Will it make a difference if I go to college?

The following chart illustrates the pay off for education. The chart represents total work experience and the mean or average annual earnings by education level for all races, both men and women between the age of 18 and 64. You can clearly see the more education you achieve, the more money you can expect to make in your lifetime. It's never too soon to begin career exploration and planning.

Annual Demographic Survey, a Joint Project Between the Bureau of
Labor Statistics and the Bureau of the Census, 2004

Notice the difference in wages for a person with a high school diploma and a person with an Associate Degree? If you do the math, it comes out to $8046.00 difference. Now multiply the $8046.00 times 40 years (or more) you will work and it comes out to $321,840.00 more you can expect to make during your lifetime.

Now look at the difference between a high school diploma and a Bachelor's degree. The person with the Bachelor's degree can expect to make $23,278.00 more per year. When you multiply that by 40 years, it comes out to $931,120.00 more you will make during your lifetime.

Is education important to your future?