Lesson 3: Human Capital

People can make an investment in themselves by spending time learning. This builds a person's human capital, which includes all their skills, education, and health. School is the first place students build their human capital.

Each new thing you learn, from reading to math, adds to your skills. This education is valuable because it helps you solve problems and work well with others. The more human capital you have, the more choices you will have in the future.

Communities need people to do many different kinds of work. These jobs are called occupations. Some jobs, like being a doctor or a teacher, require many years of school and special training. Other jobs, like being a store clerk or a bus driver, require learning specific skills on the job.

All these jobs are important. Workers use their specialized skills to provide the goods and services that the community needs. By exploring different occupations, you can start thinking about what kind of work you might want to do one day.