The price of studying for years is high, both in terms of time and cost and effort. But the results are powerful, and durable— they last.

Education increases the odds of survival, and it always has. The more you know, the better your chances, no matter what scenario— survival in the wilderness, at sea, or job survival, when searching for a job, or keeping the one you already have.

Not only does a degree empower you to work, but it also gives you the choice of the type of work. When you choose the field of your degree study, you in effect determine your own personal walk of life.

And here’s another inescapable fact— jobs requiring high levels of education (and skill) earn much more than jobs with less skills and less education. Jobs requiring higher education offer more stability, and that is yet another fact.

Statistics from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) clearly show that the unemployment rate— among people who have a professional degree— is significantly lower than workers with a high school diploma.

Worried about the years you’d need to invest, to get that degree? Salaries increase radically as your level of education rises. Those years getting the degree will pay you back as long as you live.

Among men, high school dropouts earn wages of about ONE-THIRD the earnings of college graduates! Long-term studies all show this.

The U.S. Census Bureau has released data proving the substantial value of a college education in the United States. Workers 18 and over with bachelors degrees earn an average of $51,206 a year, while those with a high school diploma earn $27,915.

But wait, there’s more. Workers with an advanced degree make an average of $74,602, and those without a high school diploma average $18,734.

At all levels of education, women’s earnings have risen more than men’s, on average. This is partly due to a rising equality of wages, but also to the fact that more women may be earning their degrees in higher education. Earnings for women with college degrees have increased steadily.

Still don’t believe me? Go to any of the big job search engines… Monster.com, whatever… take a look…

“Education level— High School, 2 Year Degree, 4 Year Degree, Graduate Degree … Search Degrees… Select Your Degree, Art and Design Degrees, Business Degrees …Chemistry degree, Design degree…”

The job list goes on and on, searching by degree. Because the degree is the gold standard of job-hunting.

If getting a degree were easy, everybody would have one. Make that fact work for you. Put in the effort that others may avoid, invest the time, the cost, and get your degree.

Equip yourself for a lifelong advantage in survival.

Create your own personal durable asset— a foundation of higher knowledge, an asset you can continually enhance and replenish, with continuing education.

Decide the field of your choice. And go acquire the degree that will empower you, for a satisfying and profitable life of work, of your choice!

Or maybe… you are one of the lucky ones who has a secure job. But even so, you suffer, you feel job burnout. The good feeling is gone. You dread going to work, doing the same old thing, even though you need the money.

Or too much stress, maybe. Your boss is under the gun to drive everyone harder, harder, harder, and threats of being fired are commonplace.

Or maybe your career involves a type of work particularly stressful to you, something you never foresaw when training for the work. Or maybe it’s just soul-numbingly boring.

Or perhaps you’ve fought and earned your way as far up the ladder as it seems you can possibly go. You’re stuck in a dead end. Maybe you just need more money.

One way or another, it’s time for a change! Your mental and physical and emotional survival depend on it! Its time to fight back, by learning a new level of skill sets in your field. or even to change careers altogether.

You can do it. You did it before. You can do it again. Because you have to! It will take discipline and stress-management skills, to cope. But you proved you can do it, the first time around. Never forget that.

Human survival has always required a high level of stress. Evolution is the result of ever-shifting changes, and intelligence can be defined as the ability to adapt to new situations.
Your ability to perform can be crippled by your unwillingness to deal with the stress of change. But it’s a necessary transition. Deal with it. And grow.

Your old life has to be reinvented. Choose a new path. There are so many for you to decide among. First, look at growth trends. Look at job markets. And most importantly, look at yourself— what do you want? What do you feel good about doing? How has your life changed?

When you first educated yourself, maybe you were single, but now you’re married, you may even have children. Is travel out of the question? Should you search for a career more The crazy schedule or the frequent travel that is typical of your career may not suit your new lifestyle. You should look for an occupation that is “family friendly?”

Work is partly based upon life experience, too. Find the area that really fits you. The result affects your mental health, and the well-being of everyone around you.

Reinvent yourself. Redefine yourself. You have nothing to lose, but the future!

To give you the range of possibilities, here’s a list of offered career studies, from Stratford, a distance learning university— the choices are amazing, and they are yours.

• Accounting
• Administrative Assistant/Secretary
• Art
• Astrology/Parapsychology
• Auto Mechanics
• Bookkeeping
• Business Management
• Child Day Care Management
• Child Psychology
• Computer Programming
• Computer Training
• Conservation/Environmental Sciences
• Contractor/Construction Management
• Cooking & Catering
• Cosmetology/Esthetics
• Creative Writing
• Criminal Justice
• Dental Assistant
• Desktop Publishing & Design
• Drafting with AutoCAD ®
• Drug and Alcohol Counseling
• Early Childhood Education
• Electrician
• English as a Second Language
• Fashion Merchandising and Design
• Fitness & Nutrition
• Florist/Floral Design
• Forensic Science
• Funeral Service Education
• Gardening/Landscaping
• High School Diploma
• Home Inspector
• Hotel/Restaurant Management
• Interior Decorating
• Internet Specialist
• Legal Assistant/Paralegal
• Locksmith
• Medical Billing Specialist
• Medical Office Assistant
• Medical Transcriptionist
• Motorcycle/ATV Repair
• Natural Health Consultant
• Nursing Assistant
• PC Repair
• Pharmacy Assistant
• Photography
• Physical Therapy Aide
• Plumbing
• Private Investigator
• Psychology/Social Work
• Real Estate Appraiser
• Relaxation Therapist
• Security/Police Sciences
• Sewing & Dressmaking
• Small Engine Repair
• Start Your Own Business
• Teacher Aide
• Travel & Tourism
• Veterinary Assistant
• Video Game Design
• Wedding Consultant
• Writing Stories for Children