Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Should You Go Back to School?

This morning I woke up thinking about going back to school. Yeah, at my age with two kids in college no less. Here's some good perspectives on this age old question by Darlene McDaniel.

Should You Go Back To School? If you do not have a degree and you are having difficulty moving along in your career or promoting in your current organization, go back to school.

Should You Go Back To School? If you do not have a degree and you are competing with people who are degreed, go back to school.

Should You Go Back To School? If you have growth opportunities and you can not strenghten them on your own, go back to school.

Should You Go Back To School? If you want to change careers, and you have no experience in the industry, go back to school.

Having an undergraduate degree was important to me years ago. But it became even more important when I wanted to climb the corporate ladder. Prior to having my degree, I was told I couldn’t get promoted without the degree. Today, I have a degree. Today, that issue is off the table and we can talk about other reasons I may not get a job, but education is no longer the issue.

Today if you want to go back to school, there are ways to work and study. With the growth of online learning, there really is no excuse for not completing your degree. Especially if you need it to compete for the jobs you want.

According to Job Interviews for Dummies, “The issue of concern to you in your role of job seeker is the marketability of your online degree. Will someone perceive online learning as inferior to onsite learning? That answer depends on the institution or program you choose. In general, online courses may be of inconsistent quality at first as colleges edge into a new world of learning. But the online trend is unstoppable. Quality will level out, and employers will become accustomed to candidates who are credentialed by online study.”

Should You Go Back To School? Only you can decide whether you should go back to school. I am a huge supporter of college educations. If for no other reason than eliminating the excuse of not hiring or promoting you because you don’t have a degree.

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