Education Choices

Being a child of Ohio’s foster care system will not prevent you from going to college.
If you get good high school grades, take the right classes and meet college
application requirements, you have the same chance to attend college as any
high school student.

College is important. How much education you complete will profoundly impact the quality of life you have. Look at the chart below. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the more education you get, the more your lifetime earnings increase. Plus, if you do lose your job, it’s easier to find a new one when you have a college degree.

How important is a college education?
Below shows the average weekly earnings of different full-time wage and salary workers, age 25 or older, for 2005.

Ph.D. (doctorate) $1,441
Professional (like law degrees) $1,474
Master’s degree  $1,140
Bachelor’s degree $962
Associate’s degree $721
National median weekly earnings in 2005 $696
Some college $674
High school graduate $595
Some high school $419

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Fall 2006