WMCC Student Resources

White Mountains Community College Is Always A Good Investment

Katharine Eneguess, President of White Mountains Community College

On Sundays I like to sit down and relax with the Sunday paper. It is the one day of the week that I have the time to read articles about subjects in which I might have only a passing interest. I try to stay away from the articles in the financial and business sections whose headlines promise only problems and no solutions. In this recession there are very few of us who have not been personally affected, if not in our day- to-day lives, then in our net worth as measured by retirement funds and housing values. Thankfully, the decrease in home prices hasn't been as steep in New Hampshire as it has been in some other states, particularly in hard hit Florida and California, but our 401Ks and stock portfolios have not been immune to big drops in value. We are, after all, not living on an isolated, self-sufficient island, but are dependent on the economic markets outside our state's borders.

Paging through the Sunday financial section, with its weekly advice on where to put your investment money, got me thinking of investments in general. The financial experts quoted in those columns still don't know if the stock market has hit bottom or not, so their advice is often times confusing at best. Where, then, to invest money your money?

You can invest in knowledge. Knowledge is an asset the value of which is not subject to the ups and downs of any market and it can be stored in the safest place of all, your own brain. You can carry it with you no matter where you go. No one can ever take it away from you. You don't have to worry about somebody hacking into your brain and stealing your knowledge. It doesn't need to be password protected. No firewall is needed, no constant updating of your virus protection is needed. Knowing anything, whether it's how to repair a car's engine or how to do crisis intervention, increases not only your net worth to prospective employers, but also increases your own self-worth.

Studies have documented how overall lifetime earnings go up with each level of education attained. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, someone with an associate's degree can expect to earn $8,000 more a year than someone whose top educational attainment is a high school diploma. Earn a bachelor's degree, and you can expect to bring in $22,000 more a year than a high school graduate. That adds up to some serious money over the course of a lifetime in the job market.

We live in an increasingly complex, interconnected world. Developing your critical thinking skills through higher education can help you make wiser decisions as you navigate the complexities of modern life. Learning can also increase your enjoyment of everyday activities, such as watching television. Isn't it more interesting to watch an epic battle on the History Channel when you know more of the events leading up to the conflict?

No matter what shape the world is in, investing in knowledge is always a good idea. WMCC is here to walk you down the education investment road. While warmer temperatures have many thinking of summer, our admissions team is already looking ahead to fall. Now is the time to consider investing in your future, by enrolling in courses this summer or fall at your community college. Give us a call and let us know how we can help your invest in your future.

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