What would you do with $1,030.31 more each month?

This is the second post in our series College search 101. Earlier we looked at how to figure out what to do with the rest of your life. Now we’ll look at the secret to getting a better job and making more money. 

More know equals more dough

How would you respond if I told you there was a way for the average adult to increase their earnings by $1,030.31 a month?

Well, according to U.S. census data published in 2006, a single increase in level of education equals exactly that for the average American.

Take a look at this chart:

If the information from the U.S. Census Bureau is correct, someone who never finished high school stands to make another $802.83 a month just by getting their GED.

No wonder my high school counselor pushed me so hard to go to summer school.

What else is in it for me?

The College Board – the organization behind the SAT®, the PSAT/NMSQT®, and the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) – produces a great document each year called Education Pays that lists out dozens of other benefits from higher levels of education. Including:

Increased employer-provided health insurance and pension benefits.

More positive perceptions of personal health and healthier lifestyles.

Lower:

• Unemployment rates
• Poverty rates
• Smoking rates

Higher levels of:

• Civic participation
• Volunteer work
• Voting
• Blood donation

College education also correlates with greater levels of openness to the opinions of others.

While I certainly am motivated by a desire to have greater levels of openness to the opinions of others, these studies make me look at my little bachelor’s degree and wonder how much prettier a master’s would look sitting next to my extra $1,173.58 each month.

It makes sense to me.

The next post in this series will look at how to choose a program that will help you get a better job and make more money.

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