--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you're graduating from high school…" description: "\"If you're graduating from high school, and you come from a lower income family, you're effectively given two options. One is get a four-year college de..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/j-d-vance-2-3852_family_if-you-re-graduating-from-high-school-an_2087137.jpg" --- # If you're graduating from high school, and you come from a… ![“If you're graduating from high school, and you come from a lower income family, you're effectively given two options. One is get a four-year college degree; two is work at a low-wage job, potentially for the rest of your life. We've got to do better on that front. We have to provide more options.” quote by J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/j-d-vance-2-3852_family_if-you-re-graduating-from-high-school-an_2087137.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/j-d-vance-2-3852_family_if-you-re-graduating-from-high-school-an_2087137.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/j-d-vance-2-3852_family_if-you-re-graduating-from-high-school-an_2087137.jpg) > “If you're graduating from high school, and you come from a lower income family, you're effectively given two options. One is get a four-year college degree; two is work at a low-wage job, potentially for the rest of your life. We've got to do better on that front. We have to provide more options.” [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Graduates from low‑income families face a binary choice between college and low‑wage work, highlighting a lack of viable alternatives. **In simple terms:** Low‑income grads see only college or low‑pay jobs. Key Takeaway Create more pathways beyond college. Themes education inequality opportunity policy social mobility Mood concerned hopeful Type policy advocacy When to use this quote - career counseling - scholarship programs - vocational training - community mentorship Key Concepts socioeconomic stratification access to education labor market dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can society expand affordable education? - What alternative careers could be promoted? A Different Perspective Limited funding and systemic barriers restrict new options. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [College degree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college-degree/) [Degree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degree/) [Degree Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degree-work-1618024/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Graduating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduating/) [Graduating High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduating-high-1116085/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Rest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rest/) [Rest of your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rest-of-your-life/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [“A degree helps to a degree, but your work is largely what you create it to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lilly/a-degree-helps-to-a-degree-but-your-work-is-largely-what-you-create/) [Ryan Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lilly/) > [Graduating from high school is certainly a good idea, but it's no longer much protection against poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/graduating-from-high-school-is-certainly-a-good-idea-but-it-s-no/) [Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/) > [Graduating college will be a happy/sad moment just like graduating high school!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/graduating-college-will-be-a-happy-sad-moment-just-like-graduating/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let's also make sure that a high school diploma puts our kids on a path to a good job. Right now, countries like Germany…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/let-s-also-make-sure-that-a-high-school-diploma-puts-our-kids-on-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Graduating high school was really emotional for me. I'd obviously made a huge thing out of what that experience was for me, and saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavi-gevinson/graduating-high-school-was-really-emotional-for-me-i-d-obviously-made/) [Tavi Gevinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavi-gevinson/) > [After graduating high school, I stopped talking to everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/after-graduating-high-school-i-stopped-talking-to-everyone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My brother is graduating from high school this month. he is one of my best friends. even though we fight,we're still the best of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare/my-brother-is-graduating-from-high-school-this-month-he-is-one-of-my/) [CLARE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare/) > [My future will not consist of me living with my mom after graduating high school, I have to move out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-future-will-not-consist-of-me-living-with-my-mom-after-graduating/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Graduating high school will be the saddest day of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/graduating-high-school-will-be-the-saddest-day-of-my-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Make it out and end up graduating high school with out being parents that's always good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/make-it-out-and-end-up-graduating-high-school-with-out-being-parents/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Starting to accept the fact that me not graduating high school is a realistic possibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/starting-to-accept-the-fact-that-me-not-graduating-high-school-is-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I miss the old days when all I had to worry about what graduating high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-miss-the-old-days-when-all-i-had-to-worry-about-what-graduating/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Shout out to old people for graduating high school without Google.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/shout-out-to-old-people-for-graduating-high-school-without-google/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [Im graduating high school next year and I'm going to be heading off to college if Romney wins what is my middle-class family supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-graduating-high-school-next-year-and-i-m-going-to-be-heading-off/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Well since Obama agrees with standardized testing looks like I'll never be graduating high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/well-since-obama-agrees-with-standardized-testing-looks-like-i-ll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by J. D. Vance > [Undoubtedly, church fish fries and picnics help build social cohesion. It was at my dad's medium-size evangelical church - my first real exposure to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/undoubtedly-church-fish-fries-and-picnics-help-build-social-cohesion/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [I almost failed out of high school. I nearly gave in to the deep anger and resentment harbored by everyone around me... Whatever talents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/i-almost-failed-out-of-high-school-i-nearly-gave-in-to-the-deep-anger/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [Airing the family's laundry can make people