Recession-proof strategy 6: Invest

- The most valuable asset in the economy is human capital. That means that your most valuable asset is you. This is true in a recession or a boom year. You'll likely have many working years ahead of you, and it's important to maximize the revenue you can bring in by working. Whether you work for someone else or you work for yourself, the greatest way to increase the amount of dollarized value you create is by adding to your education. Increased levels of education is good for income, and it means you're less likely to be unemployed. These differences are massive. Some people like to point out that Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are proof that college dropouts can be very successful. But these guys are unique unicorn-Pegasus hybrids compared to what really happens to the earnings of the average college dropout in the United States. Because data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that people with a bachelor's degree in 2017 had an unemployment rate of 2.5% compared to 4% for those with only some college. People with bachelor's degrees also earned a lot more, at a median level of almost $1,200 per week, compared to less than $800 for someone with some college. The average college dropout is not a billionaire, but the average bachelor's degree holder makes 50% more than the dropouts on average across the entire economy. But even if money and employment isn't your primary motivation for investing in education, consider the fact that increasing your education levels also makes you more robot-proof. Automation presents risks to a number of jobs, and this is likely to be an increasingly hot topic, especially during the next economic downturn. According to data from a September 2016 report from the Office of the US President, 44% of jobs that do not require a high school diploma were considered highly automatable. Only 8% of trade jobs were classified the same way, and only 1% of jobs that required a bachelor's degree were highly automatable. College dropouts would likely hold a job in the 19% of automatable category. You know, except for Zuckerberg, Gates, and a handful of others. These data show why investing in your education is critical to make yourself more employable, better paid, and even robot-proof. What is your next big education goal? Are you happy with your earnings and prospects or is automation a threat to your career?