Benefits of Education

A higher income is a great reason to get a college degree, but that isn’t the only one. There are actually many benefits of a college education, which include economic, personal, and social benefits.

Income as a Benefit of Education

Higher education correlates to a higher income; people tend to earn more money the higher the level of education they have. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people who have earned a doctoral degree earn an average of $99,995 per year while people who have earned only a high school diploma earn an average of $33,618 per year. The salaries for doctoral degree holders are almost three times as much as high school diploma holders’ salaries! At the same time, bachelor’s degree holders earn an average of $60,954 per year and master’s degree holders, $71,236. There is a progressive increase in income attached to higher education levels.

Entry and Advancement as a Benefit of Education

Employers not only give preference to people with higher education but they routinely will not accept applicants with an education below that stipulated in their job vacancy announcement. In other words, higher education provides access to many jobs, particularly white collar jobs, that could not be reached otherwise.
Other benefits of education include career advancement. Employers tend to favor those with higher levels of education for advancement to more senior-level positions. Thus, mid-level managers often go back to school to complete a master’s degree, if they don’t already have one, to improve their chances for advancement.

More Employment and More Satisfactory Employment are Benefits of Education

In addition to higher incomes, access to certain jobs and greater chances for advancement, higher education also tends to serve as an employment cushion. According to a report by the College Board, people with only a high school diploma have an unemployment rate that is more than twice as high as the unemployment rate of those who have completed higher education. In addition, people who have higher levels of education report greater job satisfaction.

Skills are a Benefit from Education

In college, people tend to learn or hone skills that will stay with them for a lifetime. Some of the skills are useful in employment, such as writing, communication, presentation, and research skills, while others may be more general or personal in nature. College-goers may develop skills as a result of being introduced to something during their time in college, either in an extracurricular activity or an elective, such as an art discipline, sport, dance, or language.

Experimentation and Diversity are a Benefit of Education

One of the personal benefits of education is the opportunity to learn about different things, to experiment with different ideas if you will. While jokes in popular culture abound regarding experimentation in college, the truth is that college provides people with a safe space to explore new ideas. College students are both encouraged and required to come into contact with a variety of different viewpoints and ideas, whether they agree or disagree with them or not. This often allows college goers to expand the boundaries of their minds.

Socializing and Networking are Personal Benefits of Education

Another of the personal benefits of education is the opportunity to socialize and network. College provides students with a common space to meet others like them, or unlike them if they wish, and form bonds over academic work as well as extracurricular activities. In addition to the purely social aspect, some people make college contacts that later come in handy as they search for jobs or start companies.

Good Citizenship as a Benefit of Education

Higher education is also related to what we perceive as good citizenship. According to a report by the College Board, people with higher levels of education have progressively higher rates of voting, volunteerism, and blood donation. These types of activities tend to benefit society as a whole.