Ability as an Asset

One of my old friends, Rick, came to see me the other day. I hadn't been in touch with him for some time and we needed to catch up. He's selling insurance now and asked if he could come over to visit - okay, and also make sure I'm properly covered.

I gave him the nickel tour of the house, then we sat in the living room.

"What's your biggest asset?" he asked over coffee.

I thought about it for a moment. "I guess this house."

"Wrong!" he said, shocking me. "Your biggest asset is your ability to make income."

He explained that even if I paid off the house and sold it for twice what I bought it for, I should still make much more than that over the course of my life.

The thing I want our children to understand is how important that earning ability is. It will be their greatest asset. And that is why their education is so important now.

An international group called the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development conducted a study recently and found that, in America, people who do not have a high school diploma earn only 65 percent of what high school graduates make. Not only that, but 44 percent of high school dropouts will find themselves earning less than half of the average salary in the country. They will be in poverty and will have a very difficult time climbing out of it.

Barbara Ischinger, the director of the organization conducting the study said, "Those with poor initial qualifications remain disadvantaged throughout their lives because they have few opportunities to catch up later on."

We must teach our children that dropping out of school will likely condemn them to a life of hard work, low income, and maybe even poverty. They may believe they are going to be rich rock stars, athletes, or lottery winners, but the odds are stacked against that. We must help them face life with a more realistic plan. And if they are expecting the government or someone else to support them, they are going to be terribly disappointed with the dividends.

But the story doesn't end there. The study also found that college grads make 72 percent more than people who only have their high school diplomas. The solid path to a decent income is through the doors of a college. And entry into college begins in grade school, where they learn good study habits.

Some people are simply happier working with their hands than with their heads. I understand that. There is nothing wrong with that, but I want to my children to have options so they can reach their fullest, happiest potential.

I worked for a carpentry crew one summer while I was in college. It was an honest day's work for a day's pay, and it was good for me, but it also showed me that I was not cut out for manual labor in the heat. I went back to college and worked harder than ever to get that journalism degree. For me, the prospect of a job at least partly in the air-conditioning was great motivation. The point is, I gave myself some options so I could answer the door when opportunity knocked.

It might be good to remind your school-aged children that food, shelter, transportation, air conditioning, television sets, clothes, toys, (yes, Rick, insurance), and everything else costs money, and working hard at school now is the key to making it later.

Right now, their biggest asset is the ability to earn a good education.

You can contact Craig Harris at www.apparentlyso.net.