EDUCATION

Do you value independence? Is doing what you want to do important to you? Most people would answer a resounding "yes" to these questions but many people don't really understand the key to achieving those two desires. An important truth young adults need to learn, and the sooner they learn this truth the sooner they will be on the road to independence and fulfillment, is as long as someone or some organization has economic control over someone’s life they have the power to exert other controls over that life (not saying this is bad, but that it is just a fact of life). In other words there is a strong tie between economic freedom and personal freedom.

Now we will never have total control of our lives, in fact we often have less control than we think we do, but we certainly can increase our control (or at least stack the odds in our favor) by increasing our economic standing, and they way to achieve this is by making ourselves marketable in the work force. And I am not saying making a lot of money is what will make us happy, I am saying if we want to work at something we truly enjoy for most of our life, and this includes owning our own business, we will still have to find a way to make it economically feasible and fulfilling to make a living at what we love to do. How do we do this? The answer is education! Whether our education leads to a vocational or technical skill, or to fulfilling prerequisites for a career, there is ample proof education will make a substantial difference toward obtaining the freedom we desire. Check out these statistics from a U.S. Census Bureau report -

EDUCATION LEVEL	AVERAGE EARNINGS OF ALL WORKERS
Doctorial Degree	$81,400
Master's Degree	$54,500
Bachelor's Degree	$45,400
Associate's Degree	$33,000
High School Graduate	$25,900
No High School Degree	$18,900

Click Here for link to complete report.

We can take advantage of two great local resources in our community that can go a long way in increasing our work force marketability. Of course as in anything in life, the more we want out of life the more we need to put into it, and education is no exception. Some personal sacrifice will be required. And along with sacrificing some fun now (study time!) for more later education does require financial sacrifices. Fortunately there are many resources available to help those that need financial help.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE YOU TO A PAGE THAT WILL PROVIDE IMPORTANT BASIC FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION AND KEY LINKS TO OUR COMMUNITIES TWO GREAT LOCAL EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES - TVI AND UNM.

Often a tough choice for parents to make, as well as for students about to attend college, is the choice between state funded colleges or private colleges. For many if money were no object the choice would be clear, but for many money is an object, a huge one in fact. The choice is made even more difficult when religious values come into the picture, because what will be taught in any type of public (even many religious schools) school may very well conflict with your own very important beliefs.

If this is a concern you may have to consider if you, or your child if your are a parent, is an influencer or influencee. In other words how much of an influence is peer pressure, and how well grounded are you or your child in your faith when in comes to being able to defend what you believe. If you feel giving in to peer pressure or contrary teachings and view points may be a problem you may want to consider Christian colleges. Click here for a link that will help in choosing a Christian college.