What single item could make the biggest difference in your career success? Many young people today recognize education as that factor. According to the latest statistics available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, released in May 2000, 63 percent of 1999 high school graduates enrolled in college in the year they graduated, with the percentage of young female students (64.4 percent) outpacing the percentage of young male students (61.4 percent).

After the 1990 census in the United States (2000 census data is not yet available), the U.S. Census Bureau released information showing the average lifetime earnings of people who had attained various levels of education. Their findings are summarized in the accompanying chart.

If some general assumptions about the number of years people in each of those education levels will work are made, reducing the years worked by the number of years needed to attain those educational levels, an average annual income can be calculated as shown on the following chart.

College not a guarantee

It should be pointed out that a college degree should not be seen as a guarantee of future success. Some look at these statistics and decide a college degree is their ticket to a quick personal fortune no matter what they study or how hard they study. They believe as long as they get some degree, that is enough to ensure they become rich.

But quick routes to riches seldom pay off in the long run. Proverbs 12:24 says, "The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor." Even a four-year plan can be seen as a get-rich-quick scheme if it is pursued entirely to get as much as possible with as little effort as possible.

The sad fact with such an approach is that many people wander through college, changing degree plans several times. When the going gets tough, many simply drop out of college and take whatever job they can find—often a much lower paying job than they had anticipated. Some continue in college, finding that it takes additional years because of changing majors several times and finding that they need additional classes to complete their new degree. Others find that after a few years in their field of choice, they don't like their career. They then feel trapped because it's too late to go back to college to get training in another field.

Why does this happen? Often it's because there has not been sufficient thought given to the future. The path of life has not been analyzed. Proverbs 14:8 says, "The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit." This indicates that prudent people will give considerable attention to their future. They will work to gain knowledge about what that future might be and put forth the effort needed to obtain understanding about themselves and their future.

Proverbs 12:24 states, "The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor." Proverbs 21:5 (Living Bible) adds, "Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty." Notice the Bible ties the successful person to both diligence (hard work) and steady plodding (persistence).

Unfortunately most societies today overemphasize speed. Everything, from coffee to full meals, must be available "right now" or in a very short time. It's no wonder that young people are often dissuaded from taking the time to do a diligent search to find a career path that fits their skills, aptitudes and basic personality.

For some, college is not the best route due to their interests and skills. It is interesting to note that the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, dropped out of college to start his company instead of completing his degree. Though he didn't get his degree, he still managed to achieve financial success in becoming the richest man in the United States.

Deciding whether to go to college

So how does a person know if he or she should go to college? What criteria should be used to make that decision? Should it be left to chance? Should a person automatically assume college is the best option? If so, will she be working toward a future that is exciting and interesting, or will he find that he rushed headlong into a future that is boring or frustrating?

In order to find answers to those questions, it is good to first strive to understand yourself—what your aptitudes are and your likes and dislikes. Make an effort to understand your basic personality and what fields of work you are most suited to enter. Strive to find the areas that match up with your aptitudes and innate abilities. Some find that hobbies can be turned into successful careers. This is where career planning and an assessment of aptitudes can be very helpful. These steps will provide information that will allow for decisions based on facts instead of guesses about the future.

There are many ways to discover your skills and aptitudes. Trial and error is one method. While this way is usually quite accurate, it takes time and often involves many failures.

A much better way to decide upon a career is to use several instruments specifically designed to help you discover those skills and aptitudes. Once you have that information, you will be better prepared to make decisions that will be more likely to lead to success. A few of the most common instruments used are the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory. (See sidebar: "Find a Job That Suits You.")

Spiritual principles first

Now that we have considered factors leading to financial success, it is important to point out that earning a high wage or salary is not the complete measure of success. Mark 8:36 admonishes, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" God does not measure success in dollars earned or accumulated.

In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:19-21), Jesus pointed out that focusing entirely on physical treasure is futile. Such treasure is always subject to being lost or stolen. It's more important to build spiritual assets, which cannot be depleted or taken by others. The rest of Matthew chapter 6 emphasizes the importance of maintaining right priorities. As important as earning a living may be to our physical welfare, it must never become more important than the spiritual principles God reveals in the Bible. For a more thorough discussion of managing your money in accordance with biblical principles, request our free booklet, Managing Your Finances.

In summary, understanding which areas of education are going to be most helpful and keeping the right perspective on wealth are important keys to a successful career. In the next article of this series, we will take a closer look at how our choices today mesh with our spiritual future. YU

How to Find a Job That Suits You

When adults meet, a common question is, "What do you do?" For many people, their jobs become their identities—they become what they do. Many, however, didn't choose their occupations, but took whatever came along when they were first starting out and have stayed there ever since. Sadly, many don't even particularly like what they are doing. They feel trapped and unhappy and don't know how to get out of the rut they are in.

Is there a better way to approach this business of earning a living? Instead of defining yourself by your job, do the opposite and find a job that suits who you are.

Besides working with the career resources available in most schools and communities, there are also numerous books and Web sites that can help you in this journey. A few places to start are listed below:

Do What You Are: Discover the perfect career for you through the secrets of personality type (1995), by Paul D. Tieger & Barbara Barron-Tieger, Little, Brown, & Company, Boston.

The Pathfinder: How to choose or change your career for a lifetime of satisfaction and success (1998), by Nicholas Lore, Simon & Schuster, New York.

http://www.keirsey.com — Keirsey Temperament & Character Sorter

http://www.onlinepsych.com — Jungian Personality Type Test

http://www.typelogic.com — Individual Type profiles, plus related information, based on the four-letter Type designations used in the previously mentioned sources. — Teddi Treybig