In today's world, education is
everything. In fact, according to the Democratic Leadership Council, college
graduates make nearly twice what high school graduates make, so there is an
obvious correlation between how much education you have and how much you will
make.
Therefore, making more money than your current salary is one important reason
why you should really consider returning to school, especially if you don't have
a college degree yet. Making more money means enjoying a better lifestyle, which
is what essentially everyone wants.
It may not take you all that long to increase your degree; alumni of the
University of Phoenix claim to have completed their Master's Degrees in about
12-15 months, despite their busy schedules.
There are other reasons besides money why one should consider returning to
school, including providing more opportunities for you in your current career.
The more education you have, the more you will be recognized as an expert in
your field. This can open up more avenues of advancement for you, leading to new
opportunities, especially in terms of leadership, such as a manager or even a
partner in the company you work for.
There may be a point in your life that you grow tired of the occupation you are
in. You dread each day going to work, making it harder and harder for you to be
productive. You know you can't continue in this fashion. This is another good
reason to go back to school - to change your career.
With accredited universities providing online courses and branch campuses away
from their home campus, it's much more convenient to get a degree in a new field
than it was even 10 years ago.
Some universities provide accelerated courses where you can take a 4-6 hour
class once a week, even on Saturday mornings, in order to get through the
courses in a shorter amount of time. This can help you get into your new
occupation quicker so that you earn a sustained living in your new occupation
that much faster.
Another reason why you may want to go back to school is because your current
occupation is being phased out, such as data entry, telephone operators, and fax
machine operators. Companies are deciding to use cheaper labour from countries
like India and China to fill those positions. As a result, you have to consider
going into another occupation that will be around for the foreseeable future.
Careers in information technology, nursing, acting, writing, designing, etc.
will likely not be outsourced anytime soon because these careers involve either
a high level of a specialized skill, your direct physical presence, or both. A
career that combines those two elements would be an ideal career for you to
consider to ensure that your occupation isn't outsourced.
Some people, especially those who are retired, decide to go back to school just
to gain new knowledge because they enjoy learning or just because they want to
challenge themselves. You often hear about 80 and 90-year old individuals
gaining their college degrees. It's not likely they are going back into the work
force at that age, but they want to just prove to themselves that they can still
learn and demonstrate their knowledge. It helps to make them feel good about
themselves and prove that age is not a deterrent to learning new knowledge.
There are many reasons why 40% of today's college population is 25 years of age
and older. Whether it be for monetary reasons, personal knowledge, or a shift in
careers, many "non-traditional students" are returning to school in numbers
never seen before.