If you are in between careers, or simply contemplating a jump-start into a new career, furthering your education is an excellent first step toward a new career. In fact, additional education has quite a few perks that you can benefit from, in addition to jump-starting a new career.
Furthering education can open up doors that aren’t currently open for you, and can also provide you a bit more comfort in other areas as well:
- Increase your earnings and salary
- Decrease your risk of unemployment.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates your percentage of becoming unemployed decreases as much as 7% the higher your degree (Hoyer et. al., 2018). In addition, a 2014 study by the BLS found higher education translated into higher median weekly earnings and a lower unemployment rate (Hoyer et. al, 2018), as noted in the chart below in Table 1.
Table 1
(Hoyer et. al, 2018).
Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
It is never too late to go back to school. Earning a bachelor’s degree could increase your weekly salary by as much as $600. Find a degree program that you are passionate about that can lead to a job and a career that will not only challenge you but provide you with fulfillment in your career.
There are plenty of accredited degree programs online today. Find the school and program that meets your needs either in person or online.
Master Degree Programs
Where do you foresee your career taking you? Is it further up the corporate ladder where additional management courses and an MBA may benefit you? Or is it an entire switch to a new field and a new study?
A master’s degree can provide you the inside steps against the competition for a promotion within the company or a new position with a new employer. Just like a bachelor’s degree, earning your master’s can also be done online allowing busy professionals to continue to balance work, life, and school.
Professional Degree
A professional degree is the highest advanced degree if you are studying medicine, law, or architecture, for example. Depending on the field you are studying, you may be able to pursue a professional degree with simply a bachelor’s degree (“A Guide to Professional Degrees”, n.d.).
Some of the most common fields that require a professional degree are:
- Lawyer
- Architect
- Medical Doctor
- Veterinarian
- Dentist
Doctoral
A doctoral degree is the highest level and most advanced degree you can earn. Doctoral degrees can be earned in fields such as education, business, engineering, clinical psychology, and physics, to name a few fields.
References:
A Guide to Professional Degrees. Coursera. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.coursera.org/articles/what-is-a-professional-degree
Hoyer, W.D., Macinnis, D.J., & Pieters, R. (2018). 13 – The Consumer’s Culture. In Consumer Behavior, essay. South-Western.
Onward 