It’s a common story—wake up, get dressed, go to work, and spend your day unfulfilled while you answer calls and emails, only to come home where you finally get to do what you want. You’ve gone through a whole day feeling unhappy about the position that you’re in, but you’re a hard worker and the bills still need to be paid. Unfortunately, many people are unsatisfied with their jobs or don’t have a viable career. For lack of a better explanation—they’re dead in the water.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Earning a degree can help you solve some of the main job-related problems you’ll encounter without one. Here are five problems you can solve by heading back to school to earn a degree.
1. You Don’t Make Enough Money
One of the most common sentiments in our society is that we never seem to make enough money. While a good budget can go a long way in helping you make the most of what you do have, sometimes we really do need to make more. Whether you want to improve your lifestyle, put away money to help your children get through college, or plan for retirement, a higher income can help.
Many people earn a degree because they know it can help them find a higher paying job once they graduate. In fact, people with their undergraduate degree make 56% more on average than those who do not have a degree. This adds up to college graduates making an additional $17,500 every year over those who do not hold a bachelor’s degree.
2. You’re Not Satisfied with Your Job
Another common sentiment among workers is that they are not satisfied with their current job position and don’t see their job as a viable career option. While many young people enter college and don’t know what they want to study or which career path to take afterward, simply holding a college degree gives them more options when it comes to finding a job with which they are satisfied.
Finding a job that leads to a viable career is incredibly important for job satisfaction and 86% of adults who earn a degree work in positions that have a career track. The numbers for high school graduates are lower, and only 57% of high school graduates believe they are on track to a career. The Pew Research Center also found, among Millennials, only 37% of high school graduates are satisfied with their jobs, while satisfaction rose to 53% for college graduates.
3. You Want Better Job Options
While you might already have a job, not having a college degree can seriously limit your options if you want to change careers. This becomes very apparent as soon as you start to search different job posting websites and notice that many jobs require a bachelor’s degree for basic positions, and certainly for more advanced ones. A degree allows you versatility and more options when it comes to your choice of career, which is especially useful in times of economic downturns.
Individuals with degrees also find it easier to get employed faster. An individual with a high school diploma averages 31 weeks to find a new job whereas college graduates find them in an average of 27 weeks. When you need an income, every week counts and once you find a good job, you’ll want to keep it too. A college degree can help with that as well. Not only will you have better job options, but you’ll also likely have better job security because you will be more valuable to your employer if you have a degree. Some companies consider a degree to be so important they will even cover the cost of tuition for you.
4. You Don’t Have Other Benefits
Getting a job is great, but a job without benefits makes it very difficult to prepare for emergencies, retirement, or even just help your family get through a rough patch. According to the Pew Research survey referenced above, only 36% of high school educated Millennials have a retirement plan through their employer, while 61% of those who earn a degree have retirement through their work.
Additional benefits outside of your pay can help you invest money for your future so you can be secure in your finances when retirement rolls around.
5. You Don’t Have the Skills to Excel in Your Career
Perhaps you’re already in the career of your dreams—even without a college degree. You’ve worked hard, but realize you don’t have all the skills or education you need to succeed in your chosen career. Going back for a college degree can help you bridge the gap between what you already know and what you need to know to be successful in your industry.
Some industries, especially in teaching or healthcare require certifications to stay current in the industry. Degree programs are constantly updating their curriculum to keep up with current trends and teach you new technical skills. When you earn a degree, you are also learning skills that can apply to a wide variety of industries. One of these essential skills is how to think critically. Critical thinking can be applied to a variety of circumstances, and can be defined as “the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe.”
The analytical abilities you gain as you earn a degree are not only invaluable to your future career but also your future success in life. The knowledge alone that you can gain from earning your degree is worth the effort you put in to get it.
Change Your Life: Earn a Degree
No matter where you’re at in life, it’s never too late to get your degree. Getting your degree can create a big positive change in your life. Not only can it impact the type of career you can have or your pay, but it can also influence how much your children value education and whether they pursue a degree of their own. The barrier to many jobs has been raised, and although a high school diploma used to be sufficient for most jobs, the same is not true today. If you’re a busy working adult but want to earn a degree, you may want to look into attending an online university like Independence University.
