You’re willing to work hard to get your Bachelor’s degree. You can’t get a Master’s, not enough money or time right now; maybe later, but not now.

You need to hit the ground running. You want to move out, get your own place, maybe get married, start a family. Your Bachelor’s has to be a home run.

Or maybe you already are employed and have hit the promotion ceiling. You want to get a different Bachelor’s degree to move up in the company where you’ve gone as far as you can go.

Or maybe your old job (the one that you thought would last your whole working life) has become “redundant”? And you’re retraining, and you want to make absolutely sure that— this time!— you will find a solid job in a growing field.

In all these scenarios, you want to know that your Bachelor’s degree will work for you, will give back. You need to be sure you’ll find a good job, that you’ll be wanted.

Sure, you know that all education enriches. Knowledge in all forms pays off, in one way or another, yes, you know that, you know it’s true.

But now we’re talking salary and demand.

A high starting salary is a good indicator of employment demand in that field. So let’s explore…

• Engineering, analytical, and math-related employment Demand for these jobs is rising much faster than the number of available graduates. That’s why Engineering degrees nail seven of the top ten undergrad degrees by salary.Entry-level jobs demand a bachelor’s degree in engineering, with highly specialized skill sets required, such as Environmental Engineering. new fields open in constant pace with emerging technologies, creating an ever-renewing demand. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates that demand for specialized engineers will grow 25 percent by 2016, much faster than the average for most careers.

  Median starting salary for an Engineering Bachelor’s Degree: $53,400
  Median mid-career salary: $94,500
  

• Computer science The global revolution in computer technologies, means a limited number of workers with sufficient skills. The US-BLS reports job growth for computer scientists will be among the fastest growing in the United States through 2016— a stunning 37 percent!A Bachelor’s degree in computer science will prepare you for work as an inventor or researcher in a corporate or university setting.

  Median starting salary for Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree: $56,400
  Median mid-career salary: $97,400
  

• Economics A bachelor’s degree in economics opens vistas of very high-paying jobs, including economist and actuary. Actuaries play an essential role in analyzing statistics and predicting risk, particularly for the insurance industry. The BLS expects that increased opportunities in health care and consulting will lead to much faster that average job growth of 24 percent within the next decade. If you love crunching numbers, spreadsheets, and analysis, a traditional or online degree in economics might be worth the risk.

  Median starting salary for an Economics Bachelor’s Degree: $50,200
  Median mid-career salary: $101,000
  

• Finance A Bachelor’s in finance could be the fast track to high salary entry. Financial analyst, banker, company executive, investment broker, and financial advisor— these are jobs with much room at the top, to advance within a company. The ability to work with numbers is essential, but working with people is important, too, and many finance jobs offer good opportunity for promotion into management. Job growth for financial managers should remain solid into the next decade, according to BLS reports.
  
  Median starting salary for a Bachelor’s in Finance: $48,500
  Median mid-career salary: $89,400
  
• Marketing Marketing managers are crucial to the survival of companies, creating product and promotion strategies, analyzing pricing and competition, and developing plans for the future. Marketing offers significant visibility and influence. The BLS projects strong job growth into the future. Well-qualified candidates should be in high demand.

  Median starting salary for a Bachelor’s in Marketing: $41,500
  Median mid-career salary: $81,500

So, now it’s up to you. The jobs are waiting.

Your Bachelor’s degree has to pay off, because now you must earn.

You have responsibilities, to yourself and to others. You can’t afford for the time and energy you invest in your education to not repay itself financially.

And now you can see what to go after.

So go learn, so you can earn— get the Bachelor’s Degree of your choice!

Everyone wonders, “What is coming next? Can it even get worse?”

Economically, nations around the globe are struggling to recover. And people everywhere live in fear of unemployment.

America, like the rest, is crawling out of the Recession of 2007. But, while many other nations are producing more and more college grads, too few Americans are completing college.

A new report from Georgetown University demonstrates the absolute urgency of providing yourself with a degree, to be able to compete for jobs in the coming decade.

It’s no secret that the least educated are hit hardest during economic downturns. That disparity will only become more extreme.

Even below the college level, also, lack of credentials hurt job chances. For anyone with less than a high school degree, during the current recession, unemployment rose from 7.4% to 13.3% (February ’08 to March ’09.) At the same time, for those with a high school diplomas, unemployment went from 4.7% to 9%.

The report’s numbers reveal that by 2018, the USA will need 22 million new college grads. This is good news for individuals, because there won’t be enough grads in 2018 to fill those slots.

A projected shortfall, of more than 3 million postsecondary degrees, means opportunity for those who did earn their degrees. The tragedy is for those millions of workers without degrees, who will be much less likely to find a job at all.

The type of degree carries much weight as well. In 2018, an engineering degree will earn more than degrees in liberal arts, education, social and natural science, or education.

The Georgetown stats for 2018 gives critical insights into future employment.

Take a look, and read your future—

Can it get worse?

Of course it can. We all know that.

Equip yourself to compete, before its too late.

Millions of others are investing in their futures. Can you afford tom wait and watch to see what will happen?

Educate, educate, educate!

Reuters reports from Beijing that the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) is cutting 700,000 foot-soldiers who have little education beyond high school.

130,000 university grads are being recruited to replace them. Its a military upgrade of historic proportions. Last June, the Chinese army completed a two-month pre-recruitment campaign for recent college graduates.

We have to wonder— will other nations attempt to match this astounding up-edu move by Beijing?

Maybe that’s not the right question. What other nation even could attract a small city of college grads into it’s military system? Probably no other country.

