NAME _____________________________ PERIOD__________
BELL WORK – Write a two-sentence summary of what you remember from the articles you read concerning earning potential based upon education.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Objectives - Summarize the objectives in your own words:
1. ________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
CAREER/JOB SEARCH
List the Career Cluster and Pathway of the career/job you have chosen below:
Career Cluster ________________________________ Career Pathway________________________________
List the job title of the occupation you chose and record the annual median salary for each of the education levels below:
High School or Equivalent Job Title* ___________________________Annual Median Salary**____________
(* If there are no High School or equivalent jobs listed, write “minimum wage job” in the space.)
(** If there are no High School or equivalent jobs listed, use $16,100: $8.05/hr. x 40 hrs/week x 50 weeks/yr. assuming an unpaid 2-week vacation.)
2-Year Associate’s Degree Job Title: ____________________________ Annual Median Salary: ___________
4-Year Bachelor’s Degree Job Title: _____________________________ Annual Median Salary: ___________

Fill in the table below, using the following guidelines to get the correct salaries for each year:
High School Diploma
1. If using the minimum wage for annual salary, record the Annual Median Salary ($16,100) from the front of this note sheet in Year 1, then compute a 1.28% cost-of-living increase annually to fill in all the other years.
2. For all other salaries, record the Annual Median Salary for High School from the front of this note sheet in Year 1, then compute a 2.5% cost-of-living increase annually to fill in all the other years.
High School
Summary
Minimum Wage Jobs: 1.0128 x Annual Salary = Next Year’s Annual Salary
Regular Careers: 1.025 x Annual Salary= Next Year’s Annual Salary
Associate’s Degree
1. For Year 1, assume that employment is part-time (20 hrs/week) for 50 weeks (2 weeks’ vacation) at minimum wage
($8.05/hr), then compute a 1.28% cost-of-living increase for Year 2.
2. Beginning with Year 3, fill in the Annual Median Salary for Associate’s from the front of this note sheet, then compute a 2.5% cost-of-living increase annually for the rest of the years.
Associate’s
Summary
For Year 1: Record ½ Minimum Wage
($8,050) while earning degree
1.0128 x 8,050 = Year 2 Annual Salary
For remaining years (3 – 10):
For Year 3 Record Annual Median Salary
1.025 x Annual Median Salary = Year 4 Annual
Salary and continue through Year 10
Bachelor’s Degree
1. For Year 1, assume the same scenario as Associate Year 1, then compute a 1.28% cost-of-living annual increase for
Years 2 – 4.
2. Beginning with Year 5, fill in the Annual Median Salary for Bachelor’s from the front of this sheet, then compute a
2.5% cost-of-living increase annually for the rest of the years.
Bachelor’s
Summary
For Year 1: Record ½ Minimum Wage
1.0128 x 8050 = Year 2 Annual Salary
Multiply result by 1.0128 for Year 3 Salary and continue through Year 4
For remaining years (5 – 10):
For Year 5 Record Annual Median Salary
1.025 x Annual Median Salary = Year 6 Annual
Salary and continue through Year 10
Annual Earning Potential Based Upon Education Level
(Years represent the number of years from high school graduation)
Ed. Level
High School
Yr. 1 Yr. 2 Yr. 3 Yr. 4 Yr. 5 Yr. 6 Yr. 7 Yr. 8 Yr. 9 Yr. 10 Total
Associate’s
Bachelor’s
CLOSURE
1. Find the total income difference between each level of education:
Difference between High School and Associate’s _________________________
Difference between High School and Bachelor’s __________________________
Difference between Associate’s and Bachelor’s ___________________________
2. How much income would be lost by postponing a bachelor’s degree for four years? ________________
(Assume working full time at minimum wage the first four years out of high school, then part-time at a minimum wage
job for the 4 years you are attending for your bachelor’s degree, then the last two-years at bachelor’s salary)
3. Based upon the above findings, what conclusions can you draw?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

NAME______________________________ PERIOD________________
On this page you will graph the results from your table (all three education levels on the same graph). Start with the year you will graduate from high school, and graph the data from your table for all 10 years. Based upon the salaries for your selected career paths, label the y-axis with appropriate dollar intervals. The x-axis should be labeled with the years, starting with the year you graduate from high school.
___________________________________________
(Name of Graph)
________________________________ x-axis label