Highlands Student Center
On to College
If you’re undecided about College, these facts may help you make up your mind. In the year 2003, the U.S. Department of Education reported that average earnings for American workers were:
High School Dropouts - $22,152 per year
High School Graduates - $30,680 per year
College Graduates - $53,248 per year
Do some quick arithmetic and you’ll find that the average college graduate earns $22,568 (73.55%) more each year than the average high school graduate. In the average American life span of 77 years, the average difference in earnings per individual will be 55 x $22,568 or $1,241,240. (A recent study by the Department of Health and Human Services showed that Americans who earn the most have a life span 5 years greater than those who earn the least.)
Today, many of the leading American colleges and universities are making it easier for students to meet the costs of college. Harvard and Yale, for example, have recently announced subsidies and incentives for students from middle- and upper-income families.
If your family can afford the costs of college, all well and good. If it can’t, there is help available. Talk to your high school guidance counselors. They investigate what the colleges offer in the way of help, and they will be happy to tell you what they’ve learned.
Ask your parents to invest a few dollars in your education by talking to a student coach or counselor.
A professional coach will examine your school records
and your results in a series of assessments (abilities, interests, personality) and then talk with you at length to guide you to the right college and the right courses.
Most professions and most business openings are not available without a college degree. If your goal is to practice medicine or law or to teach, or to design a bridge - you will not be permitted to do so without an undergraduate degree. As America has shifted from a nation of farmers and factory workers to a nation of commerce and services, the demand for college graduates has increased.
The road to college may be long and hard, but it is worth the effort.
© 2009 The Highlands Company. All rights reserved.