The global job crisis has definitely impacted China’s grads, and this military reshuffling will help alleviate at least that problem.

China’s army will recruit 130,000 graduates from Chinese universities and colleges this winter to raise the quality of the armed forces and help solve the job crisis facing graduates.

Chinese sources last month told Reuters of a plan to cut the 2.3 million-strong People’s Liberation Army by 700,000, mainly lower-skilled foot soldiers, while adding better-educated recruits able to serve in a technologically sophisticated force.

Graduates who have signed up for military service will receive a one-off rebate of up to 24,000 yuan ($3,500) on college tuition fees or student loans, Xinhua said, citing the Ministry of Education.

“This means the state pays for university education of those servicemen,” Zhang Haoming, deputy director of the ministry’s department for college student affairs, was quoted as saying.

Recruits with higher education will have a greater chance of promotion or further study at military academies. After their two-year commitment, they will enjoy preference at jobs with police and other law enforcement departments, Xinhua said.

China’s army is still overwhelmingly made up of young men from the countryside with a high school education or less. Most college graduates prefer the higher salaries and greater opportunities of business or government jobs.

A Defense Ministry survey of more than 6 million college and university graduates in July found that about 1.44 million male graduates were interested in military service, Xinhua said.

In June, Beijing announced that a record number of recent college graduates are considering careers in the Chinese military, and officials are happy to oblige.

Applications in some areas have dramatically outnumbered those of previous years, but officials know that some will drop out of the military before November, the deadline for enrollment.

The Chinese government’s directive allows graduates to terminate contracts with the army if they find another job. We wonder if that will really happen. Once inside the military, great pressure might be brought to bear upon any highly-educated officer or enlisted man wishing to return to private life.

Will worldwide unemployment push other countries to imitate the Chinese revolution in military recruiting?

Will graduates of higher education revolutionize the rank and file systems of the world military, as other nations may rush to catch up with the Chinese?

Bottom line for you— the military is upgrading worldwide.

Wherever you live, if you do decide to enlist, try, try your best to FIRST take AT LEAST a few college courses.

You will need them to compete for promotion in the ranks of an ever-upgrading military system. Or be left behind.

In the USA military system, if you already have a Bachelor degree, you can elect to go through an Officer Training Course— the fastest path to a commission.

Even to start off as an enlisted person, you can still receive a direct commission in most US military branches. But you’ll need at least a two-year degree,( and be at least a sergeant, though that can be waived). Your college degree is the fast track.

Think of it this way. Any modern military, worldwide, China or the USA or any other, is a huge corporate entity.

In no other profession will education be so important to life itself. A military career will enormously increase your need to know more, understand more, to have any chance to control your own destiny.

Your education will be so critical— to your chances in your career, and your very life, and the lives of those in your command.

Equip yourself with the educational tools you need to not only survive, but advance. Before enlisting, get that degree!

Teens are the future of our society. They are the future of their own world. But they are racing toward a wall, at high speed. Only the acquisition of knowledge can save them from becoming permanent teenagers in the world of job potential. What will happen when they leave the false security of high school?

President Barack Obama urges Americans to go back to school to get a degree or advance their current degree: “It’s no longer just a time to look for a new job, but is also a time to prepare yourself for a better job.”

In June, unemployment rates for the major worker groups, were still climbing–adult men 10.0%, adult women 7.6%, teenagers 24.0%.

Almost 10 million job losers. Teens were by far the most impacted group. Always the first to go. And what difference will there be for those teens who don’t graduate from high school, who don’t go forward into higher education and seek a degree? Will they be stuck in the teen category of high school education applicants?

And how are many high school students reacting to the President’s message, and to these grim job numbers? With total apathy. Many just don’t care, according to a CEEP INDIANA study (see HSSSE_2006_Report.pdf).

• Fewer than half of the students go to high school because of what happens within the classroom environment
• A great majority of students are bored every day, if not in every class
• 43% spend 0-1 hour doing written homework, 83% spend 5 hours or less
• 55% spend 0 or 1 hour per week reading and studying for class, 90% spend 5 hours or fewer
• Students want more active learning such as peer working groups and presentations
• Girls report being more engaged across all dimensions of high school engagement than boys. (Girls were 58% of 4 year college graduates in 2006).

U.S. Dept Labor, Unemployment Rates, June 2009

All workers ………….| 8.1| 9.2| 8.9| 9.4| 9.5| 0.1
Adult men ………….| 8.2| 9.7| 9.4| 9.8| 10.0| .2
Adult women ………..| 6.7| 7.4| 7.1| 7.5| 7.6| .1
Teenagers ………….| 21.3| 22.7| 21.5| 22.7| 24.0|

Having fun may seem the only important thing right now, but if you want to survive after high school, if you want money, investing in your education pays off.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the higher your education level, the higher your salary tends to be. Employees with bachelor’s degrees make, on average, $19,000 more than those with associate degrees. And that assumes you can even find a job.

The job market will only continue to focus more and more intensely on skill sets, experience, and work history. Employers are cutting staff numbers, and those who keep their jobs are often given the additional work of those no longer present.

It’s tough out there, and getting tougher. If a teenager won’t or can’t cut it in high school, what is going to happen in the REAL WORLD?

It’s time for teens to decide what they want to be, and how to become their dream. It’s time for parents of teens to take charge, to find the education motivators their teen needs. Its time for teens and their parents to wake up and see the fate of teens who will soon become unemployed adults, and even parents themselves.

The tougher the job market, the better-equipped you must be. And it’s getting worse every day, especially for the marginal groups, like teenagers.

Educate yourself. Educate your child. Educate, educate, educate!