Encourage Education

I believe that parents should encourage their children to become well educated because it will make them more employable in the jobs of the future, it will make a difference in the amount of their income and benefits, and it will increase their feelings of self-worth and confidence as well as prepare them to help others more. Careers in the future will require more education as the use of technology increases. Gordon B. Hinckley counseled, "You are moving into the most competitive age the world has ever known. All around you is competition. You need all the education you can get. Sacrifice a car, if necessary, sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to qualify yourselves to do the work of the world. That world will, in large measure, pay you what it thinks you are worth, and your worth will increase as you gain education and proficiency in your chosen field" (Way to Be! 9 Ways to Be Happy and Make Something of Your Life, p 25). The amount of money we make is usually commensurate with the amount of education we get. "The U.S. Department of Education estimates that, by 2014, 90 percent of the fastest-growing careers will require some postsecondary education. A college degree not only increases the opportunity for employment by nearly 50 percent, it also increase3s an individual's earning power" (BYU Magazine, Fall 2009, p 22). This magazine article then compared the "average annual income for the various levels of education: "No high school diploma: $22,000 High school diploma: $28,000 Associate's degree: $35,000 Bachelor's degree: $51,000 Master's degree: $61,000 Doctoral degree: $95,000 "Multiplying the $23,000 difference between a high school diploma and a bachelor's degree by 25 years of work, that's more than a half-a-million-dollar disparity." Remember, this is the average income. Education apparently makes a difference in recession-proofing your career. Our bad economic conditions and government interference has caused our country to have 10% unemployment; however, employers are reporting that they cannot find enough skilled employees to keep their businesses growing. Education is a means to build self-worth and confidence and to prepare to serve other people. The more knowledge and skills a person gains, the more confident that person becomes. When a person feels confident in their abilities, they gain self-worth and know that they play a valuable part in the world. A quick glance at the World Book Encyclopedia shows that 33 of our 44 U.S. presidents have been college educated. We should all make life-long learning an important part of our lives because education is very important in the cause of liberty.