Adults who continue their college education generally make more money than the competition who has less education. In fact, the average starting salary of an worker with a Bachelors Degree make about $45,000 each year. Some career experts estimate that the difference between no degree and a secondary education degree could average out to roughly half a million dollars over the course of a lifetime.
Going back to school can be difficult, it’s true. While going back to school during one’s elementary education was a cause for excitement, starting college or continuing courses as an adult with distinct responsibilities to one’s current job, family, and community can make the process stressful. The one key point to remember is that it won’t last forever. With dedication and focus, one day you will have earned a degree and will be able to move on to better prospects.
An important consideration when taking college classes is the degree path you plan to follow. While it is important to know what fields of study interest you, it can be just as beneficial to understand what may be required in jobs related to a particular field. To put it another way, you can save yourself some frustration a few years down the line if you have a firm idea of the hours you would prefer to work, the amount of travel you are comfortable with, and other variables.
Of course, even these factors may vary slightly among companies, there will be a general trend in certain fields. Consider the hours a teacher in elementary education might work versus those a college professor would work. Similarly, a registered nurse will have very different hours from a registered psychologist. Some people prefer to have more traditional professional hours that align closely with their family obligations, while other professionals would enjoy odd hours and frequent travel.
About 83% of college graduates feel that their degree was absolutely worth it, and that the time, money, and effort put towards achieving it paid off. There are many factors to consider when a person thinks about continuing their higher education. There is the question of what to study, where to take classes, when to take them, and how this decision may negatively effect one’s other obligations to work, family, and community. But it is possible to complete a college degree as an adult, even when one’s time is already tight.