Graduation is one of those incredible moments in life - and usually happens 3-4 times for every person. Now most of us don't count 6th grade and 8th (or 9th) grade graduations but they are significant milestones in moving to the next step in one's education. But those are typically shadowed once young adults are old enough (and their parents too) to appreciation the meaning and importance of high school and college graduation. These are significant milestones after all. And Master's and Doctoral degrees are equally significant but certainly not shared by the same % of the population.

High School Graduation marks a Transition to Independence

High school graduation, while still only observed by two-thirds to three-fourths of the American teenage population who is fortunate enough to fulfill the requirements , is a rite of passage to young adulthood. Oftentimes, it's a celebration one participates in with those they've known since childhood and spent many hours in class and extracurricular activities getting to know. Graduation, and the events in the year leading up to it, is a peak life experience for most high school seniors at this stage of their life.

College Graduation Means an Opening to Adulthood

College graduation is more or less meaningful for people depending on their respective experiences in high school or college. While college represents more independence and a commitment to a specific career path, for many the graduation is anticlimactic. The experience of just getting into and through college was difficult in and of itself. Also, if one graduates from a large institution, the graduation ceremony itself will not be attended by all those you've gone to school with for the 4 or 5 years. Receiving a Bachelor's degree, though, is typically the first prerequisite one needs for advancing further in their career, and therefore making more money.

Graduation is a Signifant Life Event

Graduation is a significant life event, one that is and will continue to be celebrated for being a key transition to the next stage of life. And the rewards are consistent with the effort one puts into graduating. But regardless of whether 6th grade or a Ph.D. level graduation, the success one will have in the future is typically, though not always, related to the success one had in the past. Graduation itself is a present-moment event that represent a successful completion of one stage of life and permission to go on to bigger and better opportunities in the future.