returning to school after a long absence online learning can open new doors of opportunity for your learning pleasure however in order to be successful you must be willing to walk through those doors and take the information that is presented to you. My hope is that before beginning everyone reading this will carefully consider whether or not the lack of structure of many online courses is going to be conducive to your specific learning and educational needs .