GUIDANCE / COUNSELING DEPARTMENT

Sample - Educaid's Newsletter
C o l l e g e B o u n d J u n i o r

A p r i l

IN THIS ISSUE
· Checklist for April
· Upcoming College Fairs
· The Main Event: Go to College, Earn More Money
· plus -
· The 10 Hottest Careers

Checklist for April

1. Begin scheduling visits to each of the 3-5 schools that interest you the most. If appropriate, apply for an interview and/or an overnight visit.
2. Consider taking the Advanced Placement (AP) exams while information is fresh in your mind.
3. Take an SAT prep course to help prepare for the upcoming test.
4. Begin preparing essays for college admissions and scholarship applications.

Upcoming College Fairs

By learning about many different colleges and universities, you can make it a lot easier to decide which ones interest you most. So try to attend a college fair in your area. Check with your counselor to see if your school or district will be holding a fair.

Certain college fairs are sponsored by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). These fairs feature workshops on financial aid and admissions representatives from over 400 colleges and universities. For exact fair locations and times, visit NACAC's web site at (http://www.nacac.com).

Educaid's web site lists many of the issues you may want to discuss with school representatives at college fairs. For details, visit (http://www.educaid.com).

The Main Event: Go to College, Earn More Money!

By going to college, you can earn a lot more money each year and over the course of your career than if you only complete high school. According to a recent study by the U.S. Census Bureau, the following were the median annual income levels of workers 25 years old and over by level of education. This means that half of the workers in each category earned more and half earned less than the amounts listed that year.

Men:
· High school graduate, $33,184
· Bachelor's degree, $52,985
· Master's degree, $66,243
· Professional degree, $100,000
· Doctoral degree, $81,687

Women:
· High school graduate, $23,061
· Bachelor's degree, $37,993
· Master's degree, $48,027
· Professional degree, $59,904
· Doctoral degree, $60,079

Let's look at an example to see what this can mean over the course of an entire career.
John and Joe are high school classmates. John decides not to go to college while Joe opts to get a degree from a four-year college. Let's say that both John's and Joe's salaries after age 25 (once Joe has finished school) remain equal to the median salaries listed above. (Of course they'll receive salary increases at various times, but disregard that for a moment.) They both decide to work until age 60 and retire a little early.

High school only:
John's career earnings (age 25 to age 60):
$33,184 per year x 35 = $1,161,440

College (bachelor's degree):
Joe's career earnings (age 25 to age 60):
$52,985 x 35 = $1,854,475

The 10 Hottest Careers

Not sure what kind of career to pursue? You might want to consider the computer or health fields. The number of jobs in these areas are projected to grow very quickly within the next few years. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the ten occupations with the fastest projected employment growth through 2008 are the following:

· Computer engineers (108% more jobs by 2008)
· Computer support specialists (102%)
· Systems analysts (94%)
· Database administrators (77%)
· Desktop publishing specialists (73%)
· Paralegals and legal assistants (62%)
· Personal care and home health aides (58%)
· Medical assistants (58%)
· Social and human service assistants (53%)
· Physician assistants (48%)

NEXT MONTH
The Value of Summer Jobs and Internships.
· plus -
Are You Eligible for Aid?

Back issues:
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