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Getting an education is hard work. Some of that work comes in the form of just making a decision to get one. Graduating from high school can be a daunting experience when you are in your late teens. You are just becoming an adult and have hardly begun to learn how to make important life decisions of your own. Asking you parents or mentors what you should do just confuses you more. Thinking that getting an education is always a good idea, you might decide to go ahead and get one. Then you are faced with a quandary of career choices and wonder which one you should choose. It is important that you choose one and pursue it with all of your heart. Remember what they say about first impressions? They are usually right. If you follow your heart's motivation, you will find that the education that you are pursuing is the right choice for you. Here are some insights on making some of those decisions and the benefits of getting an education from an online distance education program.

The major motivating factors behind getting an education are money and reputation, what one is thought to be by others. Taking the opportunity to increase the potential of increased income is always a worthy venture. Statistically, getting an education does that for you. The average wage earned in 2005 by a college graduate was $51,206. The average wage earned by a high school graduate was $27,915. The average wage earned by those with no high-school diploma earned was $18,734. Even in an unhealthy economy, $51,206 is a lot more than $27,915 or $18,734. Which one would you rather have?

Reputation comes with being an expert in your field. For the most part, I think, the expertise that we come out of high school will be a reputation of another sort. I remember priorities in high school being relationships, foot ball, dances, and other assorted illegal substances. But there are those who realize the importance of taking a career aim while in high school that will give them a great head start in life. They hold off on the fun stuff like going to work right away and getting married. They put a priority on their education and delay the gratification that some of us pursued so vigorously in high school.

You didn't see much of this group. They stayed in the shadows of mathematics and science. They always had their noses in their books. They actually held intelligent conversations with their teachers. I don't know how many times I heard from another student that a teacher was boring. When these students spoke with each other, they were always talking about their studies. I found them very boring and, well boring just like their teachers!

Something happens to an adolescent while in high school. I here it happens earlier with female students than with males. Sometimes we grow up. Realizing that the life we have in the homes of our parents will not last forever, we make the decisions that will last a lifetime. Who do we want to be? What do we want to do? We decide to continue our education, not because high school was so much fun, but we know that we are not yet ready to strike out on our own. If we did now, we would never reach the goals of affluence desired.

Affluance, as a result of education, can be attained at any stage of life. We are taught that earlier is better. The perfect student does perfectly well in high school, does not let the events of life at that age get in the way of a higher cause, chooses a very ambitious college or university program, never misses a class and graduates with honors every time. They also have a lot of interviews lined up with very prestigious companies on the day they graduate from college. They wait at least a year in their first position before even considering taking on a relationship, and when they do, it is with someone like them. They make enough money to be able to afford day-care. And their kids? They grow up to be just like mom and dad.

OK, this does not sound realistic, does it? Some of us mess it up real good and wish for a second chance. While working, and raising a family, we want to upgrade our education so we can get that $51,206 or more. If you are not lucky enough to be close to an educational institution, the internet provides some of the best opportunities to upgrade your educational level through something called an online distance education or an online education program.

An online distance education program is usually self paced so it is easy to fit into a tight schedule. Distance learning is pretty much self explanatory. It means learning from a distance. You can get your education from a university in Arizona even if you do not live in the state of Arizona on the internet today. This kind of education comes with all of the benefits of traditional on-campus education except the requirement to live on campus, socialize on campus, and eat at the campus dining rooms. It even comes with financial aid if you need it. Most of us that desire to upgrade our education level, especially later in life, really do not want the kind of activity level offered by on-campus life anyhow. An online distance education program is a real money saver where you can focus on your studies and get that elusive bump to your annual income that you have always deserved, even while raising a family.