After walking across the stage and receiving a high school diploma, life moves quickly. The carefree days of high school are no longer around the corner. There is a new reality and you need to make life-changing decisions, if they haven't already been. For some, college awaits a little over the horizon. For others, the prospect of obtaining full-time employment may seem like a wiser decision. With college comes the prospects of greater responsibility, time management and, for some, taking out those dreaded college loans. Without guidance, student debt can quickly become a harsh lesson in high finance. Recently, the media has begun to paint a bleak picture of students accumulating insurmountable debt; however, the picture is not complete. Those who forgo college run the risk of costing themselves potential career opportunities and a higher standard of living. The path to success requires tough decisions and calculated risks. The surest way to succeed in our society is through a college education. Despite the costs, higher education provides a valuable resource for long-term success and quality of life. In a capitalist society, money, above all else, separates us. From the start, each annual training phase offers additional earning potential. Students with one year of college earn an 11% higher salary than those who just graduated high school. A second year offers another 13% increase. The third year of school earns an additional 14% salary (Fuller par. 15). The percentage of potential income increase grows with each year of college attended. There are lower, measurable, amounts of income growth for those with some college education. However, the big jump in income starts with getting a bac...... middle of paper ......r anyone who dismisses the importance of an education is not comparable to those who get a four-year degree . Without half-assed educational options, we condemn not only ourselves but also our future. Works Cited Daly, Mary C., and Leila Bengali. “Is going to college still worth it?” FRBSFEeconomic Letter 2014.13 (2014): 1-5. Premier of academic research. Network. 9 June 2014.Fuller, Elisabetta. “College tuition is high, but the cost of not going is higher.” The ChristianScience MonitorSeptember 21, 2010.ProQuest. Network. June 9, 2014. Egerter, Susan et al. Brief number 5: EXPLORING THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH. Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, April 2011. Web. May 28. 2014Carnevale, Anthony P. "Want a job? Stay in college as long as you can." The WashingtonPost, September 18, 2011. ProQuest. Network. June 10, 2014. "Benjamin Franklin Quotes." Quotes.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2014. Web. 10 June 2014.