Why Education Matters
Education matters because it lets you refill the coffers in life when you have a bad week, month, or even year. Second chances abound with education. It is the proverbial "reset" button in life, a gift that keeps on giving. Education is one of the few things in life almost certain to improve your standing with increased income, mobility, health, safety, and security.
I'm sure we've all seen the charts of the value of a high school degree versus college degree versus a graduate degree (if not, see below.) But rather than the broad term of "education," what we should really be expressing is "specialization" or "skill," because trades which don't necessarily require college degrees, pay extremely well, and are all almost immune to outsourcing. Trades provide ample opportunity for advancement over time. For a really interesting perspective on work check out the Mike Rowe foundation.
America is great because of the opportunities offered to its citizens via hundred of years of building infrastructure, and a BIG part of that infrastructure is the "opportunity zone" available to people who WANT to learn, work, and earn. Readers of this blog who have traveled in less-developed parts of the world will agree with the above instantly, and also recognize why millions of people flock to this country every year. America's opportunity zone is unparalleled.
So some of the best advice ILAF will ever give is this: focus on your education, and in particular honing a skill you can either sell or build a business around...and ideally live in a democratic republic where the rule of law prevails. Your education can be utilized to its full potential and rewarded accordingly.