Higher Education

Higher general education and training generally takes place in a university and/or college. Such education is based on theoretical expertise. Higher general education might be contrasted with higher vocational education, which concentrates on both practice and theory. A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees; including Bachelor's degrees, Master's degrees and doctorates in a variety of subjects. However, most professional education is included within higher education, and many postgraduate qualifications are strongly vocationally or professionally oriented, for example in disciplines such as social work, law and medicine.

Deciding to further your education and attain a degree tends to improve many aspects of life. People with college degrees tend to earn more money and salary increases over the years are more substantial than for those that do not have a college degree or university degree. Additionally, people that have a college degree are less likely to go through long bouts of unemployment. In 2005 overall unemployment rates in the United States were about 7.1% for high school graduates and only 3.5% for college graduates. There are many technical and manual labor professions where acquiring a college degree may not seem as important as with other career fields. However, attaining certifications and / or degrees related to your field can yield better jobs and ongoing opportunities. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers there have been steady increases in college job placement and recruiting on college campuses throughout 2005 and on into 2006. This means that not only are college graduates more likely to find good jobs, but they have added resources to aid in the job search process during and after college. The United States Department of Labor publishes the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH). The Occupational Outlook Handbook has up to date statistics about many areas of a given occupation, from training and education required, to expected earnings, long term job prospects, what the occupation typically involves on a daily basis as well as the working conditions you can expect to find. The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a wonderful tool that you can use in various ways. If you have narrowed down your career or college major choices, you can use the information found in the Occupational Outlook Handbook to find out what a future in each area looks like. You may be surprised to see the differences in seemingly similar career fields, whether in terms of salary, working conditions or longer term job prospects. In addition to career and education statistics, there are also many useful tools for job searching and links to state specific job market information.