Most Americans support the idea of going back to school in order to expand their career choices. Whether it is a certificate, a bachelor’s degree, or even a Master’s degree getting an education improves one’s skills and knowledge and is often the only way to enter a profession and yes, even get a chance at earning more. True, going back to school to get an education does require more time, effort, and money but making this choice could be worth it. Here are some of the most important reasons why this step can be beneficial to you and your family’s future.
1. Re-enter the Workplace
Many people (especially Moms) put their careers on hold, taking time away from work to do what is most pressing in their lives. By the time they want to go back to the workplace, they may realize that their skills and knowledge are no longer current or relevant. With the passage of time, changes occur in the work environment that requires workers to modify their skills and education in order to adapt and remain competitive. Returning to school not only gives you the type of training you need to remain relevant but also the opportunity to begin a new career.
2. Update Your Skills and Knowledge
Regardless of whether you are getting a master’s degree or planning on earning a high school diploma, continuing education will be very useful to help you acquire new skills and knowledge or expand what you already know. With updated skills and knowledge, you will have better chances at getting a job promotion or even a foot in the door of your dream job.
3. Embark on a New Career Path
Maybe you have been working for a few decades and feel stuck in your current job or want to make a move to another industry or just simply want to do something different but don’t know how to start. Getting an education now will help you build the knowledge and skills you need to start a new profession in a different field. For many people who want to begin their second careers, going back to school specifically to obtain new abilities will help prepare them for a different job.
4. Benefit from Networking
Many returning students use their education to build a network of friends, fellow students and colleagues who may have access to industry information that could prove vital to their goal of getting a job or improving what they already know. You could benefit from good referrals through your network, something that you are not likely to enjoy if you stayed at home or within the confines of your cubicle or office. Colleges and universities make it possible for students and professionals to meet other professionals from different fields. Through interaction, you get to build a reliable network of contacts that could prove invaluable for your career.
5. Sharpen your Brain
The brain requires stimulation so it will work harder and the best way to stimulate it is to acquire new knowledge. If you want to fine-tune your brain and get it working harder, what better way to do so than to get an education? Going back to the classroom (even an online one at that) will help you exercise your brain using new challenges such as receiving and keeping new information and solving problems. Plus, you also benefit from the satisfaction of being able to interact with fellow students.
6. Earn your Degree
Even if you do not want to make a move to another job, you might still want to get an education simply to finish something that needed to be completed. Maybe you were in high school or in the middle of a vocational program or about to earn your college degree but had to stop for some reason. Going back to school to get an education could help you gain the personal pleasure and satisfaction of finally receiving your diploma.
7. Wait out a Recession
If it is difficult to find a job due to high unemployment rates, rather than spinning your wheels and banging your head against the wall looking for a job, it might be better to take the opportunity to update your skills and move to a higher plane where the competition is less, the demand is greater and/or the pay is better. Since you would have difficulty finding a job anyway, recessions are good times to upgrade your skills and remove yourself from the job pool temporarily so that when you return you will have a better chance to compete.
See also:
- College Savings Accounts
- Choosing an Online College
- Ways Your Kid Can Help Pay for Their College Education
- Dealing with Student Loan Debt and Bankruptcy
- The Benefits of Community College
Recommended by Amazon:
- Is College Worth It?: A Former United States Secretary of Education and a Liberal Arts Graduate Expose the Broken Promise of Higher Education– This book is a well laid out argument to truly explore all of the options that may be available to you based on what you might want to study as well as the costs attributed to that dream as well. It provides practical advice for anyone thinking of continuing their education. This is definitely a book I would recommend to anyone looking at continuing their education after high school as it will make you think about your options in a very different way!
- College Unbound: The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students
- The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price
- Paying for College Without Going Broke
- How to Go to College Almost for Free
Author Bio:
Ryan Ayers is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to education. In this article, he explains a number of benefits of returning to school and aims to encourage further study with an online masters degree in education.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
