This Letter to the Editor was submitted by Dr. David Gould, verified Burien Resident. [NOTE FROM EDITOR: Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Burien-News or Daniel Media. If you wish to submit a story, photo, article or letter, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.]
There is a positive correlation between the educational level and the economic well-being of U.S. citizens. Education can be formal at a university, informal or on-the-job training/education (e.g., new skills), or both. Essentially, all things considered, citizens with a higher-level education and/or skills will earn more over their lifetime.
According to the U.S. Census, about 90% of U.S. citizens have a high school diploma; about 35% have a bachelor’s degree; about 14% have a master’s degree, and about 5.5% have a doctorate (e.g., a research or professional doctorate.)
Many future jobs are going to require advanced education in emerging fields such as robotics, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and synthetic biology in addition to ongoing advances in information technology, materials science, medicine, construction, transportation, energy, and about almost any other field that currently exists.
The world of tomorrow will not look like the world of today; a new world is being created day-by-day and is going to require more education, skills, and work. Challenging? Yes. Exciting? Yes. Will it require more from us? Oh yes. But what an amazing world we can create if we choose to.