upset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/airing-the-family-s-laundry-can-make-people-upset/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [Liberals have to get more comfortable with dealing with the poor as they actually are. I admire their refusal to look down on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/liberals-have-to-get-more-comfortable-with-dealing-with-the-poor-as/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [I happen to be a conservative, but one need not accept the Right's theories wholesale to acknowledge the sometimes negative effects of government action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/i-happen-to-be-a-conservative-but-one-need-not-accept-the-right-s/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [Trump's voters loathe Jeb Bush because their lives are falling apart, and they blame people like him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/trump-s-voters-loathe-jeb-bush-because-their-lives-are-falling-apart/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [What unites Trump's voters is a sense of alienation from America's wealthy and powerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/what-unites-trump-s-voters-is-a-sense-of-alienation-from-america-s/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [The subsidy for employer-sponsored coverage has tethered health care to employment in a way that virtually no economist endorses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/the-subsidy-for-employer-sponsored-coverage-has-tethered-health-care/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [I don't think that 60-70 percent of working-class white voters would have supported a Muslim ban before Donald Trump said something about a Muslim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/i-don-t-think-that-60-70-percent-of-working-class-white-voters-would/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [It would be great if people returned to areas of the country that need talented people with good economic prospects. Our country would really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/it-would-be-great-if-people-returned-to-areas-of-the-country-that/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [My military service is the thing I'm most proud of, but when I think of everything happening in the Middle East, I can't help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/my-military-service-is-the-thing-i-m-most-proud-of-but-when-i-think/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [I could never understand why our lives felt like a struggle while those living off government largesse enjoyed trinkets that I only dreamed about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/i-could-never-understand-why-our-lives-felt-like-a-struggle-while/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [I think running a small nonprofit to work on the opioid crisis and bring interesting new businesses to the so-called Rust Belt - all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/i-think-running-a-small-nonprofit-to-work-on-the-opioid-crisis-and/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [People listen to what their political leaders are telling them, and my view is both that Trump is tapping into some racially ugly attitudes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/people-listen-to-what-their-political-leaders-are-telling-them-and-my/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) > [The most depressing part of the 2016 election is that the candidates often failed to show any cultural leadership: any recognition that the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance-2/the-most-depressing-part-of-the-2016-election-is-that-the-candidates/) [J. D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) [Explore all 121 J. D. Vance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance-2/) ## More College degree quotes > [At AT&T, I learned an awful lot about people, and how important it is to have the right people in the right jobs. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-whitacre-jr/at-at-t-i-learned-an-awful-lot-about-people-and-how-important-it-is/) [Edward Whitacre, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-whitacre-jr/) > [Cities are broke, there are no jobs, people without a high school diploma and sometimes even with a college degree can't get jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cities-are-broke-there-are-no-jobs-people-without-a-high-school/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man who cannot think is not an educated man however many college degrees he may have acquired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/a-man-who-cannot-think-is-not-an-educated-man-however-many-college/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [We should all feel confident in our intelligence. By the way, intelligence to me isn't just being book-smart or having a college degree; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabatha-coffey/we-should-all-feel-confident-in-our-intelligence-by-the-way/) [Tabatha Coffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabatha-coffey/) > [“Having a college degree does not make you educated. Always learning new things is what makes you educated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pearce/having-a-college-degree-does-not-make-you-educated-always-learning/) [Dan Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pearce/) > [I've been waiting more than 30 years to say this: 'Dad, I always told you I'd come back and get my degree.' I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/i-ve-been-waiting-more-than-30-years-to-say-this-dad-i-always-told/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [The obsessive focus on a college degree has served neither taxpayers nor students well. Only 35 percent of students starting a four-year degree program…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-tabarrok/the-obsessive-focus-on-a-college-degree-has-served-neither-taxpayers/) [Alex Tabarrok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-tabarrok/) > [For me specifically, it was important to graduate. In my family, I was one of the first graduates. My mom did not have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-acton/for-me-specifically-it-was-important-to-graduate-in-my-family-i-was/) [Brian Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-acton/) > [People who graduate are more resilient financially, and they weather economic downturns better than people who don't graduate. And, throughout their lives, people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/people-who-graduate-are-more-resilient-financially-and-they-weather/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [Our promise to our children should be this: if you do well in school, we will pay for you to obtain a college degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ann-minner/our-promise-to-our-children-should-be-this-if-you-do-well-in-school/) [Ruth Ann Minner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ann-minner/) > [My parents told me that education was the path to success - and they showed me, taking me to Head Start while they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-juneau/my-parents-told-me-that-education-was-the-path-to-success-and-they/) [Denise Juneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-juneau/) > [You can't have 23 million people struggling to get a job. You can't have an economy that over the last three years keeps slowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/you-can-t-have-23-million-people-struggling-to-get-a-job-you-can-t/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Consequently, the only thing I learned in school was typing. 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