By Carol H Cox
Full-time employees with bachelor’s degrees have median earnings that are 67% higher than high school graduates, according to 2016 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately $60,100 versus $36,000. An individual who has a 4-year college degree improves his or her potential income by hundreds of thousands of dollars over 40 years or more of employment.
Yet, to achieve a bachelor’s degree is increasingly expensive in the U.S. and out of reach for many individuals unless they and their families are willing to shoulder student loans in the tens of thousands of dollars. Encouraging young adults, age 18 and older, to take on sizable debt is not a very appealing solution, although that is what is happening in the U.S. today. Continue reading “A Cheaper Path to a 4-Year College Degree”