The Advantages to a College Degree for Today's Job Seekers

A college degree is an advantage in today's workforce. The number and of jobs available for college graduates is much greater and they often have higher salary and benefits.

Availability of Jobs

The number of jobs that require a college degree or where a college education is an advantage is increasing. In previous generations, there were many levels of jobs available for those without a college education or in some cases, even a high school diploma. However now many of these jobs simply do not exist any longer, or now require college education.

Industrial jobs, trades and skilled labor were more prevalent before the rise of computer technology. Now many industries require a smaller workforce because of technological advances. Even though not as many assembly line workers are needed, there are many jobs available in engineering, management and business administration in which a college education is an advantage.

Types of Jobs

The advantages of a college degree in scientific, manufacturing and engineering fields are very strong. College students can now study highly specialized science related degrees that apply directly to business settings. Safety engineering, environmental science and DNA analytics are examples of highly specialized fields that have become in demand in just the past 10 years or so.

One of the advantages of a college education is that students become aware of many subjects and fields that they never would have considered without going to college. Students are required to take a variety of basic education courses such as math, sciences, literature and basic computing. Electives are also required and students may take a course that just sounds interesting or appealing to them. Often students discover during one of these courses that they have a talent and/or passion for a subject and begin to understand its potential in the job marketplace.

While obtaining a specialized degree is necessary in some fields, sometimes just having a college education is an advantage, regardless of the field of study. Employers want to know that their employees have a well rounded basic education. The advantages of a college degree will be proven when your resume is chosen over those who did not make the commitment to complete their education.

Salary & Benefits

The advantage of a college degree equals to higher wages and salaries. In the Winter 2004-05 Occupational Outlook Quarterly, The US Department of Labor reported that "In 2003, workers who had a bachelor's degree had median weekly earnings of $900, compared with $554 a week for high school graduates--that's a difference of $346 per week, or a 62 percent jump in median earnings." These figures are a bold statement that the advantage of a college degree is its increased earning power.

Job seekers will also find that positions that may not actually require a college education will still pay more to those who have a degree. Jobs seekers with a college education will still earn higher salaries, even when the degree is not directly required for the job.

The jobs that do not require a college education often have fewer benefits. These jobs often provide no retirement or health insurance benefits which are imperative to financial security and the stability of the family.

The Advantage of a College Degree: Conclusion

Attending and graduating from college is the best way to prepare for a career that pays well and provides a means to a secure future. If you are determined and hard working, you can complete your education and begin a career that will provide now and pave the way to a secure retirement.

Online College Offers Flexibility Paired With Credibility

Online college courses require commitment and self discipline-traits that many members of the military already hold. And the flexibility that's inherent with on-line degree programs can prove a welcome constant for soldiers deployed into service or transferred to another base. Continuing education during off-duty time is voluntary and is often free, and experts say there are several benefits to it.

"Voluntary education programs help members improve their mission performance, prepare members for greater responsibility and enhance their professional, as well as their personal, potential," Education Technician Lori Popp of the Lifelong Learning section of Marine and Family Services aboard North Carolina's Camp Lejeune told the Jacksonville Daily News in July 2009.

The Servicemen's Readjustment Act, also known as the GI Bill, was signed in to law in 1944 in part as a means of offering college scholarships to anyone who served in uniform. By 1947, veterans accounted for nearly half of all college students in the United States, according to a Time Magazine article. A Post 9/11 GI Bill has since made as much as 100 percent tuition available to service members on active duty after Sept. 10, 2001. The Post 9/11 Bill covers graduate and undergraduate degrees as well as vocational or technical training provided by approved institutions and provides stipends for books and housing.

Members of the military can gain academic credit for military training and experience. The U.S. Army reportedly partners with more than 1,900 community colleges and universities that accept military training credits from soldiers pursuing a college education during or after service. Many bases are said to feature satellite branches of local, accredited universities and, for many members of the military, online college offerings might be the only option.

Online classes involve obtaining 80 to 100 percent of a course's content online, according to the Sloan Consortium, and distance education typically attract students who otherwise might not be able to attend classes at a traditional campus. Lori Popp told the Jacksonville Daily News that technological advances in distance education now make it easier for deployed service members to continue their education. The consortium, comprised of organizations and institutions committed to quality online education, recently released the results of a study entitled "Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States." Between the falls of 2007 and 2008, the study noted, the number of online students increased by 17 percent, to 4.6 million.

More than 1,000 deployed Marines and sailors are benefiting from tuition assistance, Popp told the Daily News. And an October article in The Chronicle of Higher Education described online courses as a "boon for soldiers who want to participate in college despite geographic displacement." The story, about a professor and National Guardsman who continued teaching online classes in economics during a tour of duty in Iraq, reported that soldiers keep occupied during stretches down time by working, reading, exercising, playing video games and watching movies. Many soldiers and other members of the military also enroll in online college or graduate school courses during deployment, The Chronicle piece noted.