We all know about the obvious benefits to having a college degree—namely, a steady job and financial security. But we often overlook other benefits to higher education: quality of life improvements that deserve to be brought into focus, whether you’re on the fence about going back to school or are just having a hard time appreciating the degree you already have.
我們都知道，有份大學文憑顯然有好處，它意味著一份穩(wěn)定的工作以及收入保障。但是，在你猶豫是否繼續(xù)讀書或者糾結是否滿足現(xiàn)有學歷的時候，要考慮一下經(jīng)常被我們忽視的高等教育的其他益處：生活質量的提升。

1.Improved Self-Esteem
1.提升自尊

There’s just something about a college grad that makes her stand a little bit straighter and a little bit taller. It likely has to do with the boost to one’s self-esteem and confidence that comes with making it through a higher education program.
大學文憑有種微妙的影響力，可以讓人挺直腰板，抬頭挺胸。這可能是因為接受高等教育的經(jīng)歷提升了一個人的自尊和自信。

Studies conducted by the College Board and others like it have found that those who have completed additional schooling are not only more well-equipped to handle mental challenges, but also report a higher level of satisfaction when doing so.
大學理事會等相關機構組織的調查研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，一個完成了高等教育的人不僅有能力處理好精神挑戰(zhàn)，而且在應對挑戰(zhàn)時也能感到高度的自我滿足。

2.Healthy Choices
2.選擇健康

In addition to the mental boost that comes with higher education, college grads are healthier overall. Higher socioeconomic status (measured by total family income, level of education attained and professional career status) is directly correlated with better physical health and life expectancy.
高等教育除了能帶來精神上的激勵，身體上也是如此，大學畢業(yè)生整體上來說更加健康。社會經(jīng)濟地位由家庭總收入、教育水平以及職業(yè)地位來衡量，而社會經(jīng)濟地位又與身體健康程度和壽命長短有直接關系。

This correlation seems obvious when you consider that those who earn more money have greater access to health care and healthier food options. But what you may not have considered is that higher education means the ability and desire to make better choices when it comes to habits—eating and otherwise.
這種關聯(lián)性似乎顯而易見，因為賺錢多的人可以得到更好的健康護理，選擇更健康的食品。但是你想不到的是，高等教育意味著有能力和意愿在飲食或者其他方面養(yǎng)成好習慣。

For example, those with extended educations are less likely to smoke and more likely to exercise. When you put greater emphasis on taking care of your mind with additional schooling, you naturally put greater emphasis on taking care of your body, too. It’s truly as simple as: when you know better, you do better.
舉例來說，接受更多教育的人吸煙的概率更小，健身的概率更大。當你十分重視以高等教育充實思想時，你也會很自然地重視關愛自己的身體。你知道什么是好的，你就會這么去做，就是這么簡單。

3.Higher Job Satisfaction
3.更高的工作滿意度

While we’re on the subject of bettering ourselves, one common reason people seek higher education is to get out of a dead-end job. Having a degree often means having an actual career rather than punching the clock to pay the bills.
在我們談論關于完善自身的話題時，常提到的追求更高教育的理由是為了擺脫無前途的工作。有學歷通常意味著有真正的職業(yè)生涯，而不是打卡領工資。

That’s all fine and good, you may say, but having a career means nothing if you can’t keep it—a task many are finding difficult as of late. Fortunately, a diploma gives you the upper hand when it comes to economy-driven layoffs.
也許你會說，有工作就行。但是有工作而不能保住工作等于白搭，這是最近多數(shù)人面臨的難題。慶幸的是，一份文憑能在經(jīng)濟蕭條裁員時期幫你一把。

Graduates not only have higher job retention rates during a recession, but also an easier time finding re-employment due to higher marketability than their non-graduate colleagues. That means less stress overall during tough economic times.
經(jīng)濟不景氣時，大學畢業(yè)生不僅比那些沒有大學文憑的同事享有更高的留任幾率，而且在重新找工作時更有競爭力。也就是說，他們在經(jīng)濟狀況不好時壓力不會那么大。

4.Passing on the Legacy
4.教育傳承

Finally, one of the greatest benefits to having a college education is passing on the legacy to your children. Children of a college grad are more likely to have a better quality of life and pursue extended education themselves. Those children also have a much easier time getting into good schools because their parents have emphasized the importance of an education to them. They also tend to have better grades and test scores.
最后一點，受過大學教育最大的好處之一是可以將教育傳統(tǒng)傳遞給你的子女。大學生的孩子生活質量可能更好，并且會繼續(xù)追求更高層次的教育。由于父母重視教育，這些孩子進入好學校也更輕松，并且一般都能取得好成績。

As experts often state, children of college grads—even those who don’t attend college themselves—are more motivated to reach for their dreams. They know that their parents pushed through adversity to earn their degrees, and they apply that same philosophy to going after what they want in life—a bar that is placed that much higher by having college-educated parents.
專家們經(jīng)常說，大學生的孩子即使自己不上大學，也會更有動力追求夢想。他們懂得父母獲得學歷的艱辛，他們帶著相同的信念去追尋自己的人生目標——為超越父母受過的大學教育而設置的更高目標。