5 Reasons You Should Consider Getting More Education

How much education do you need? Is a high school diploma good enough? Should you get a college degree? Or maybe even a PhD?

Everyone’s life-path heads different directions, and, depending on your passions and abilities, different levels of education will be of different importance. If you are a fantastic carpenter, you probably don’t need a doctorate. But education can provide significant benefits for many people. Consider these five reasons you should consider getting more education.

1. Financial

Educated people make more money. They just do.

Sure, every once in a while that uneducated high-school dropout makes it big with his enormous, Yoda-esque I.Q. But even then those people don’t make it on pure intelligence. Almost without fail those uber-billionaire types had access to a significant opportunity. They were born in the right place, at the right time, and they knew the right people.

But, let’s be honest here, 99.993% of us aren’t that bright or that lucky. No, for us mere-mortals education makes a significant financial difference. Unemployment rate halves and earning potential goes through the roof once you get a college degree. So, education makes financial sense (unless you go $200,000 in debt to get a Psychology degree and go into social work – that doesn’t make financial sense).

Money isn’t everything – but it sure makes everything easier.

2. Opportunities

When we say “opportunities,” don’t hear “jobs.” These two things don’t possess a 1-to-1 correlation.

In fact, by opportunities we are talking about something much grander than just a connection to a job. We’re talking about relational connections, career connections, and exposure to entirely different ways of thinking or living. Education connects people to career opportunities they never knew existed, as well as simply broadening one’s horizons. One of the most important benefits of education exists in the simple exposure to new ideas and the opportunities those ideas bring.

3. Quality of Life

Studies show that quality of life increases with education. We’re talking here about the broadest possible sense of the word “quality.” For example, the quality of one’s family life correlates directly with education. The more educated one is, the more likely that person is to be married, to be happy in their marriage, to have less stress, to live longer, and to be content with their situation in life. Well-educated people are also more secure with their position in life and less likely to get divorced. Want a happy family life? Go back to school.

4. Making a difference

I’ll demonstrate this point pretty simply. We ask our Seminar attend a crucial question: Can you name one world-changer without an education?

So far, no one has. I’m open to it. I’d love to hear that answer. But I just don’t think we’re ever going to hear about that uneducated world-changer. Education opens doors to make a lasting impact in the world. While more education doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you’ll make a difference, it’s more or less a prerequisite. Movers, shakers, and difference-makers are birthed through education.

5. Freedom

The final result here can be summed up in one word: freedom. If you have more financial security, you have more freedom. If you have more job stability, you have more freedom. If you have more connections, opportunities, coping abilities, and life experiences, you have more freedom.

I don’t think college is for everyone. I have a lot of friends who haven’t gone to college and are doing great. I also have unemployed friends with a college degree, so more education doesn’t guarantee anything. But hopefully these five reasons have shown you that for many of our readers, a bit more education can be a wise investment in your future. How about you – why are you getting more education?