Living in America, whether anyone wants to admit it or not, we have it pretty easy. With that being said, it’s easy to take things for granted. One commodity I have noticed to be taken for granted is education.

As someone who finds education to be extremely important and extremely beneficial for everyone, seeing someone not take it seriously and ignore the possibilities that come from pursuing it bothers me, especially in America where public education is free at the K-12 level.

School is much more than just sitting in a classroom for hours upon hours listening to an individual talk. It’s a platform for everyone’s future. Personally, it took me until I graduated high school and got into college to realize just how important education truly is. Although it takes time and money to go through school, especially once you get into the higher education level, it is very important to obtain a degree beyond a high school diploma.

According to Georgetown, 35-percent of jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree, 30-percent will require some college and associate’s degree and 36-percent will not require anything beyond a high school education. With that being said, with minor exceptions, jobs require some sort of formal education.

With the talk of minimum wage be raised to $15 by 2020 in California, pursuing education beyond the high school almost seems obsolete. In other words, something of the past. Because why continue your education when you go on to making $15 an hour right out of high school?

Though that might seem satisfying to some, is it really a lifestyle worth living for? The point of college is to find something that interests you and something you’ll love doing for the rest of your life and unless you love flipping burgers or folding clothes for the rest of your life, it’s not something worth resting your entire life on.

As I see it, everyone should go to school. Find what they love and pursue. Not only pursue, make it part of your lifestyle. If you don’t know what you’re interested in, then look around. Search and search some more because it will pay off. Making the decision to continue and further my education is the single best decision I’ve made in my young life.