We hear it from our parents, and some of us are telling our own kids the same thing; “go to school, get a better job, what are you going to do with your life?!” For decades everyone has been talking about how important education is. We might think we know the value of a college education, but a recent report from Georgetown University shows us the real numbers.

The Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018 breaks down how higher education requirements and job expectancy go hand in hand.

In the 1970s…

• 25 million jobs were available to workers with some college or more.
• 26% of the middle class had postsecondary education.
• 44% of the upper class had college experience or degrees.

Gone are the days of repetitive tasks and factory work, technology’s take over has changed the workforce.

In 2007…

• 91 million jobs were available to workers with some college or more.
• 61% of the middle class had postsecondary education.
• 91% of the upper class had college experience or degrees.

The increasing need for higher education is only going to continue. It is expected that by 2018 over 101 million jobs will need some college or more, predominately a need for bachelor’s degrees over an associate’s or masters.

The opportunity to go to school is not just for high school graduates. The availability of online degree programs or free college courses is opening up the doors to anyone thinking about getting a degree, but may not know where to start.

So where do we go from here? One of the biggest pitfalls of postsecondary schooling isn’t the lack of desire; it’s the lack of funding.  A college education is usually followed with college debt. The current administration has increased Pell grant funding, but that is only a small and temporary solution.

We have to start encouraging higher education and the need for funding. We need to lead by example for future generations and continue our own education and training.