The Cost of Higher Education - Debt Vs Potential Salaries

Medical Doctors are often associated with beingThe variety of courses required in college will prepare
wealthy, yet did you know that the average studentyou to deal with unexpected situations, present your
debt for a medical student is more than $120,000? Butwork, brainstorm in teams, develop projects and
say you don't want the seven years of medical school,acquire the skills most careers demand. The best part
did you know a Certified Nurse Anesthetist in Miamiof learning these real-world skills is that if you make
can make anywhere from $130k to $168k accordingmistakes there won't be real-world consequences -
to Imagine a 6-figure job that will cost you $26,340 atyour teachers won't "fire" you if your proposal wasn't
a 4-year public university.perfect. In other words, in college you can make the
Income is affected by many factors, including bigotry,mistakes you can't afford to make in the real world.
sexism and a glass ceiling that sometimes could affectEven if you aspire a talent-based profession like
the potential earnings of women. Yet KatharinePhotography, there's no better place to practice your
Hansen, PHD and Creative Director of discovered thatcraft than at a college filled with resources and
a woman with a bachelor's degree (BA) will earn 91%experienced professors ready to improve your work
more than a woman with a high-school diploma (GED).and help you develop an artistic portfolio that helps you
When it comes to males, the 1999 U.S. Censusget a job after graduation. Another advantage of
discovered that men 25+ earn on average $61,000college is helping people find their passion in life - don't
with a BA vs. $32,000 with a GED.know whether to be an accountant, financial adviser or
According to Anthony Balderrama, a writer forchemist? Use your required elective courses to find
CareerBuilder.com, the top-20 highest-paying careerswhat truly motivates you.
all require college degrees. For example, top corporateAnother great benefit of college is the networking
controllers earn on average $115k, physicists andopportunities which include the lifetime bonds created
systems managers $90k, pharmacists $89k andat sororities and fraternities. Forget the tomfoolery of
marketing managers $87k."Animal House," fraternities give you immediate access
For talent-based careers like dancing, photography,to former brothers and sisters that are now some of
acting and others the salaries vary wildly and dependAmerica's movers and shakers. Want to get a job at
more on individual talent than where the degree wasGoogle? Why go through human resources when
obtained. For example, according to the U.S. Bureau ofmaybe a frat brother who graduated in 1986 already
Labor Statistics, art directors earned an averageworks there? Just like LinkedIn, instead of contacting a
yearly income of $88,510 in 2008. Sometimes there'sfaceless corporation that throws your resume in the
even a correlation between the cultural glamour of apile you can speak to a human being that might be
career and its annual income. Take choreographers,impressed with you and get the ball rolling in your favor.
everyone loves "A Chorus Line" yet did you know theFinally, college doesn't have to be a traditional 4-year
average choreographer made $41,870 in 2008? Davidexpensive Ivy League school. Aside from relatively
Mamet won't be writing a play celebrating aerospaceinexpensive yet equally famous public universities, you
engineers yet their abilities in designing satellites andcan start your higher education with a 2-year
unmanned flying objects earned them $93,980 lastassociate degree, a certificate program or even
year, which is almost $10,000 more than the averagetechnical training. In conclusion, the world of higher
play writer makes.education is constantly changing with new careers,
If making more money doesn't motivate you, considernew ways to pay for college, new programs, and
the following benefits of going to college:almost endless possibilities that can overwhelm
1. Increase your knowledge and skills.anyone. Don't go on this journey alone, speak to
2. Learn to express yourself verbally and in writing.college advisers and learn how to find the higher
3. Manage abstract concepts and theories.education that will transform your life for the better.
4. Improve your knowledge of the world.