{"id":1615,"date":"2026-04-15T09:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T16:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=1615"},"modified":"2026-04-22T09:57:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T16:57:16","slug":"value-college-degree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/value-college-degree\/","title":{"rendered":"How earning a degree impacts career earnings and value"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is immense personal value in earning a bachelor\u2019s degree. It\u2019s a badge of honor you carry with you for life.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s a game-changer in the job market.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Albert\"Play\"<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

To boost his career, Albert Diaz enrolled online with OSU Ecampus to pursue his postbaccalaureate degree in computer science<\/a>. His plan paid off.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

By earning your bachelor\u2019s degree, you could earn as much as $1 million more than someone with a high school diploma over the course of a career, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also, a report from the National Center for Education Statistics<\/a> shows that people who have earned a four-year degree have better employment prospects and enjoy higher earnings than those with some college experience but no degree.<\/p>\n

Many students who have earned their degrees online with Oregon State University can attest to the direct impact their academic success had on their careers. Among them is Asumi Suzuki<\/a>, whose online computer science bachelor’s degree gave her the skills she needed to move up into a software developer role for Rakuten.<\/p>\n

Oregon State delivers more than 100 degrees, certificates and microcredentials online. Explore our offerings today<\/a>\u00a0and find the program that best matches your interests and career aspirations.<\/p>\n

\n

Discover more about the Oregon State online learning experience and the programs and courses we deliver online.<\/em><\/p>\n

Request information<\/a><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 2<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Earning a bachelor\u2019s degree is a badge of honor. And it\u2019s a game-changer in the job market. By earning your bachelor\u2019s degree, you could earn as much as $1 million more than someone with a high school diploma over the course of a career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2997,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[685,1,6,672,657],"tags":[591],"class_list":["post-1615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advancing-your-career","category-all","category-ecampus","category-learning-experience","category-resources","tag-ecampus-at-a-glance"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/financial-benefits-of-a-degree-infographic-260421-v13.png?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-q3","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2694,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/is-higher-education-worth-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":1615,"position":0},"title":"Is higher education worth it?","author":"Carly Fredericks","date":"April 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Understanding the value of a degree, certificate and microcredential Some experiences reveal their value only once you're immersed in them \u2014 like making a baby laugh, sharing a heart-to-heart with a friend or volunteering for a cause that\u2019s important to you. But earning a credential from a university, like a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ecampus grad, Josh Misko smiles toward someone off-camera while wearing his graduation regalia.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Josh-Misko-012-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Josh-Misko-012-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Josh-Misko-012-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Josh-Misko-012-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1527,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/business-administration-elevates-careers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1615,"position":1},"title":"Business administration degree elevates goals, careers","author":"Carly Fredericks","date":"September 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Taking the next step in your career is made simple with a bachelor's degree in business administration!","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/oregon-state-logo-600x400.png?ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1657,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/psychology-online-kristina-tucker\/","url_meta":{"origin":1615,"position":2},"title":"Oregon State Everywhere: Gaining a deep understanding after a tragic loss","author":"Kristina Tucker","date":"December 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The motivation to understand how and why my thinking and behavior changed pushed me towards completing my degree with OSU Ecampus. The classes were difficult and sometimes it felt overwhelming, but I wouldn't trade anything for this experience.\" \u2013 OSU Ecampus psychology student Kristina Tucker","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A selfie photo of OSU Ecampus online psychology student Kristina Tucker","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Kristina-Tucker-744x478-201123.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Kristina-Tucker-744x478-201123.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Kristina-Tucker-744x478-201123.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Kristina-Tucker-744x478-201123.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1056,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/parents-college-business-degree-online\/","url_meta":{"origin":1615,"position":3},"title":"Leading by example: Going back to college as a parent","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"September 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Like all good dads, Todd Van Hess wants the best for his three children. He knows that their best chance to lead successful lives is for them to earn college degrees when the time comes. 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She sits with a pencil in her hand over a notebook and a laptop open in front of her.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Microcredential-news-800x450-220825-v1.B.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Microcredential-news-800x450-220825-v1.B.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Microcredential-news-800x450-220825-v1.B.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Microcredential-news-800x450-220825-v1.B.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2634,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/what-can-you-do-with-a-psychology-degree\/","url_meta":{"origin":1615,"position":5},"title":"What can you do with a psychology degree?","author":"Carly Fredericks","date":"August 16, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Explore career options for a psychology bachelor's degree. 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