Jul 27, 2016 12:29 PM EDT By Staff Reporter, UniversityHerald Reporter

It was said that as long as you have got the wit and the brains, you can get ahead in life and earn a decent living. But maybe in today's economy, that could be a little bit farther from the truth. More evidence that suggests getting a good job requires a college degree has surfaced.

In a recent survey, only 16% of job listings posted on an online job website were categorized as "opportunity jobs." These kind of job roles would earn the candidate an average salary above $57,500. To break it down further, according to Market Watch, nearly 33% of those jobs would require a college degree.

In order to reach that state of higher income and raises every year, Tara Sinclair, the chief economist at Indeed.com, said that it would "overwhelmingly require a college degree." Employers who are hiring for opportunity jobs earn double the amount of earnings compared to those working for non-opportunity jobs.

A degree is the key to getting the benefits one would desire in today's economy. The workforce now is made up of a large chunk of those with a bachelor's degree compared to those who only graduated with a highschool diploma or less. The economy and job market is now requiring workers to have the appropriate college degree to match the skill level and learnings required for the job. That is the basic prerequisite for that better living you always wanted.

However, a college degree does not mean you will get that opportunity job. The study further explained that these jobs are "in a narrow set of industries." In general, candidates would need specialized skills and a general college degree will not get you there. Specialized degrees such as those under health care, mathematics, computer, architecture and engineering would need more. Getting a degree from these industrial majors does not mean it is a guarantee to financial success. Experience is the key and the college degree is just the basic.

For some humor, check out the trailer of "Get A Job" starring Miles Teller, Anna Kendrick and Bryan Cranston, because graduating was the easy part.

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