More education usually means higher income

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May 30, 2012

More education usually means higher income

Anonymous The Union-Recorder The Union-Recorder Wed May 30, 2012, 08:00 AM EDT

MILLEDGEVILLE — According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average income for a high school graduate in 2009 was $25,000 a year. The same statistic in 1980 revealed a $44,000 a year average. Do the math and it’s no secret that job requirements have drastically changed, and so too, must the outlook of prospective job seekers. The past two weeks have seen graduates of all four local high schools accept their diplomas as family, friends and supports looked on. As they walked across the stage, they carried with them a wealth of promise and potential, dreams and aspirations and untapped skills waiting for refinement. Their success in the job market of today and tomorrow depends on how those qualities are harnessed — and they must take the first step by advancing their skills sets and their educational credentials. A high school diploma is no longer the final step, it’s more like the first step on the pathway to career advancement. Maybe an education at a four-year institution isn’t the right fit, but they must know that there is a wide range of options, and many across the state have recognized them. The movement toward increasing career development training in state high schools through programs like the Georgia Career Academies are moving the state in the right direction, but students have to know that while it’s never too late, taking advantage now rather than later is certainly a sound move.

It should be no secret to anyone now that the higher the education level, the more likely the higher income that comes with it. But it requires work and focus — and a plan and a desire to see it come to fruition.

In 2009, the median of the earnings for young adults with a bachelor’s degree was $45,000, while the median was $21,000 for those without a high school diploma or its equivalent, $30,000 for those with a high school diploma or its equivalent, and $36,000 for those with an associate’s degree. In other words, young adults with a bachelor’s degree earned more than twice as much as those without a high school diploma or its equivalent in 2009 (i.e., 114 percent more), 50 percent more than young adult high school completers, and 25 percent more than young adults with an associate’s degree. In 2009, the median of the earnings of young adults with a master’s degree or higher was $60,000, some 33 percent more than the median for young adults with a bachelor’s degree.

A commencement, like the ones in which many local students recently participated, is only the beginning — a commencing of one chapter and the start of a new verse. For some, graduating high school is almost a given; for others, the journey thus far has been met with its share of challenges. However the path to this point, know that the journey is far from complete — but finishing is certainly not without its share of possibilities.

Numerous challenges lay ahead, challenges that will require continued focus and hard work to overcome, but the return on this level of dedication will reap milestones and dividends that hopefully will make it all worthwhile. Congratulations to the Class of 2012 on achieving this milestone. Let it be the first of many. May your hard work and dedication in the coming years one day reap rewards that reach far beyond your own expectations in life — the journey is just beginning.

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