The More School the Better: Unemployment 2010

It's no secret that our national unemployment rate remains at a staggeringly high 9.

6%.

But, say experts, if you want to beat the status quo and secure a well-paying job in tough economic times- you have to stay in or return to school. Although unemployment claims in November were the lowest number of claims filed nationwide since July of 2008, forecasters caution that the nation is certainly not in the clear yet and the road to recovery is still a lengthy one. Therefore, the best investment people can make in times of economic uncertainty and high unemployment rates is in a higher education.
NPR reporter Adam Davidson suggests that when people hear news of jobless claims and unemployment rates- they should translate the news into one simple phrase- "stay in school.

" For students who have finished college, says Davidson, the overall unemployment rate is only 4.
7%, extremely low and much less terrifying when compared to the national high of 9.6%.
Students who have pursued a degree and graduated from college are hardly, says Davidson, in a slowdown at all. In fact, college graduates who have chosen to pursue an additional post-graduate degree are experiencing an economic surge- these advanced degree holders are enjoying an unemployment rate below 3%.

But, for people with just a high school degree or those who never finished high school at all, unemployment rates are around 10% and 15% respectively, significantly higher than the overall national average.

Davidson likens these rates to Depression-era unemployment rates; rates which rose to as high as 25% in the nation's deepest, most widespread depression in history. The point? People who choose to enroll in an online or ground school and earn their college degree are holding jobs and earning high salaries at much higher rates than those who don't.

In times of economic uncertainty, then, it's imperative to earn a college degree.
Education has always been important, but now education is the ultimate differentiating factor in the equation of unemployment.

Some college graduates and even many students with post-graduate degrees have still been negatively affected by the economy, but the bottom line remains- job prospects for college graduates are infinitely better than for those with no college degree.

The more school the better has always been true, but it's truer now than ever before.