One of the reasons high school grads have such difficulty in the job market is that they’re competing with a rising number of college graduates. A college degree ensures you’re competitive against others at your experience level. With the costs of college rising and funding for students shrinking, it’s becoming more costly to get an education.  But most sources will tell you that the benefits still outweigh the costs.  Online education is becoming more and more accepted as an alternative to traditional college, and many adult students find that online degree programs are more practical for them.  If you’re thinking about whether or not to go to college, consider your options carefully—your choice will have a strong effect on the rest of your life.

any students graduate with many thousands of dollars in variable-rate loans from private lenders.  High student loan payments can prevent you from following your goals; if an entry-level position in your chosen career doesn’t pay enough to cover your student loans as well as your living expenses, you may have to give up or postpone pursuing your dreams.  For some, the freedom of living debt-free is worth the limitations of having no college degree.

Of course there are exceptions to this (or any) rule, but statistically speaking, college graduates have a much higher earning potential than individuals with no college education. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that the median annual earnings of individuals with a bachelor's degree is roughly twice the amount earned by individuals with only a high school diploma ($42,783 vs. $21,569). That's a big difference. The U.S. Census Bureau study goes on to suggest that education level is actually the biggest determining factor for earning potential, and that earning potential increases significantly as education level increases.

Why is a college graduate more likely to be offered a position? For one, people who have completed a college degree of some kind tend to have stronger analytical thinking skills than those who haven't. Secondly, completing a college degree demonstrates something very important: that you have the persistence and dedication necessary to finish what you start. These two factors alone--apart from the specific skills you acquire throughout college--are enough for most employers to choose the college graduate any day of the week.

As you take on college work and participate in college life, you’ll encounter new ideas and challenges. Along the way, you’ll:  Build knowledge, skills and brainpower Discover new passions Follow and satisfy your curiosity Learn more about yourself Bond with new friends Prepare for a future in which you’re better equipped to give back Whatever your destination, college can help you get there — even if you don’t know where “there” is yet. Whether you’ve mapped out a long-term plan or you see new possibilities every day, college can help you become your future self. Recommended

One of the great things about being able to choose your own courses is that you get the opportunity to explore. You can try classes in a lot of different subjects, or you can dive right into a favorite subject. You may choose to begin training for a career right away. Or you may pick a major after taking some time to check out your options. Colleges offer classes and majors in subjects you’ve studied in high school — plus many more that you haven’t.

Studies have shown that college graduates are more likely to receive greater employer-provided benefits than employees without a college degree. This is especially true when it comes to healthcare coverage. A 2008 report produced by College Board showed that roughly 70 percent of individuals with a four-year college degree received health insurance from their employer, while less than 50 percent of employees with only a high school diploma received the same benefit.

Earning a college degree–at any level–will open doors for you that would otherwise but shut. In addition to the skills and knowledge acquired by earning a degree, attending college provides professional networking opportunities inaccessible to those who don’t go to college. And the career networking opportunities typically increase with every level of education attained (e.g. associates, bachelor, master, and doctoral).Greater Benefits

One of the most important and obvious reasons to earn a college degree is to increase your earning potential. That fact of the matter is, if you obtain a college degree, you’re more likely to earn more money throughout your career than if only have a high school education. According to the United States Census Bureau, individuals achieve the following degree levels earned the following median annual salaries: PhD’s, $100,000 or more; master’s, $63,000; bachelor’s, $55,700; associate’s, $42,000; high school diploma, $32,500.

The benefits of a college education also extend beyond generations. Families of college graduates are generally better off economically and socially. But it is also more likely that the next generation of children will attend college. So you can look at it as an investment in the fu

Earning a college degree is all about opening up opportunities in life. It prepares you, both intellectually and socially, for your career and your adult life. The benefits of a college education include career opportunities like better paying and higher skilled jobs, but studies have shown that it also leads to overall happiness and stability

You may wonder, what are the secrets behind their success? These successful entrepreneurs who never went to college did not possess any superhuman skills, yet they created a niche for themselves in field of business and entrepreneurship.

Visiting a management college or taking up an entrepreneurship course is definitely going to sharpen one’s business skills. But training helps only if you possess necessary attitude to succeed. There are numerous examples of successful entrepreneurs who never went to college or even got no formal education but with the help of their own intelligence and hard-work they made their business a huge success.

College graduates attract higher-paying employers to their communities. A 1% increase in college graduates in a community increases the wages of workers without a high school diploma by 1.9% and the wages of high school graduates by 1.6%. [21]

College graduates have lower poverty rates. The 2008 poverty rate for bachelor's degree holders was 4%, compared to a 12% poverty rate for high school graduates. [11] In 2005, married couples with bachelor's degrees were least likely to be below the poverty line (1.8%) compared to 2.7% of associate's degree holders, 4.6% of couples with some college, and 7.1% of high school graduates. [21] According to the US Census Bureau, 1% of college graduates participated in social support programs like Medicaid, National School Lunch Program, and food stamps compared to 8% of high school graduates in 2008. [11]

More and more jobs require college degrees. During the recession between Dec. 2007 and Jan. 2010, jobs requiring college degrees grew by 187,000, while jobs requiring some college or an associate's degree fell by 1.75 million and jobs requiring a high school degree or less fell by 5.6 million. [13] Based on economy and job projections calculated by Georgetown University, in 2018, approximately 63% of jobs will require some college education or a degree. [14]

College graduates make more money. On average, a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree earned $30,000 more per year than a high school graduate, or about $500,000 more over a lifetime, as of Apr. 2013. [8] Earning an associate's degree (a 2-year degree) was worth about $170,000 more than a high school diploma over a lifetime in 2011. [9] The median income for families headed by a bachelor's degree holder was $100,096 in 2011—more than double than that for a family headed by a high school graduate. [10] The median increase in earnings for completing the freshman year of college was 11% and the senior year was 16% in 2007. [11] 85% of Forbes' 2012 America's 400 Richest People list were college grads. [12]

Although the colleges and universities of today carry a heavy price tag, it is of great importance not to let that discourage you from obtaining a college education. While the cost of tuition continues to rise, so too does the number of available financial aid options. Below we will explain why it is important to explore these options before you go to college and the large payoff they often provide.

The importance of a college education is also accentuated because of the opportunity to gain valuable resources during your tenure. The more connections which are collected during your college career, the more options you will have when you begin your job search. Once you have ended your job search and have started your career, however, the importance of a college education has not been exhausted. Having a college degree often provides for greater promotion opportunity.

One important answer to this question is more opportunity. As opposed to generations of the past, high school graduates today are unable to obtain the number of high-paying jobs that were once available. The U.S. has been transformed from a manufacturing-based economy to an economy based on knowledge, and the importance of a college education today can be compared to that of a high school education forty years ago. It serves as the gateway to better options and more opportunity.

Considered by the beef industry to be an impressive innovation, lean finely textured beef is made from the remnant scraps of cattle carcasses that were once deemed too fatty to go into human food.

Schools are under more financial pressure than ever before, thanks in part to the new school lunch nutrition standards that hit the ground last year, observes Margo Wootan, head of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.