| Home
> Dr. Greg > Segment Summaries >
Big Benefits From Going to College Today
Dr. Greg Ketchum, 05/06/06
When I was a kid my parents always stressed the importance of getting
a good education and going to college. A large
part of that came from my Dad’s experience of quitting school in the eighth grade and
paying for it the rest of his life. I’ve taken that same lesson
with my own kids and like many parents have been heavily involved recently
in my daughter’s college application process.
Well, a new report released by the Campaign
for College Opportunity entitled “Keeping
California’s Edge.”
reaffirms our parent’s belief in the
central importance of getting a good education.
The upshot of the report is that going to college
is both good for the student and also critical
to the future of California’s economy.
To get an idea of how important California’s
economy is…
- California's gross state product is nearly
$1.5 trillion, making it the 6th largest
economy in the world.
- California accounts for over 13% of
the nation's output, and trails only
Japan, Germany, the UK, and France.
- The US’s next largest state economy--New
York--is about 60% the size of California's.*
The report looks to predict what the workforce
in California will look like in the year 2022.
Highlights of the major findings include…
- By 2022 California companies will need
3.2 million new workers with at least some
college education.
- Two-thirds of that 3.2 million will hold
bachelor’s degrees.
- “One highly educated employee in
the computer manufacturing industry generates
enough value in the economy to support 3.7
other employees.”
So what do you do about all this? Well I’ve
got just one action step for you this week;
go to college or back to school and get all
the education you can. If you think you can’t
afford it you’re probably wrong about
that. There are many, many sources of financial
aid including scholarships and grants. Even
if you have to take out a loan think of it
as an investment in your future.
Finally, this report confirms something I’ve
believed my whole life. That is, it’s
still possible to live the American Dream through
a combination of hard work and getting a great
education. Don’t listen to the naysayers
who say the American Dream is dead. Believe
it and you can make it happen.
For more information and a list of resources
including websites that list college scholarships
and information on applying for college go
to Talentplanet.com and click on Dr. Greg.
Have a wonderful morning.
*Legislative Analyst's Office, State of California
References
®2006 Gregory A. Ketchum, Ph.D. All rights
reserved.
| 
