Exposure is a key ingredient to the pursuit of any endeavor. I remember very well the moment the seed of college graduation planted in me. I was in the eighth grade and during football practice I glanced upon the ring of one of my coaches. Being intrigued, I asked about the ring, he responded by saying; “this is what you get when you graduate from college.” Far as a can remember that was my first exposure to the idea of graduating from college. What about the boys and girls who do not have a coach with a college ring? Project Counselling provides students exposure to the idea of pursuing their education beyond high school. It is important for our youth to be exposed to the earning potential of high school diploma holders versus those with college degrees.

Among millennials ages 25 to 32, median annual earnings for full-time working college-degree holders are $17,500 greater than for those with high school diplomas only. That gap steadily widened for each successive generation in the latter half of the 20th century. Put another way, today’s young high school-only grads earn about 62 percent of what their college-graduate peers earn. – US World News February 11, 2014. Children living in the inner cities of America are less likely to have parents who have graduated from college. For them, the school systems represent a place for exposure to college counselling. Students without parents who have a college degree benefit greatly from receiving college counselling. Only about 30 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds whose parents did not graduate from high school reach college, compared to about 85 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds where the householder has a bachelor’s degree or more from college. – Taken from Degree Solution

College counselling stands in the gap for students who are not exposed to the importance of obtaining a college degree. For me, the exposure came from a high school coach but the rest came from trying to figure it out on my own. Receiving personal college counselling would have saved thousands of dollars and several years of college. Both my parents did not graduate from college but I am thankful they stressed the importance of education in our household. Eventually graduating with a degree in Marketing, today I wear my college ring proudly. It happens to be a replica of the ring from my coach. When asked by a young person where did you get your ring, my response is the same as my coach; “this is what you get when you graduate from college.”