Strada Education Foundation says 46% of Americans believe they're in need of more education to improve their careers — and, adults who have not completed a higher education degree are more likely to look for education opportunities with an employer than with a traditional institution.
Travis Reindl is a senior vice president for Strada, and he says about a quarter of adults in the United States have finished some college education but have no degree, certificate or credentials.
In every state in the country, he says, a very significant portion of people will see a significant increase in return on their learning investment if they finish their education and obtain a degree.
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The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics says that someone with a bachelor's degree tends to earn around 66% more than someone with just a high school diploma. A master's or other professional degree can tend to increase that earnings differential even more.
In health care and information-related fields, finishing your education can really set you up for success. Reindl says that for the liberal arts, try to work on something that has a numbers foundation, like statistics, accounting and other data-related fields to really strengthen your skill set.
But, school has a cost, and so that financial aspect comes into play for many, especially when it comes to student loans.
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Reindl, who has worked in policy and strategic communications for over 25 years, said, "I think one of the things that you have to really consider carefully is, not only how much to borrow — but for what are you borrowing?"
"That has a big impact on the return that you see on your investment — and the type of institution that you choose," he says. "I think one of the things that is often overlooked is the job that our community colleges, and our regional universities, play in preparing students and really putting them into good paying jobs and on really solid career paths. A lot of the attention gets focused on brand name, Ivy League schools when the real workhorses in our education and workforce system are the local community colleges or the local state university just down the road."
