On average, Americans switch career directions four times during their lives, for better or worse. But education does provide a broader range of career and lifestyle options. It s one of the surest, safest investments a person can make in themselves. When the word education is mentioned, the first thing on most people s minds is ivy on brick, philosophy classes and professors with tweed coats and leather elbow patches. But really, education refers to any opportunity to learn a marketable skill.
College is one way to get an education, but often the best way to learn is by doing.
An education can be found on almost any job site. A landscaper, if he or she joins with the right company, could learn the ropes of arborism and eventually trim treetops. A table busser with a good work ethic could work his or her way up to head chef at a Belltown bistro by asking the right questions. Skills that an employee has the opportunity to polish at almost any job are going to be in demand many other places. And that is the most important course in any form of higher education.