The Value of an Education

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As people start to grow up, some start to question the value of an education. Is it really worth it to stay in high school or go to college? But, then, you grow up, and there seems to be a billion tech people making a billion dollars, and you again wonder about the value of an education. In fact—many will tell you your education is not worth what it takes to get it.

In this article, we’ll dive into the value of an education, and whether it’s worth it to pursue an education.

A Degree Never Expires

If there’s anything that you learn from this article—make sure it’s this; a degree never expires. Someone that gets a bachelor’s or master’s degree in anything business, history, or art (any subject, really) can still use that years later when applying for jobs. Even this one fact that I call “your education calling card” makes it completely worthwhile to pursue an education.

Maybe you think you won’t use an education.

You may not plan to use your education for various reasons, and that’s totally okay. However, education provides a great cushion to fall back on or a plan B in a way. When unexpected events happen, and you need a bit more financial help, having a degree will help you 50 or 60 years down the line.

Getting an education makes you more valuable to companies and employers for a long, long time.

The Value of an Education Is Worth Your Time and Money

When you go to a quality high school or university, what are you pursuing? Are you pursuing friendships, knowledge, skills, or experiences? The great thing is college comes with each of these perks.

School teaches you how to socialize; you learn important concepts like sticking with something (even when it sucks) for the value of your goals.

Something you get from an education that is sometimes not learned anywhere else is you learn to put up with getting bossed around. The professors tell you what to do—and you do it. Papers are due—and you do them. So many demands are made on your time, and you do what you have to get through your college life.

These situations and the information you gain at the university will be used throughout your whole life. Think “how to analyze and problem solve?” A definite yes.

Think about it; if you were trying to manage finances but only had a 3rd-grade education, you wouldn’t be able to understand how compounding works. Even with a full university degree—it’s sometimes difficult to budget money, manage things around the house, and a million other things each person has to do daily. Additional education puts all of this “life learning” and places it in reusable “habit” form.

A baseline education is important. It makes your life easier in the long run, even though it may not be the most fun thing to complete in the short run.

The Value of an Education Is an Investment in You

I like to think of education as an investment in myself. I’m spending time learning and developing skills that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to obtain. I’m developing critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills, which I can use when issues come up later in life. I’m investing some money and some time into a degree, which I can then use to make more money than I’m already making.

When pursuing an education, think about how much you want to get out of it.

Some may be totally satisfied with a high school diploma. Others may want to get a bachelor’s degree, master’s, or even a doctorate. We encourage you to get a least a college degree since you can do so much more with a college degree than a high school diploma. If no one is there to encourage you—encourage yourself. The value of an education is one of life’s secrets.

Many high school students may not be super interested in school because high school isn’t really super exciting or interesting. The great thing about college is that you can study what you want. I get to take psychology and business classes that fascinate me. I don’t have to worry about calculus or world history that (I tell myself) I’ll never use again. College and education, in general, are valued by many. When you get more educated and get a degree, you become more valuable to others—but it might be to yourself that you become more valuable.

The Value of an Education Reaches Beyond a Career

Education also increases your capacity to serve and give back to the community.

1. Problem-Solving

Developing problem-solving skills will help you when problems arise in your career, family, and life in general. People will always struggle, and an education opens your eyes to multiple ways of helping these individuals.

Education has helped me personally in understanding other people’s thoughts and the positions they take on issues.

2. Psychology Education

School teaches you to think critically, analyze widely, and learn vast specific and general lessons. The lessons you learn in school – from good examples to poor examples – help you forever. For example, taking psychology courses helps you understand how humans think and allows you to process thoughts better and understand why people behave in a certain way. As a result, you’ll be better able to reach out in certain situations.

3. Financial Education

Financial education hones skills for budgeting, which will help the economy and help you understand how to learn about investing money and where to invest it.

Education in Your Career

More and more professions in our modern-day require a college degree at a minimum. These jobs tend to come with more benefits and pay better than those that don’t require a college education. Sure, you could deliver packages and make decent money, but think about how much more you can make with technical and analytical skills or any skill.

Studies show that people with higher levels of education tend to make more money and even tend to be happier. This is because education teaches and refines skills to help you become the best you can be.

When You Value An Education—You Can Get One

The best part about education is that you can do it! You can pay for college, and you can use the knowledge you gain to help others and make a real change in the world. We all have dreams and goals we want to achieve in life. But, most of the time, education will take you where you want to go.

You may want to live internationally, run a nonprofit to help others, or just make a change in the world. Valuing an education motivates you to get one and learn everywhere, whether that be school or elsewhere.

Education gives you the capacity and the ability to do more.

You can live wherever you want, do the things you want in life, and be the best version of yourself with education and hard work. Talk to those you look up to and learn about the people you want to be like in the future. Where did they go to school, and did education influence their lives? Education nearly always makes a positive impact on you, your family, and the world.

Conclusion

An education can take you all the places you want to go in life. Employers and future job opportunities value an education, and getting to the finish line of this goal increases your capacity to serve, learn, and become.

It may seem daunting, but you absolutely can get an education. Save early and work hard; your future self will thank you for it.

By Matt Rowe