The question most of my family asked me as I embarked on my college journey was why start at all. As a first generation college student, I didn’t necessarily have a good answer to that, other than I was interested in studying biology and wanted to try making a career out of that.

As I progressed through my education and eventually entered the job market, I realized that completing my degree punched my ticket to success. So, why complete your degree?

• More and more entry level jobs are requiring a degree or a certification.
• Those completing a degree of credential typically have a higher earnings potential than non-degree holders.
• Transfer students with a degree have a higher likelihood of completing their baccalaureate degree and those that transfer without their degree often need to take additional courses adding to the cost of their education.

These are just a few reasons to complete your degree, not to mention you get to prove to yourself that you won’t let any obstacle stand in your way to success.

I think one of my former students, and now Ivy Tech Alum, Moriah Mercer, put it best a few years back.

“A college dropout at 19, completing my degree is now more important than ever before. Now 27, I knew I needed to return to school not only for myself and a better career, but also to show my 7-year-old son the importance of a good education. No matter what obstacles you may face, you can succeed and the staff and faculty at Ivy Tech are here to help. My name is Moriah Mercer and I commit to complete my degree.”

Moriah will continue her studies this fall at Indiana Wesleyan (IWU) where she plans to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Social Work with a goal of working for a child foster/adoption agency. Because Moriah completed her degree before transferring, IWU accepted all of her credits plus a few extra classes she had taken along the way. Not only did persistence pay off but the classes that went towards her degree plus the few extra classes she took along the way will allow her to graduate from IWU six months ahead of schedule.

So pledge to yourself that you will complete your credential. Whether Ivy Tech is your first and only stop in your educational journey or you plan to continue on college completion pays off.