From the tutor: a definitive reason you can use to convince your children to go to college

Parents, you need to constantly talk about college even from the youngest years. Most of our kids will go with the flow, it’s true. But some will fight the idea for a variety of reasons. How many students go to college, anyway? The easy answer, of course, is “Not all of them, so it’s not enough.” But if you are going to discuss data with your children, you need all the facts.

In The Condition of Education 2011 from the US Department of Education, the following percentages represent current trends:

• 8% of young people never finish high school
• 28% do not go beyond high school or equivalent [such as GED]
• 28% start college but never get a degree
• 11% earn an associate’s degree
• 24% earn a bachelor’s degree

Even as an educator, I must say that I never realized how few of our young people get a college degree. Does it surprise you? Makes me!

By themselves, THOSE numbers could be an argument against the need for a college degree. After all, 65% of Americans live their entire lives without one. AH, but keep reading!

No matter what the objection to continuing your education is, MONEY is an effective argument for it!

It makes sense that college graduates earn more than undergraduates. That is more than illustrated by the statistics. In 2011, people between the ages of 24 and 30 had the following median income levels:

• The average non-high school graduate earned $ 21,000 a year. For comparison, consider that the federal poverty line for a family of 4 is just over $ 22,000.
• For those who finish high school, the median income increases by 36% to $ 28,500 / year. This level of income, using a ‘standard’ budget calculator, would only allow around $ 300 a month for food, certainly not enough to feed a family! That family budget didn’t even include the average monthly cell phone bill of $ 70.
• Young adults who have some college education but do not complete a degree program earn $ 34,000 a year. That represents a 64% increase over their peers who did not graduate from high school.
• A 2-year associate’s degree increases the median income 74% over high school dropouts at $ 36,500 / year. This is close to the median income of $ 41,000 / year for American families. But remember, too many families need more than one breadwinner!
• The average income for those with a bachelor’s degree is more than double that of those who dropped out of high school. The average is $ 45,500 / year.
• Holders of a master’s degree earn an average of $ 62,000 / year.

These are important numbers to discuss with all high school students, not just the reluctant. But it is even MORE important for girls. Why? Because the stark reality is that women’s incomes lag behind men’s. Women need those advanced degrees! A woman with a bachelor’s degree earns less, on average, than a man with an associate’s degree; a woman with an associate’s degree earns about what a man earns with just a high school diploma.

Put out the numbers the next time you talk about college with your kids, they will pretend they don’t, but they will definitely hear you!