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1. Higher Quality of Life For Their Children

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1. Higher Quality of Life For Their Children

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- More likely to save money for their children to go to college
- Spend more time with children

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- Higher income
- Job Security and Job Stability

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When you're considering the next step in your career, it's natural to think about getting a degree as a potential way to boost your chances of a raise, promotion, or job change. However, going back to school can seem like an unattainable goal for many adult learners, who might focus on the obstacles (such as time, money, or the application process) that will stand in their way. It's especially difficult to make the choice to enroll in a degree program when you're unclear on what the real, tangible advantages of having a degree will be.

Luckily, a degree is not just a piece of paper (and because of affordable, convenient options like online education, is much more accessible than you might think) and truly can be life-changing on both personal and professional levels. While there are many meaningful benefits associated with getting a degree, perhaps the most quantifiable is the earning potential for college graduates as compared with those with no degree.

Weekly and Annual Salary by Education Level

In today's world, obtaining some form of higher education is becoming a necessity for improved career prospects and higher income. However, the reality is that the vast majority of Americans are not pursuing degrees: according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 88% of Americans had achieved a high school diploma or GED in 2015. 33% had a bachelor's degree or higher, and only 12% had an advanced degree (such as a master's or doctorate). This means that many Americans are missing out on significant income potential, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which shows that not only are those with degrees likely to make significantly more than those without them, they are also much less likely to be unemployed.

For those individuals who just have a high school diploma or a GED, the median weekly salary is approximately $730, which equates to $37,960 per year. The unemployment rate for these individuals is 4.1%.

An associate degree will position you better than those with no degree, at a median weekly salary of approximately $862, or $44,824 per year, and an unemployment rate of 2.8%.

Where you begin to see a large bump in earning potential is at the level of a bachelor's degree. Individuals who have a bachelor's will have a median weekly salary of about $1,198 (approximately $62,296 per year), and an unemployment rate of 2.2%.

And once you get to the master's degree level, the median salary jumps to $1,434 per week, or $74,568, with an unemployment rate of 2.1%.

The trend holds true for even more advanced degrees, with earnings jumping significantly at the professional and doctoral degree levels.

Average Lifetime Earnings by Education Level

Thinking in terms of weekly and annual salaries can be helpful in understanding the earning potential that comes with having a degree, but where you truly see the impact of education level on income is in looking at average lifetime earnings.

According to a recent report, high school graduates will, on average, earn approximately $1.2 million over the course of their working lives (defined as ages 25 through 64). While this might sound like a lot, consider that individuals with a bachelor's degree are projected to make significantly more, at approximately $2.1 million, and those with a master's degree will more than double those earnings at $2.5 million.

"At most ages, more education equates with higher earnings, and the payoff is most notable at the highest educational levels," said Jennifer Cheeseman Day, co-author of the report.

Even within a given occupation, more education equates to higher salaries. For example, elementary school teachers with a bachelor's degree make $1.8 million over the course of their lifetimes, whereas those with a master's degree make $2.2 million.

These numbers can certainly vary depending on a range of factors, including ages worked (since many individuals start working much earlier than 25, and continue to work into their 70s and beyond), starting salaries, opportunities available, occupation & career field, individual skillsets, and professional development, among others. However, they provide a good benchmark to demonstrate the impact of higher education on earning potential. Put it this way: over a lifetime, individuals with a bachelor's degree typically make 84% more than those with only a high school diploma.

That means that despite any perceived barriers to getting a degree - such as lack of time or funds to pay for tuition - going back to school is a decision that will pay itself back over time and create a significant impact on earning potential (and career trajectory) going forward.

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The Benefits of Going Back to School: Higher Earning Potential for College Graduates

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When you're considering the next step in your career, it's natural to think about getting a degree as a potential way to boost your chances of a raise, promotion, or job change. However, going back to school can seem like an unattainable goal for many adult learners, who might focus on the obstacles (such as time, money, or the application process) that will stand in their way.

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- More effective problem-solving skills
- Clearer sense of self-identity

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- Greater sense of self-efficacy
- Higher levels of self-esteem

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It's a right of passage for most any 18-year-old. By the time you're in your senior year of high school, you've probably already applied to the college of your choice, and summer begins the countdown of your first taste of independence. What you'll find in the fall is that there are many social & emotional benefits of college.

More Health Conscious

Did you know that college graduates exercise more and that fewer of them smoke? By increasing their brain power, students increase emotional development. Because of this, students develop the capacity to make better choices in the long run. Even if you are not majoring in a health-related program, they have learned to make a responsible decision about the health of their body and mind. College will support student ability to evaluate long-term goals. Yes, college students are known for their partying, but come graduation, their social and emotional learning has peaked, setting the stage for the next phase of their lives. They are more equipped to appreciate the value of healthy eating, exercise, and saying no to cigarettes and drugs.

Increased Self Esteem

Even the high school student with the lowest self confidence graduates college with increased self-esteem. Why? Because the school climate in college promotes academic, social, and emotional growth. Social interaction is the key to survival when they're away from their parents for the first time. This allows them to learn effective social skills that, once mastered, opens up a whole new world. The social and emotional learning (SEL) that students get from college is priceless. American Institutes for Research show that students engaged in SEL programs before college have an easier time in college and in the job market; but for those who have not been enrolled in that type of learning program in elementary school, college provides a natural education through social interaction. The effort is collaborative for academic and social behavior.

