First off, sorry that these posts are fewer and farther between. Working full time will do that to ya.

As I may have mentioned before, my mother is a high school counselor. I’ve gotten used to being her guinea pig for various surveys, programs, and presentations. Her latest is a presentation to be given to students in ROP (Regional Occupation Program) classes to inform them of the long run benefits of an education, which she had me proofread and edit. And I think some of this info will be very helpful to some of you.

As I hope all of you aware, a college education will earn you money. That is to say that you make more with a degree than you do without. Now I know plenty of people will think, “yeah yeah yeah, but I can do just fine without one!” Can you? Can you, really?

The following data refer to annual costs in Santa Cruz, California (my hometown)

· Housing (2bd 1 ½ bath) - $1,202
· Utilities (cell, electricity, DSL, cable) - $235
· Food (Eat in some and Eat out) - $350
· Transportation (Gas, insurance, car payments, basic maintenance) - $721
· Clothes (A few basic clothes) - $75
· Health Care (Basic Health Insurance) - $58
· Entertainment (Have fun, go out a little) - $100
· Personal (Basic needs) - $25
· Miscellaneous (Travel, other expenses) - $100
· Savings (average 5% of income) - $143
Total: $36,108

Before we even add these up, think about how accurate these numbers are. I don’t know about you, but I spend way more money on clothes than $75 per year. I just spent $50 last week! $25 for personal needs? I think not. And with gas prices skyrocketing, $721 probably doesn’t cut it. But, if we assume these cost estimates are correct, that brings annual expenses to $36,108. If you work full time for a full year, that’s 2000 hours. 36,108 divided by 2000 = $18 an hour. This means that in order to get by, even in a thrifty manner, you need to be making $18 an hour and working full time. (Oh, and by the way, these estimates don’t included taxes. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200. Instead, subtract 25%.) As you are hopefully aware, minimum wage is not $18/hour. More like $8/hour. This means that it is impossible to get by on minimum wage.

So how do you make more than minimum wage (and therefore survive?) Education!

The following are estimates of the hourly and yearly wages per each education level.

· No High School Diploma - $10.70/hour - $21,400/year
· High School Grad - $15.10/hour - $30,200/year
· Associate Degree - $18.50/hour - $37,000/year
· Bachelor’s Degree - $24.60/hour - $49,350/year
· Professional Degree - $35.60/hour - $71,350/year

According to this data, you need at least an associate degree in order to support yourself. Really, given that even $36,108 a year is cutting it close, you need to be making more, which means a BA is in order, and the only way you can get a BA, and therefore survive in this world is to go to college.

“These days an income is something you can’t live without – or within.” – Tom Wilson