Ever morning, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning, a lion wakes up. It knows it must out run the slowest gazelle or it will start. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up you better be running! (quoted from the Utah Scholars presentation).

The “moral of the story” is that the U.S. may not be running as fast as it needs to. While we have enjoyed prosperity during the last few decades, there are countries who produce products better, cheaper, and faster than the U.S. Who hasn’t picked up a phone and heard a different Indian or Filipino dialect on a customer service hotline. Many jobs and manufacturing plants have been outsourced to the world. Everyone has products “made in China.”

While corporate merges and acquisitions take place at a fast pace and jobs are outsourced to other countries in cost cutting measures. Employers are always looking to hire high skilled workers with strong academic backgrounds. They love workers who can innovate and create the answers to our toughest problems. One of the keys is education. Education pays. A high school graduate in the U.S. can hope to earn approximately $27,000 a year, in Utah its worse around $22,000. Two year associates degrees or certificates increase pay approximately $12,000 more. Bachelor’s degree ratchet up again with the average bachelor’s degree in business starting at $39,448. Engineers start at $54,256 nationally. Post graduate degrees in medicine, law, and dentistry start in the six figures ranges. Education pays–1 to 4 million more over a lifetime of one’s working career.

It might be a good time to re-tool, re-think what you are doing. Recessionary times are perfect times to educate yourself. Locally, we have the MATC, a new Provo College campus, BYU and UVU are right down the street. Plus there are opportunity for online courses and adult education classes. Survival of the fittest, yes, the American worker can survive this global economy. Education is the key. Opportunities always follow the educated, engaged learner.