Education is important because most career paths require at least some education and training. While the decision to continue your education is a personal choice, you should consider that knowledge and experience are important. If you have a career goal that you want to achieve, you will most likely need an education to get there. Knowing the importance of education will motivate you to learn more and achieve great things.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Preparing for the Future
Step 1. Set your career goals
If you've been thinking about the future, you probably have some ideas about the career you'd like to pursue. No matter what your goals are, achieving them will likely require a degree.
- Look online for information about the career you want, or talk to people who work in that field. Chances are that anyone you talk to will tell you that you need an education in order to enter the field. The education you need may vary: some fields require formal college education, while others may tend to require specialized training in that area.
- In the United States, only 27 percent of jobs available nationally require education below high school. In contrast, students who have graduated from high school are considered eligible for 39 percent of available jobs nationwide.
- Many people who drop out of school think they are better off working than going to school, but statistics show that most people who drop out are unemployed and have little or no source of income.
Step 2. Find a better job
Even if the career you choose doesn't require higher education to enter the field, you still need education if you want to get promoted or get a higher paying job.
- People who have graduated from higher education usually make more money than those who do not attend school. For example, in the United States, the average weekly income for people with only high school graduation in 2014 was $751 (for men) and $558 (for women). In contrast, the median weekly wage for people with at least a bachelor's degree was $1,385 (for men) and $1,049 (for women) in 2014. People with higher degrees had higher average weekly wages: $1,630 (for men) and $1,185 (for women).
- Having a high school diploma increases job opportunities much higher than those who drop out of high school. That number continues to increase when students pursue higher education with diploma or undergraduate courses.
Step 3. Look for better opportunities
The provision of education opens many doors of professional work for you. Education helps you learn new skills, build professional connections, and generally achieve greater success.
- People who have completed higher education often get more and better opportunities because of their education.
- Even if you haven't graduated from high school, completing vocational training (education that emphasizes specific occupations, such as electricity) will increase your income level and your ability to find work. If you graduate from high school and vocational training, you become a more attractive candidate to apply for a job.
Part 2 of 3: Overcoming Inequality
Step 1. Address income inequality
Research shows that getting an education-even a basic education-can help low-income workers earn more and better economic conditions.
- Employers are looking for people who excel in education. Even a high school diploma will reduce the risk of becoming unemployed and increase the average tenure for most working adults.
- In the United States, 54 percent of non-high school graduates between the ages of 16 and 24 are unemployed. For high school graduates, that figure decreases to 32 percent for people in the same age range, and further declines to 13 percent for undergraduate graduates.
Step 2. Live a better life
In addition to the professional opportunities that a person can get because of his education, education in general is also correlated with a better life. Some studies suggest that people who attend school are less likely to experience legal problems later in life.
- Undergraduate graduates earn an average of $1.64 million more in their lifetime than people who don't graduate from high school. High school graduates earn an average of $429,280 more in their lifetime than those who don't graduate from high school.
- Getting an education (and subsequently getting a better job) makes people less likely to commit crimes because they are afraid of losing what they worked for.
- The average American who didn't graduate from high school had a one in 10 chance of being arrested, while the average high school graduate had a one in 35 chance of being arrested.
- Several studies have shown that with education people also become more patient, and thus less likely to be overly angry or violent.
Step 3. Help your family
Getting an education is usually associated with an increased ability to provide for the family. This not only means being able to support the family financially, but also setting an example for the younger family members, as well as inspiring them to pursue education.
Part 3 of 3: Knowing the Social Benefits of Education
Step 1. Get a long life
Some research shows that getting a higher education can help you live longer. This is due to better working conditions that are obtained through education, or it could be due to education that people can be lifted from bad family situations. Whatever the cause, many studies show that even having a high school education significantly lowers people's chances of dying young.
- Young men who graduate from high school live statistically an average of seven years longer than men who drop out of high school. Young women who graduate from high school live an average of six years longer than women who drop out of high school.
- Young men who graduated from college lived statistically an average of 13 years longer than men who dropped out of high school, and an average of six years longer than men who graduated from high school but didn't go to college. Women who graduate from college live an average of 12 years longer than women who drop out of high school, and an average of six years longer than women who graduate from high school but don't go to college.
Step 2. Get a happier life
In addition to living longer, people who pursue education tend to be happier in life. That's because thanks to education people can solve problems better so they are better able to manage problems from day to day.
Several studies have shown that by getting an education, regardless of salary earned later or job satisfaction, people will have better mental health later in life
Step 3. Find more life satisfaction
Some studies show that people who have completed their education usually pursue things that provide personal satisfaction.
- The condition of flow, which is a term used to describe a feeling when a person is completely immersed in his task so that what he does feels meaningful and satisfying, is often associated with educational progress. In other words, education will help you find a hobby or passion that makes you feel satisfied.
- Many schools encourage flow, whether intentionally or not, by offering a stimulating learning environment and meaningful extracurricular activities for students who may not have had those opportunities.
Tips
- Don't be discouraged if your grades are bad. Studying, taking extra lessons, and repeating lessons can help you get better grades in school.
- Don't let financial problems keep you from going to school. There are always scholarships and loans for students who want to continue their education, and getting an education will help you earn a higher salary for the rest of your life.
- If you have the opportunity to get an education, don't waste it. Many people feel happy if they get a similar opportunity to go to school.
