In a recent Money Magazine article (May 2017), college graduate salaries are averaging $50,000, about 14 percent higher than it was 10 years ago. Of all the job openings, 35 percent will require at least a Bachelor’s degree. Those with a high school diploma will earn somewhere in the $30,000 range and over a lifetime, the earning potential for a college graduate is significantly greater than someone with a high school degree.
Here is one more thing to consider: when you have your final list of colleges, dig a little deeper into how former graduates have fared, i.e., how many graduated, how did the school assist with the job search, and what is their average salary.
Having that information in your college planning equation will assist you to realistically plan the post-graduate life, from the 10,000-foot view.
But, most importantly, planning for your future and making things happen is up to you and you will make of it what effort you put into it. I know plenty of students who graduated from a highly respected university who are doing very little with their lives and students who graduated from a little known, averagely perceived, college are attending an Ivy League graduate school or working for a company making a salary way above their peers. What you have to know is, it is up to you, no one else, to make things happen in your life.
Stats are just that, statistics for the general public that cover a large amount of data and not specific to one person. Yes, they provide a benchmark but your life is in your hands and within your control. If you depend on others, or statistics, to guide your life, be prepared to stay where you are or fall behind. Add that into your college planning notebook.
