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Saturday, September 6, 2008

The Value of Education

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Posted at 9:15 AM • Comments (0)

The Value of Education

By David Pannen, Education Journalist

Learning is part of human nature. It is a remarkable characteristic that has distinctly separated humans from the rest of the mammals on the earth. Humans have an incredible ability to adapt to their surroundings, mainly by learning in a series of steps. This process begins in early childhood, when children soak up the knowledge around them. As they grow older, children change into individuals who quickly learn about their surroundings, how things work, and how to act in certain social environments. Progressive intellectual development is why humans have evolved into the dominant being populating the planet. In the most recent era of mankind, learning has advanced into a structured strategy called education. Education is comprised of instruction, learning, and application.

Instruction is the most important part of an education. Without proper instruction, students struggle with ideas and concepts that could be better explained through a more effective method. Teachers are those that create the change within a student. Learning is the process a student goes through to retain the information taught by an instructor. The effectiveness of learning is up to the individual student and their ambitions to learn more. Without the willingness to learn, a student simply will not. The final component of education is the application of what has been learned. In order for student to retain information successfully, activities including homework, papers, and tests are very significant components.

Financially speaking, an education will directly lead to profitable gains. Over a lifetime, an advanced degree is worth millions of dollars. The chart below illustrates the significance an education has on a person’s financial earnings.

Education vs. Average Annual Income - Men

Year	No High School Diploma	High School Diploma	Some College No Completion	Associate's Degree	Bachelor's Degree	Master's Degree	Doctor's Degree
1991	$21,402	$26,653	$31,663	*****	$40,906	*****	*****
1992	$21,274	$26,779	$32,103	$33,433	$41,355	$49,973	$57,418
1993	$21,752	$27,280	$32,077	$33,690	$42,757	$51,867	$63,149
1994	$22,048	$27,370	$32,279	$35,794	$43,663	$53,500	$61,921
1995	$22,185	$28,037	$33,883	$35,201	$45,266	$55,216	$65,336
1996	$22,717	$29,510	$34,845	$37,131	$45,846	$60,508	$71,227
1997	$24,726	$30,709	$35,945	$38,022	$48,616	$61,690	$76,234
1998	$23,958	$31,215	$36,934	$40,274	$51,405	$62,244	$75,078
1999	$25,035	$31,477	$39,221	$41,638	$52,985	$66,243	$81,687
2000	$25,095	$33,184	$40,337	$41,952	$56,334	$66,322	$80,250
2001	$26,209	$34,732	$41,045	$42,776	$55,929	$70,899	$86,965
2002	$25,903	$33,206	$40,851	$42,856	$56,077	$67,281	$83,305
2003	$26,468	$35,412	$41,348	$42,871	$56,502	$70,640	$87,131
2004	$26,277	$35,725	$41,895	$44,404	$57,200	$71,530	$82,401

Education vs. Average Annual Income - Women

Year	No High School Diploma	High School Diploma	Some College No Completion	Associate's Degree	Bachelor's Degree	Master's Degree	Doctor's Degree
1991	$14,429	$18,836	$22,143	$25,000	$29,079	$34,949	$43,303
1992	$14,455	$19,427	$23,157	$25,624	$30,326	$36,037	$45,790
1993	$14,559	$19,963	$23,056	$25,883	$31,197	$38,612	$47,248
1994	$15,386	$20,373	$23,514	$25,940	$31,741	$39,457	$51,119
1995	$15,133	$20,463	$23,997	$27,311	$32,051	$40,263	$48,141
1996	$15,825	$21,175	$25,167	$28,083	$33,525	$41,901	$56,267
1997	$16,953	$22,067	$26,335	$28,812	$35,379	$44,949	$53,038
1998	$16,697	$22,780	$27,420	$29,924	$36,559	$45,283	$57,796
1999	$16,482	$23,061	$27,757	$30,919	$37,993	$48,097	$60,079
2000	$17,015	$24,970	$28,697	$31,071	$40,415	$50,139	$57,081
2001	$17,919	$25,303	$30,418	$32,153	$40,994	$50,669	$62,123
2002	$19,307	$25,182	$29,400	$31,625	$40,853	$48,890	$65,715
2003	$18,928	$26,074	$30,142	$32,253	$41,116	$50,163	$67,214
2004	$19,162	$26,029	$30,816	$33,481	$41,681	$51,316	$68,875

*Source: National Center for Education Statistics 2006

Having an education can literally change a person’s life. The obvious upside to gaining an education is the monetary value coupled with occupations demanding advanced degrees. Despite this clear reason to learn, there are more obscure benefits associated with education. An education leads to self-awareness and a fuller understanding of the world. This is why education is so important for humans. By learning new things, people promote social change which has a profound effect on society."

Tags: value of education, education vs earning, statistic of education classes, importance of education, continuing education

Posted at 9:15 AM • Comments (0)