Students realize that the slumping economy is a good reason to pursue educational goals and now is a good time to do it.

“I can’t keep up with the economy. If it -cost of living – goes up $3, my salary only goes up $1,” Deborah Addison, administration of justice.

“Education is the only way to improve the situation,” Addison said.

According to the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, college graduates earned $17,000-$20,000 more per year then those with just a high school diploma.

“Without and education, you can’t have a career or even get a good job,'” Michaun Browning, undecided major, said.

Higher education plays a big role in Browning’s family.

Her grandmother recently received her master’s degree and her mother, Lashawn Browning, recent enrolled at EC.

“If my mother can do it, so can I,” Lashawn Browning, undecided major, said.

The Brownings believe the recession is the best time to go to school and for Lashawn; more education is the best way for her to increase her income.

Many students like Violet Vanligten, nursing major, believe that education provides job security.

Vanligten worked in insurance, but she has returned to school to start a career in nursing.

“Nursing is a career, not a job. You can get fired from a job. It is impossible to find an unemployed nurse and in nursing there are so many areas you can go into,” Vanligten said.

Vanligten’s classmate, Kim Vu, nursing major, enrolled in college right after high school.

“The economy is bad and I want something stable. I want to make sure I don’t have to keep changing jobs, ” Vu said.

Vu hopes to specialize in pediatric nursing after graduating from the nursing program.

Some students want to use education as an opportunity to avoid being jobless in the event of future economic crises.

“I am in school because I want a better future. Education is important and if you want a good income, Education is the first stepping stone,” Elizabeth Gonzalez, History major, said.

Gonzalez hopes to pursue a career as an attorney.

Adriana Ayala, biology major, agrees with Gonzalez.

“Education will help me get a better job,” Ayala said.

Ayala wants stability in her future career and is working towards becoming a doctor.

Students recognize that education is a foundation in which to build their future careers.

There are some many doors