By learning more, you'll earn more.

Did you know that...

• People who graduate with an associate's degree at a community college will earn $1.7 million in a lifetime compared with $973,000 for high school graduates.
• People who graduate with bachelor's degrees will earn $2.3 million over the course of their careers
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics

The occupation you choose will also impact your earning potential.

Earnings are driven by a combination of educational level and occupational choice. Some occupational clusters pay better than others. For example, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) occupations earn more than teachers, regardless of educational level. People who work in the construction, trades and health industries also may earn more than the average bachelor degree holder. So, while the type of job you have may determine earning potential, we know that college education is still very important to increasing your overall earning potential over a lifetime.

For salaries of different occupations, visit the  Salary Dashboard  for salary comparisons.

Go to Career Connections  to take a  career survey  to find a good career match based on your interests and skills. At Career Connections, you can also explore "hot careers " or a video gallery  of more than 400 different occupations with information on the type of education/training you'll need.

And, don't limit yourself to traditional career paths. Women in nontraditional careers  (e.g., construction, trades, airline pilots, machinists, scientists, engineers, gardeners, firefighters, electricians, chefs, architects, etc.) earn on average 27.5% more than women in traditional jobs.