關注社會:大學文憑回報率高於股市
Even in today's very tough job market, a college degree is the best long-term investment – by far, promising higher returns than stocks, bonds, housing, and even gold, according to a study released this week by the Brookings Institution.
即便是在當下異常嚴峻的就業市場上，截至目前爲止，大學文憑仍然是最好的長期投資。本週，布魯金斯學會（Brookings Institution）發佈的一項研究稱，比起股票、債券、房產，甚至是黃金來說，大學文憑的回報率都要更高。
The Washington, DC-based think tank crunches some interesting numbers:
這家位於華盛頓的智庫對下面這些有趣的數字進行了一番計算：
On average, a four-year degree is the equivalent of an investment that returns 15.2% a year. That's more than double the average return to stock market investments since the 1950s, which average 6.8%; more than five times the return to investments in corporate bonds, which return 2.9%; gold at 2.3%, long-term government bonds at 2.2% and housing at 0.4%.
平均而言，四年的大學學位相當於一筆年回報率在15.2%的投資。這一數字是自20世紀50年代以來的股票投資平均回報率6.8%的2倍還多；是公司債券平均回報率2.9%的5倍還多；而黃金的平均回報率是2.3%，長期政府債券是2.2%，房產是0.4%。
Admittedly, a college education demands pretty hefty costs upfront.
無可否認，大學教育需要提前支付大筆成本。
Researchers Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney estimate costs of a four-year college degree at $102,000 and about $28,000 for a two-year associate's degree. This factors in the typical costs of tuition and fees (minus room and board, since as researcher noted, you eat and sleep whether or not you go to college), as well as pay that students give up if they had spent their years right after high school working instead of going to college.
研究員邁克爾•格林斯通和亞當•魯尼估算，四年的大學本科學位要花費102,000美元，兩年的專科學位要花約28,000美元。這一結果計算了學費和規費這些標準支出（同時，兩位研究員指出，要減去食宿費，因爲不管上不上大學，這兩項支出都必不可少），還納入了學生所放棄的薪酬，也就是如果他們高中一畢業就選擇工作而非上大學所應得的報酬。
Pretty steep. But long-term, the costs are well worth it, the study found. At 22, the average college graduate earns about 70% more than the average person with a high school degree only. In other words, the study notes, at the peak of their earning power, the average worker with only a high school diploma earns only about as much as a college graduate one year out of school.
確實是一大筆錢。但這項研究發現，從長期來看，這筆投入十分划算。22歲時，普通的大學生掙的要比只有高中文憑的人多約70%。研究指出，換言之，即便在賺錢能力處於頂峯時，只有高中文憑的普通工人掙的錢也只有剛畢業一年的大學生那麼多。
And it only gets better from there. In 2010, a college graduate at age 50 (career peak) earns about $46,000 more than someone with only a high school diploma.
而這只是一個開始。2010年，年滿50歲的大學畢業生（正處於事業頂峯）的薪酬要比只有高中畢業文憑的同齡人多約46,000美元。
So a college degree is almost always the best long-term investment. Indeed, U.S. unemployment continues to hover at an annoyingly high 9% or so. And the job market has been especially tough for younger workers.
因此，大學文憑几乎總是最好的長期投資。的確，美國的失業率居高不下，始終徘徊在令人擔憂的9%左右。而就業市場對年輕的求職者來說更是困難重重。
Then again, as Fortune's Anne Fisher pointed earlier this week, things might be looking up. The number of freshly minted grads with bachelor's degrees finding jobs this year surged 22% to 35,372, or 8% more than in 2009, according to .
不過，正如《財富》（Fortune）雜誌撰稿人安妮•費希爾本週早些時候所指出的，情況可能正在好轉。據大學生就業網站發佈的數據，今年，擁有學士學位的大學畢業生找到工作的人數飆升了22%，達到35,372人，比2009年要多8%。
So for those feeling a little hopeless about the prospects out there, now is as good a time as any to start job hunting.
所以，對那些感到前途有點希望渺茫的大學畢業生來說，現在正是開始找工作的大好時機。
