Education Matters

The more education you have, the more you are likely to earn.


A person with a graduate degree can earn as much as $60,000 more each year than someone without a high school diploma!

Check it out: http://www.centralinaworks.com/youth/outcomesofeducation.cfm

The more education you have, the less likely you are to find yourself unemployed.


A person without a high school diploma is 4.5 times more likely to be unemployed than a person with a professional degree.

Check it out: http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm

You can go to college.


  • Start preparing now. Work hard in school so that you have good grades that will qualify you for admission and financial assistance.
  • Put some money aside from any jobs you have or get in the future. Baby sitting, leaf raking, snow shoveling, summer jobs, weekend jobs can all help.
  • Once you are in high school, your high school guidance counselor can help direct you. Guidance counselors are often most knowledgeable about local scholarship sources and can help you find a school that is right for you.
  • Use the web to look for sources of funding and other college information. Check out:
        FastWeb http://www.fastweb.com/
        FinAid http://www.finaid.org/
        FAFSA http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
          (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
        Check out this site
        developed by The U.S. Department of Education
        http://www.college.gov/wps/portal
        There are other sites, too, but these are a good place to start.
  • If money is a problem, consider starting at a local community college. These schools are less expensive than 4 year institutions. You can do your first two years at a local community college and then transfer to a four-year college. If you live at home for those first two years you’ll save even more.
  • Don’t Give Up! Even if you have to do it slowly and work your way through, a college degree will be of enormous benefit to you in many ways, not the least of them, economically!