Do You Need a Four-Year Degree to Make a Great Salary?
College, it seems, may not be for everyone. According to a report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the total number of students enrolled in American higher education has once again declined. The total number of enrolled students is 17,839,330, a 1.3% drop from 18,071,004 in spring 2017. That was, in turn, a 1.5% slip from spring 2016’s total of 18,343,655.
More students are beginning to discover that the traditional college path is not for them, either because of the costs involved or, as in the case of more hands-on learners, because universities don’t offer courses of study that are of interest. When the crippling debt that many college students accumulate to pay for their education is considered, it’s easy to see why there is a shift to career paths that allow students to begin working—and earning—more quickly.
However, are students hindering their earning potential by not pursuing higher education? As more people are learning, they’re actually not. Across the country there’s a growing abundance of open jobs that only require a two-year associate’s degree or, in some cases, simply a high school diploma, and are paying salaries that are greater than entry-level employees with their bachelor’s degree may expect to earn. According to an article from Business Insider, there are an abundance of positions to choose from—ranging from postmasters and dental hygienists, to web developers and air traffic controllers—that pay $60,000 and above annually.
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