Confirming the conventional wisdom regarding the importance of college attendance in obtaining a diploma, a study published Monday by the National Education Association found that individuals who go to college earn more degrees over their lifetime than those who do not. Our data suggests, quite convincingly, that those who pursue higher education invariably obtain more baccalaureates, NEA researcher Denise Hallinan said, adding that the studys findings cut across all socioeconomic brackets and applied to state and private schools equally. And the degree acquisition gap only widens further once people go on to graduate school, with individuals at the Ph.D. level typically earning a full three more degrees than persons who did not attend college at all. The study comes on the heels of a recent Labor Department report that found the nations best-paying jobs were dominated entirely by people who applied for them. 