The Importance of a College Education You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give" (Winston Churchill, circa 1940) Learning the importance of getting a good college education did not come to me until I was 31 years old. Many of my friends, and colleagues and I were of the same age, however they were far beyond me in educational levels. It was for this reason, and other reasons, including better society levels, and the ability to achieve my career goals, that I decided to go back to college. With rare exceptions, all Americans will need to participate in some sort of postsecondary, occupational skill-deve