Education Pays: Learn More, Earn More

In fact, education pays very well. This is one of the best financial decisions you will ever make. The latest data available by the United States Census Bureau underscores the value of a College Degree.

The data supports a high rate of return for students from all ethnic & gender groups, and those from all family backgrounds. Further, every study done in this field has reinforced the same high rate of return for those that invest in their education. In other words, your degree will pay for itself. It is even more significant when you consider these earnings over a life time.

There are already many good reasons for students to attend college and earn a Bachelor's degree, but the data above shows more than a million more reasons! In other words, the average college graduate will make more than twice the average high school grad over the same lifetime which equates to more than $1 million. This is a result of not only higher starting salaries for college graduates, but more significantly a higher rate of growth. Those with higher levels of education advance more quickly through their fields, are more upwardly mobile, and have more options available to them. Inflation-adjusted earnings for individuals with postsecondary degrees have increased over the past decade, while earnings for individuals with High School level education or lower have decreased. And this gap is growing even larger as fewer and fewer jobs are available to those without a college degree. More education and training means higher earnings. It's really that simple.

Here's the catch: It's up to the individual to harness the power. Only you can make this important decision for yourself.

Surprisingly, only 28% of Americans over the age of 25 have a Bachelor's degree or higher. This is a shockingly low number considering the availability of higher education in our society and the access we have to government-supported financial aid programs. Further, while the percentage of U.S. adults with a postsecondary degree has increased in recent decades, the demand for jobs demanding postsecondary degrees has outpaced this growth. Who Are the Future Students? Whether you are a working adult or a stay-at-home parent, there are many more compelling reasons to go back to school and earn a degree than the obvious one of increasing your earning power. Here are some other reasons to consider:

1. Get farther in your current job
Adults who want to go to the next level of their career, increase their chance for a promotion and assume more challenging & rewarding job responsibilities. Perhaps that next level Job Description demands a minimum of an Associate's or Bachelor's degree.

2. Change your career altogether
Adults who are stuck in a dead-end job, or are unhappy & uninspired. An advanced education allows adults to take charge of their future and work toward areas that truly interest them or about which they are passionate, thus enriching their lives.

3. Take advantage of High-growth fields in the job market
There are many opportunities in high-growth areas of work due to the shifts in the population and corresponding changes in the demand for products and services. For instance, healthcare jobs are substantially on the rise as the baby boom generation continues to age, there is a strong demand in our country for qualified nurses, or the increase in our younger population is creating more demand in the field of education. High-growth areas in the job market also arguably offer more job security for future peace of mind. Click here to read more about Tomorrow's Jobs.

4. Adults who demand flexible study schedules
Most adults don't have the luxury to be full-time students. In fact, almost 40% of total enrollments (2004) in all degree-granting institutions were part-time students. Full-time employed or stay-at-home parents need a flexible study schedule in order to advance through their required curriculums and earn their degree. This is one of the most attractive aspects and benefits of online/distance learning.

5. Adults who want access to accredited Colleges & Universities
The prospective student needs to trust that the college or university s/he selects is an accredited and respected school. The accreditation process is not easy to get and the recognition of their Accreditation Bodies by the Department of Education is critical. Future employers will place more weight on accredited degrees. We've made the process easier for the prospective student by only listing accredited schools on our site.

6. Adults who want to be certain that they are not alone
The proprietary, career-oriented schools we list on this site have been educating students for decades. Currently, there are over 2 million students enrolled in these proprietary colleges and universities across the United States. The prospective student has the opportunity to join the many other Americans earning their degrees in this manner - 10% of all students in the U.S.

7. Bypass the overly competitive traditional postsecondary school system
The current population shift is creating more and more 18 year-olds every day, and the traditional institutions are finding it difficult to keep up with the increasing demand for postsecondary education. Entrance into traditional colleges & universities is more competitive than ever and often demand full-time study schedules. Proprietary career-oriented colleges & universities provide another option to this growing segment of our population. Further, as career-focused, the curriculums for the schools we list are designed with the working adult in mind, as well as practical applications of the study into real world jobs to help the transition into applicable work more seamless.

8. Financial aid is available through U.S. Government grants and loans to mitigate costs:
The schools we list have Title IV classification by the Department of Education, which means their students have the same access to federally supported financial aid. As a tax-payer, the prospective student can start paying him or herself back with an education. The average earnings premium to a college education is high enough to assure a significant return to the investment in education - and it benefits our society as a whole.

9. Tuition Reimbursement Benefits to mitigate costs
Some employers offer partial or total tuition expense reimbursement benefits - prospective students can check with their HR Departments to see if they are eligible for such benefits.

10. Enjoy a higher standard of living
Prospective students can gain the self-respect, sense of accomplishment and confidence that comes with higher education.

Information Sources: : The information we provide herein is obtained through a variety of government sources (e.g., Department of Education, Department of Labor, the United States Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics, and The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System among others). We take great strides in accurately presenting this information which is available in the public domain. In most cases, we used the latest data available which generally is up to 2005. This information is presented without warranty.