Education and Training: Food for thought, part 2 Published Jan. 15, 2009 21st Force Support Squadron PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The following key facts may help Airmen make wise and beneficial educational decisions. · Education: The knowledge and development resulting from an education process · Education helps you develop skills that are important to the Air Force such as critical thinking. What you are learning in the classroom can be applied on-the-job to make improvements. This development can also be applied to your everyday life. Education expands your horizons. · Studies show that on average, people who have a bachelor's degree earn a million dollars more in their lifetime than people with a high school diploma. With a master's degree, that number is even higher. · Paying for your education can be expensive and many times cost keeps people from pursuing their education. However, the Air Force believes so much in education that it will provide military members up to $4,500 in tuition assistance each fiscal year. In addition, the Air Force provides college testing services (CLEPs/DSSTs) for free. They also try to make it easier to get to college by offering courses on-base. With on-line schools, even being deployed or changing duty stations no longer hinders your ability to get a degree. The Education Center can provide you more information on these and other education programs. · Leaders are responsible for helping develop their subordinates. This includes encouraging subordinates to pursue voluntary education. · One thing to remember is that eventually everyone leaves the Air Force--whether it is at the end of their first enlistment or at the end of a long career. Most people will go on to a second career. What you learn in the Air Force makes you attractive to a future employer. Adding education can make you irresistible to future employers. (Editor's Note: This article is one of several highlighting the Air Force Space Command Year of Leadership and its focus on education and training)