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.




By: Bryan Wong