Increased Self Awareness

Self awareness is another long term benefit of being enrolled in a college education program. Suddenly, a student is on their own and their emotional development blossoms. Students develop a better sense of who they are, and when faced with a choice, will make the responsible decision. Effective SEL can start in elementary school, but often doesn't. Typically, social and emotional learning begin to take places when they are forced to take care of themselves. College is a great learning program to support student development. This is a middle ground between being taken care of by their parents but quite being out on their own. This is where self awareness develops, and this helps the student mature and develop into the adult they are meant to become.

Gain Independence

In the long run, independence is one of the most important things to learn. Being dependent on someone or something does not allow for personal growth, and holds you back. College provides students with the social interaction they need to feel confident on their own. Discerning the difference between friendships versus individuality in high school is exceptionally difficult for young students. When they learn they can do things on their own, and can also develop a network of people to support them when needed, they grow by leaps and bounds. Students engaged in academic social and emotional learning in SEL programs at a young age have a huge advantage. However, the American Institutes for Research reveal that there is a collaborative for academic social growth when combined with going to college. Even those without the early learning develop a strong sense of self, independence, and emotional and social growth from the school climate in college.

Become Worldly

Students who go to college become more worldly. They may not have even left their home country, but being immersed in a school climate, filled with students from different places across the globe, enriches emotional development. In the long run, being worldly provides students with effective social skills that will serve them well in the work force. Social interaction with students from other cities and other countries. Students develop curiosity about different cultures, which increases their social and emotional learning. Living in dorm rooms with people different from themselves will support student enrichment long term. Over time, and throughout life, college graduates will be able to make a responsible decision when it really matters, whether it's about jobs, promotions, spouses, finances, and more.

Good at People Reading

Another academic social and emotional benefit of college is the increased ability to read people. Students engaged in an education program of higher learning are bound to interact with a diverse group of other students. This type of SEL has been documented by the American Institutes of Research. Some states offer SEL programs in elementary school, providing a collaborative for academic social learning which carries through life. The ability to read people helps significantly in all aspects of life, such as interviewing, managing, dating, and more. SEL is a learning programming that can be taught or absorbed through being in the right environment. College is proving to be that environment, producing intellectually smart adults who are also socially and emotionally intelligent.

Gain Networking Skills

College is a person's first real stab at networking. Most students go through elementary school and high school with the same kids, and even if they've moved or went to a new high school, the networking is minimal due to the structure of classes and school climate. College friendships versus high schools friendships are much more layered and complex. In high school, social interaction is limited to lunch and in the hallways between classes, which can stifle emotional development. In college however, students develop social and emotional learning through networking with fellow students in dorms, study halls, cafeterias, libraries, and more. Sometimes there is a couple of hours between classes, depending on class scheduling. This is where academic, social, and emotional education comes into play. It's not in the classroom, but rather on campus. Students engaged in networking can make connections that last for a lifetime.

Master Making a Good First Impression

They say the first impression is the most important. College provides students with long term skills in making the best first impression through trial and error. While students are enrolled in an education program that fosters learning a certain profession, in the long run they are learning effective social skills for making responsible decisions toward how they will make that first impression. Social and motional learning takes place as the mind matures, using its environment as its learning programming. Unlike SEL programs, where social and emotional learning are taught in class to support student growth, there's more of a collaboration for academic and social learning in college.

Aim to Change the World

Emotional development leads to empathy. While we are all born with empathy, it can take a seat on the back burner as other emotions take precedence. Students can be self serving at a young age until they are enrolled in an education program that provides them with the tools they need to excel in social interactions. Students engaged in SEL programs in elementary school learn effective social skills that put them ahead of their peers. This classroom approach of learning programming with academic, social, and emotional instruction can be hugely beneficial, but just by being in college, students are engaged in social and emotional learning without even realizing it. Those who have experienced social and emotional learning are the ones who are concerned with changing the world. Suddenly, their focus shifts off themselves and onto others as a whole.

Experience Greater Job Satisfaction

In the long run, college graduates experience reaching greater satisfaction in life when obtaining the career they are most passionate about. While a degree increases the chances of getting hired for career jobs, having solid social skills serves you better. Getting the job is half the battle. Being able to keep the job is what matters more, and that's all about being emotionally and socially educated. The school climate in college fosters that development, and allows for students to make the responsible decision during crucial times. College students develop an innate ability to read their bosses, peers, and subordinates to help them better navigate the workforce long term. In that way, they can write their own ticket as to which jobs they get, which promotions they get, how long they stay at a job, and so on.

Respect Tradition

For most college students, they are following tradition, easily one of the biggest social & emotional benefits of college. Their parents went to college and set a good example for them to want to pursue higher education. Parents who support student growth offer a collaborative for academic social and emotional learning by encouraging college enrollment. The American Institutes for Research are highly aligned with the importance of social and emotional education, whether in the classroom or through social interaction, such as at college. When a student makes the responsible decision to go to college, they are setting the groundwork for their own children to emulate them in pursuit of higher learning and a higher standard of life. In the long run, that's what it's all about. Living the life that makes you the happiest.

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It's a right of passage for most any 18-year-old. By the time you're in your senior year of high school, you've probably already applied to the college of your choice, and summer begins the countdown of your first taste of independence. What you'll find in the fall is that there are many social & emotional benefits of college.

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-  More likely to have health insurance
- Exercise more regularly

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- More social self-confidence
- Stronger interpersonal and human relations skills

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- Greater knowledge of current events
- More interests in national issues