A school had a group of students who graduated. They excitedly walked across the stage receiving their diplomas and then went out into the big, bad world.

All of the graduates went through the same program and they had mostly the same teachers and classes. Nevertheless, when they graduated one student secured a job paying about $68,000 and another was able to get a job paying only $23,000. The average for the whole class was about $36,000 which is not bad for a starting wage from a bachelors program.

The question that stands out is why did the one get a job for $68,000 and the other could only get one for $23,000. That is a big spread.

The answer could only be application. The one student took every class and applied himself to understanding it. He studied and asked questions and helped other students to understand the material. The other students knew this student would know the answer and asked him questions, thereby reinforcing the difficult concepts further into his mind.

The $23,000 student showed up at class, sometimes. Sometimes did the homework, labs and tests. He barely passed his classes and was barely able to graduate. When his potential employers made inquiries into his scholastic abilities they found he barely coped. He is now paid what he earned.

The school is not the only determining factor of how well graduates do when they finish school. The graduate himself or herself can make more of an impact than which school they attend. Place yourself into the right school and then work hard at your studies. The reward is not really grades but the economic and professional stimulus you receive when you are done.