The Best Way To Succeed In Life

“To achieve success in one’s life you need to start by attending college or university to achieve a degree or diploma.” Christopher Harris, Knoji. I choose this quote because I can relate. I have first-hand experience in the difficulty of establishing a career without higher education. Growing up in a small town with a graduating class of approximately 90 students, I felt that the majority of my classmates knew what they wanted to study in college. They had some sort of idea or direction that was going to get them out of our tiny town.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for me. I was unsure of my career path. I changed my mind every month. I wanted to study fashion; I wanted to study zoology; I wanted to study architecture, and then I wanted to be a pastry chef. I married at a young age. My whole life was planned out as a wife and following my husband’s career in the military.

With the military life, we moved frequently. I worked part-time jobs for about 6 months at a time until our next station. Despite this, I was able to achieve my A.A. Degree in Business Communications. When the marriage ended, I no longer had a second income. I had to pay bills and support myself. I thought that an Associates’s Degree would give me the education needed to land my dream job; however, I learned very quickly that I didn’t have a high enough education or real work experience to land anything substantial.

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I was working two part-time jobs to make a full 40 hours per week. I was living paycheck to paycheck just trying to get by. “In our economy today, career options are declining for those who haven’t furthered their education after high school.” (Vista College). I was experiencing this difficulty first-hand. After a few years in retail and with the recommendation of a friend, I was able to get a job in the sales department with her company,  e-commerce and digital marketing agency. While this sounds like a lucrative position, I started at minimum wage. After four years of working, I was promoted to a new position and rewarded with a new salary. Despite my experience over new employees, I wasn’t receiving the same competitive compensation as my new co-workers who had a Bachelor’s Degree.

According to “The Importance of Higher Education in the 21st Century” (Vista College), the average annual earnings of an individual with a high school diploma are $21,569. With an Associate’s Degree, earnings rise to $32,602. And finally, a Bachelor’s Degree will gross a salary of $42,783. Even with my experience and Associate’s Degree, I knew I wasn’t going to earn an advanced salary or even become eligible for promotions within the company. This was the furthest I would be able to go in this company without a four-year degree. My parents are both public school educators.

Education has always been an important part of my family’s daily life. It was instilled in me from an early age. But I didn’t realize just how important it was until I started applying to other companies within the marketing industry. The majority of positions I was applying for, which were similar to the position I held and had experience in, required a Bachelor’s Degree. “Jobs are hard to get, and the employers will seek the most qualified and intelligent person to fill the vacancy because of the competition out there.” (Christopher Harris, Knoji) Without exaggerating, I received at least 30 rejection emails from companies that were looking for a higher degree level.

My four years of experience weren’t enough to satisfy their requirements. So I decided to make my education a priority and work towards my Bachelor’s Degree. Higher education leads to financial security. “Earning more money means you’re more likely to be able to meet your financial obligations, like regular bills and loan payments,” says Kelci Lynn Lucier from Thought Co. Education also gives you the opportunities for higher take-home pay and access to jobs with better perks like health insurance and retirement contribution matching. The more money you’re able to earn is more money you’ll be able to put away towards retirement. I’m on a path to retiring in 2059. I won’t be able to rely on Social Security “Because Social Security was designed to only replace 40 percent of a worker’s income in retirement…” Schnaubelt (Forbes).

I will need another investment or savings to cover the other 60 percent. But what’s worrisome, according to Schnaubelt (Forbes), “While the program will not disappear completely, future Social Security benefits are expected to be reduced to approximately three-quarters of what retirees have been promised…” This is where the benefits of higher education, higher salaries, and establishing future financial security come into play. Higher education opens up a whole new world. Creativity and innovation come from learning and being open to new ideas. These ideas come from conversing with and learning from other educated people.

I want to be an educated individual for my  personal development and to create a sense of accomplishment. I want financial security in my work years and into my retirement. I want to contribute creatively to a workplace and see my ideas flourish. “Once you invest your time and money in your education you will reap the huge reward that it will give you in life.” (Christopher Harris, Knoji) I want that reward.

References

1. Harris, Christopher. Knoji, “Why Education is Important to One’s Success in Life?” February 23rd, 2011. https://learning.knoji.com/education-is-the-key-to-our-success-in-life/
2. Lucier, Kelci Lynn. “6 Reasons Going to College Is a Great Financial Decision.” Thoughtco., Dotdash, 23 Aug. 2017, www.thoughtco.com/financial-benefits-of-a-college-degree-793189
3. Schnaubelt, Catherine. “Social Security: Past, Present And Future.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 30 May 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/catherineschnaubelt/2018/05/30/social-security-past-present-and-future/#340dcc2359ab.
4. “The Importance of Higher Education in the 21st Century.” Vista College, 4 Dec. 2018, www.vistacollege.edu/blog/resources/higher-education-in-the-21st-century/