My children think it is funny when I tell them that twenty years ago the computer I owned did not have enough memory to boot up on its own; that I had to insert a large floppy disk in order for it to boot; and the words "Internet" and "World Wide Web" were, for all I knew, related to fishing somehow. How things have changed—and continue to change!In our modern world today change has become the poster child for the motto, "new and improved" and anyone who does not keep up with it is left in the dust of a bygone era. There is one thing in particular that makes all the difference between individuals who create change, who triumphantly ride the waves of knowledge and those who end up getting soaked by tidal waves of information. The difference between these two sets of people is "education." More precisely, it is the "value of education."Students today need higher levels of knowledge and skills than ever before to succeed in today’s changing workplaces. In fact, Anthony P. Carnevale and Donna M. Desrochers explain in their work, Standards for What? The Economic Roots of K-16 Reform, (Educational Testing Service, 2003), that future jobs will "require at least some postsecondary education" and that these kinds of jobs "will make up more than two-thirds of new jobs." In other words, we are entering into a world that has changed from the one where a high school graduation might be sufficient to get by and provide for your family. Success in the world today seems to carry with it an educational prerequisite.Recent studies have shown that one can expect to more than double their lifetime earnings potential if they go one to obtain a Bachelor’s degree. According to one study (College Board, Education Pays, 2004), the average annual earnings of those who drop out of school are $22,000 compared to $31,000 for those with a high school diploma, $38,000 for those with an Associate’s degree, and $50,000 for those who earn a Bachelor’s degree. The bottom line: education pays.Although the bottom line, your paycheck, is an important factor in life, there are still several other benefits of gaining a good education. For one, an educated mind thinks differently than one who has not undergone academic rigors. Educated people tend to perceive life differently and to grasp situations with greater perspective. The example I like to use is imagine you are a young boy standing next to a wooden fence. On the other side of the fence is some construction taking place where lots of giant earth-moving tractors are at work. There is a knot hole about one inch square in one of the boards just big enough for you to catch glimpses of what is going on, an occasional view of a tractor moving through your field of vision, etc. Anything that is relatively small has the potential of obstructing your view completely. However, imagine what your view would be like, the action you could take in, if your viewing hole in the side of the fence was three feet in diameter.Now, imagine that viewing hole is your education: the greater your education the greater the view; the greater your comprehension of problems you face; and the greater your understanding of life. Truly, one of the great benefits of an education is far more valuable than merely enjoying a bigger paycheck; it is the enhanced quality of your life in every aspect.By David Bean