A COMPETITIVE EDGE
Your degree is always a top ticket to career success
Current research shows that earning a college degree can have a profound impact on your life, providing a competitive edge in today’s consistently competitive career market.
“Earning a college degree is important for many reasons. It can lead toward better career stability and satisfaction. The value of a college degree is more than just economics; it also can make an impact on the community,” said Dwight L. Smith III, Ed.D., Lone Star College Vice Chancellor, Academic and Workforce Success.
“Today, more and more careers require advanced education, and a college degree can be critical to success in today’s workforce.”
Smith said it is important to note that not all careers require a four-year degree. Many well-paying professions can be obtained with an associate degree that does not require a large financial commitment.
“Skills, behaviors and competencies that employers prefer are integrated into the academic and workforce program to prepare a student for success in their career,” said Smith. “Having a college degree opens up rewarding opportunities that might otherwise not have been possible.”
Some types of experiential learning to possibly take advantage of in college include projects that partner with organizations, internships, and student clubs and organizations.
“First of all, no one can take your education from you. Pursuing a higher education, whether in the humanities, sciences, public service industry, or business field, leads to a better understanding of other people and cultures, deepens awareness of societal issues, and opens the mind to the possibility of positive, sustainable impact on one’s community,” said Loren J. Blanchard, University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) President. “Secondly, college graduates earn $30,000 a year more than those who have only attained a high school degree (CNN News). That’s considerably more than an additional million dollars over a lifetime.”
Blanchard said higher education allows you to pursue career paths that are not available otherwise.
For example, the University of HoustonDowntown educates future teachers, social workers, accountants, business executives, writers, and nurses.
Their graduates go on to pursue advanced degrees in such fields as medicine, criminal justice, management, arts administration, and artificial intelligence. In fact, UHD’s Marilyn Davies College of Business has one of the largest MBA programs in the region.
“As a university, we measure our success by our graduates’ social mobility. According to the CollegeNET Social Mobility Index, the University of HoustonDowntown ranks in the top 10% nationally (133/1550),” said Blanchard. “Our aspirational goal is to ascend in socioeconomic mobility rank to the top 2% of universities nationwide.
“This achievement would reflect a significant increase in the number of lowerto middle-income graduates who reach sustainable economic stability.”
Blanchard said UHD is committed to graduating students who:
• Contribute to the economy,
• Have a greater range of career options,
• Adapt easily to a changing job market, and
• Participate civically.
Many people who have earned a college degree say that it is empowering, boosting confidence and offering a sense of achievement.
Finishing college can be a personal achievement, proving you can see a challenge through to the end.