Why should I earn a college degree?
The Importance of a College Education…
College degrees are becoming more and more important in today’s competitive job market. Many jobs now require a college degree. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, bachelor degree holders earn about $24,000 more per year than those who only have a high school diploma. In addition, workers who have an associate degree earn about $8,000 more per year than those who have only a high school diploma. Check out the infographic below for more reasons why a college degree is important.
Earning a college degree is hard work. A degree in digital marketing, healthcare, paralegal or what every discipline you choose mean you need to dedicated to your goal, while a Master’s and Doctorate are even bigger time commitments.
According to studies conducted by the Pew Research Center and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, it is totally worth it. The Federal Reserve Bank study, “Do the Benefits of College Still Outweigh the Costs,” concludes that, “investing in a college degree may be more important than ever before because those who fail to do so are falling further and further behind.”
How are those who do not have a college degree falling behind? To really understand this, here is a list of some of the major benefits of earning a college degree:
- You Earn More Money – College graduates earn higher salaries than non-graduates. For example, it is estimated by the Pew Research study that a bachelor’s degree graduate earns $17,500 more per year than a high school graduate $15,500 more than a student with some college or a two-year degree. In addition, the study shows that the wage gap between college and high school graduates’ salaries is growing from previous generations. For example, Millennials with a high school diploma today earn 62 percent of what their peers with bachelor’s degrees earn. In the baby boomer generation, high school graduates earned 77 percent of what their college-graduate peers did.
- You Will Have a Better Chance of Finding a Good Job – Despite the recession, college graduates are still more likely to be employed than their less educated peers. It is estimated that only 3.8 percent of bachelor’s degree graduates are unemployed, compared with 12.2 percent of high school graduates and 8.1 percent of students with some college or a two-year degree. College graduates also tend to find jobs faster than high school graduates.
- You Are More Likely to Be Offered a Retirement Plan – According to the Pew Research study, 61 percent of college-educated millennials worked for an employer with a retirement plan, compared with only 36 percent of high school-educated millennials who worked for an employer offering a pension plan.
- Work Will Be More Satisfying – According to the studies, college-educated young adults are more likely to have satisfaction in their job compared to high school-educated young adults. Statistics show that 53 percent of college graduates in their 20’s and 30’s said they were “very satisfied” with their work, compared to 37 percent of high school graduates.
As you can see, there are many benefits to earning a college degree. While it may seem daunting to tackle a four-year program or beyond, the time and money spent on a degree will be worth it. In fact, the Pew Research study concluded that all generations, from millennials to Gen Xers and even baby boomers, agreed that their education was worth it.
Earn a Degree in Just 15 Months
Fremont University offers accelerated degree programs that take just 15 months to complete. Degree programs are available in Healthcare Management, Healthcare Information Technology, Paralegal Studies, Multimedia Design, Digital marketing and Business Leadership.
The Healthcare Management and Business Leadership degree programs are part of our Degree Completion Program where students can apply previously-earned college credits or an associate degree toward a bachelor degree that can be completed in 15 months. The Healthcare Information Technology, Paralegal Studies, and Multimedia Design programs are associate degree programs that also take 15 months to complete. Contact us today to learn how you can earn a degree and be prepared for a career in an in-demand field in a little over one year. You can also request a free career guide that includes information about career options available for each degree program.
