U.S. Department of Education

Why go to college?

May be a better question is, “What do you want to do for the rest of your life?“

In 1997, President Clinton referred to education as “the fault line between those who will prosper in the new economy and those who will not“.

A college education will offer you:

  • Gain information and skills that you’ll use for the rest of your life
    • Expand your knowledge and skills.
    • Express your thoughts clearly in speech and in writing
    • Grasp abstract concepts and theories
    • Increase your understanding of the world and your community
  • More Money/Future earnings
    Though money isn’t the only reason to consider a particular career, remember that a job that pays well offers more personal choices.

    • Statistics from U.S. Department of Education (2004):
    • In 1998, male college graduate, aged 25 to 34, earned 63% more than his counterpart who did not attend college.
    • According to the 2001 U.S. Census:
      • college graduates earned $1 million more during their lifetimes than high school graduates
    • U.S. Census Bureau, 2004:
      • lifetime earnings for a person with a college degree is about 3 times that of a person without this education
      • $1.5 million versus $500,000
  • More Job Opportunities or career choices
  • More Freedom
    • living on a college campus with other students,
    • meeting people from all over the country and world,
    • studying abroad (see, it pays to learn a foreign language), and
    • choosing your own cool courses

Keep Your Options Open!

Thinking ahead doesn’t mean you have to know right now what you want to do “when you grow up.” It’s okay not to know yet.

*Note: The income is based on year round full-time workers. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, 2006 Annual Social and Economic Supplement

U.S. Mean Annual Earnings by Education

Worklife Earnings

Source:

Last Updated: June 3, 2008

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