2000 PASSAT Check Engine light on

My check engine light came on 3 days ago and stays on. on the dash message thing its same EMISSIONS WORKSHOP. what does that mean?? My friend told me that she knew someone with a 2006 Jetta and that everytime she let her gas run to low the check engine light would come on and she'd have to take it in to get it reset. everytime they said it was because of the gas... any suggestions??

Check engine light could be one of a million things.

This is my check engine light story, you story will be different Im sure. The light came on in our 2000 passat 1.8t a few months ago. After resetting it and having it come back on 3 weeks later, I took it in. ($100 automatically). At first I was affraid it was the catalitic converter, but the honest dealer said that it was the "hoses leading to the exhaust gas recirculation valve." Upon replacing those ($300), the light went off and hasnt come back on.