The importance of Academic Credentials.
In the society that we live, having a college degree is very important. A long time ago one could get by with taking a few courses in a specialized area and move up the ladder by way of on-the-job experience. In the past, many years of service made one untouchable, but that does not hold true today. In fact, most businesses and practically all government agencies require at least a bachelors degree for an entry level position.
The Value of Higher Education.
The cost of college tuition continues to rise and as a result we are asking ourselves whether it is really worth spending years working towards a degree when the same time could be spent earning money. .
A few years ago the U.S. Census Bureau report showed the following:.
People who had an Associate's Degree earned nearly 25% more than those with just a high school diploma; over ten years, that is a total of $80,000. If one was to continue to study, and had a bachelor's degree, his earnings would be over $600,000 more than a high-school educated worker. Professionals with degrees as high as MBAs, PhDs, JDs, and MDs earned even more. (Degrees to Succeed) .
We can conclude from this that there is value in a higher education. As in the example above, one would be cheating himself by not trying to move up the ladder. The prerequisite to a degree is setting aside time and possibly denying yourself some of the material things in life. The value of a higher education will give you all the things you set aside in order to obtain those higher credentials. .
Bachelors Degree.
What does having that piece of paper really mean? For some of us it gives a sense of higher self esteem or an improved quality of Life. Since January the percentage of unemployed individuals with a bachelor's degree or above moved from 3.0% to 3.1%. Unemployment for those with some college experience basically held steady at 4.