by. J. Keri Ward

What difference does it make ?

                                                                        

Have you ever wondered how life would be if you had done it ? Or, hadn’t done it ? One of life’s age old questions...does my college education, or the lack thereof determine my lifestyle ? Hopefully, we can provide answers and clear up some myths of society within this story.

Socioeconomic studies have been conducted for decades now by groups such as the American Educational Research Association, which after over hundreds of studies has concluded that the correlations aren’t as many have assumed. For us, this means all we need is a dream and good ole’ determination to live the lives we’ve dreamed about. Of course, this isn’t a green light for college students everywhere to drop out of school…it does however mean that if college isn’t for you, there’s still hope ! (I personally, value the well educated professionals of our society i.e: medical professionals, lawyers, educators, etc. so, DON’T QUIT !)

Over time, studies have also revealed some of the other myths of our age are proven to be not-so-true. Ethnicity, sex, religion, orientation has absolutely nothing to do with what you can accomplish, or the places you can go in life. In such an advanced and progressive country as the U.S., there are millions of people making their mark in time while securing their financial future by simply finding their niche. You know… like Bill Gates did, or the Starbucks guy ! These are perfect examples of how you can take something you like, and believe in, and let your hobby make you filthy rich ! It happens all the time. Of course, it takes general knowledge of business, public relations, and finance to make it all work…that’s what advisors, accountants, and support staff are for!

Do you remember those meetings with the guidance counselor at your high school about what you want to be when you “grow up” ? Then, they gave you that list of things you should focus on, classes you should take, and colleges you should apply for to make your dreams come true ? Oh, what memories…or was it as intimidating of a nightmare as it still sounds today ? Not necessarily for some. As we know, the median household income for the average holder of a bachelor’s degree is $65,922. While someone who holds a master’s degree earns an average of $ 77,935. Not too bad, eh ? The only down side to this however is that some students can borrow up to $ 100,000 to pay for a two-year program ! (Hey, all I can do is give the stats. You do your own math !) Competition is everything nowadays. It’s a painful truth, but where you obtained your degree, and the mere cost of seems to matter just as much as the fact that you have one.

Of course we’ve all seen the charts, graphs, articles and stories about how much you should expect to earn with your college degree. These are usually broken down by field of study, and give a general idea of the salary you should expect. Surprisingly, with Liberal Arts bringing up the rear and a degree Chemical Engineering topping the list, no field of study on the list earned over $100,000. (this was based on my personal research and findings) So, my take on this is…no matter what type of degree you have, or where its from. What you do with your degree after you’ve obtained it is what separates the “haves” from the “have-nots”. This is where social skills and networking comes in handy people.

In essence, this is my spin on the issue. The next time you pull up at the stop light and look at the Bentley Continental Flying Spur in the next lane, or pass by that huge “McMansion” in one of those ‘oh-so-exclusive’ communities. Instead of asking yourself how they did it, ask yourself what can you do to make it happen for you, if that’s where you’d like to be in life. Whatever you do, do it well. Believe in it. Put your heart into it. Strive for the best, and you’ll have it. If a top-notch education is in your future, start saving and filling out those student loan & scholarship applications ! If you prefer another route, start researching your options and get the ball rolling ! We only get one shot at this life, so why not make the best of it and do what makes us happy ?