Why Is Continuing Education Important? 6 Reasons to Go Back to School

Why is continuing education important? Many people choose to go back to school, but is it a good decision? Find out why it's a good idea with these 6 facts.

Just why is continuing education important?

This is probably the #1 question in your mind if you’re toying with the idea of going back to school.

First off, it’s understandable that you want to think this through so you can make an informed decision. Going back to school requires time and financial investment. An MBA, for instance, costs $40,000 on average and needs at least two years of your time.

So, is continuing education worth the investment?

In this article, we’re sharing a couple of good reasons why you should absolutely go ahead and pursue that advanced course or training.

1. Improve Your Career Advancement Prospects

We all want to take our careers to the next level.

Unfortunately, the labor market isn’t balanced. In most industries, there’s a lot of talent but not enough job openings. This creates fierce competition for the few positions that are up for grabs.

How do you improve your chances of standing out of the pack and getting that upstairs role you have been eyeing? Pursue advanced education!

In truth, employers consider a range of factors before hiring for a specific role, but having advanced training can make all the difference. It means you have advanced knowledge and skills, a combination that makes you a competent professional.

2. Maintain Your Occupational/Professional License

In some cases, you may have no choice than to go back to class.

Some professions, such as law, medicine, and nursing, require practitioners to hold an active occupational license. And as part of the requirements for maintaining licensure, the holders are required to take continuing education classes

Let’s take the nursing profession, for instance.

Once nursing students graduate from college, they must pass the National Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. It’s only after this that they can obtain a license to practice in their state. And to maintain the license or qualify for license renewal, the nurses must complete a specified set of continuing education units (CEUs).

On that note, if you’re a nurse feel free to check out these free nursing CEUs.

3. Earn a Higher Salary

Not that there was any doubt, but a 2018 Glassdoor survey affirmed that the first thing 66 percent of job seekers consider is the salary. If the compensation on offer doesn’t match their expectations, they’ll skip the offer.

Employers know this, and they will often offer an attractive salary when hunting for top talent. But that’s as far as the fair game goes. Once you’ve got the job, your employer has all the cards. They can keep you on the same salary for as long as they want – unless you can demonstrate that you deserve a raise.

And how do you demonstrate you deserve a raise?

Of course, putting in a good performance will go a long way. But to make your case even more watertight, go back to school and advance your knowledge and skills. If you got the job with a bachelor’s degree, earn a master’s degree or another graduate-level credential.

After all, the numbers don’t lie.

The average annual salary for a bachelor’s degree holder in the United States is $59,124. A master’s degree holder earns $69,372 annually. What can a $10K jump in your annual salary do to your life? A lot!

4. Grow Your Professional Network

At a time when LinkedIn and other professional-focused social sites are the go-to places for networking, it can be hard to see how continuing your education will help you grow your network.

However, this is really a no brainer.

As much as the internet has made lots of career resources a click away, nothing can beat the power of physical interaction with your peers. Exchanging business cards, sharing ideas, bouncing ideas off of one another… you get the picture. And this is exactly what you get when you go back to class.

A wider professional network can take your career to the next level. You’ll strengthen your business connections and gain access to more job opportunities.

5. Improve Your Professional Image

Back to LinkedIn.

87 percent for recruiters use it to find or vet job candidates. If you’re aren’t on this platform, it’s clear you’re missing out big time.

However, having a mere presence on LinkedIn isn’t enough. There are millions of people there, so to stand out you need to build a professional image. And this requires more than a professional-grade headshot.

You need to list your education background, skills, qualifications, and whatnot. See where this is going? If you don’t go back to school and earn more qualifications, you’ll have nothing to list on your LinkedIn profile!

Even offline, there is a certain level of intellectual awareness that comes with being a highly-learned person. You’ll easily earn the respect of your peers. When you speak, most people will care to listen.

6. Easier to Transition into Other Careers

Feel like your career isn’t lighting up the fire in your soul?

Feel like you need a new challenge?

Continuing your education can be all you need to transition into another career.

Let’s say you’re human resources manager. You’ve been in the role for a decade and now you want to try something else. How about you pursue professional certification in career coaching?

You can then move into self-employment and start a career coaching firm. Or you can become a motivational speaker, traveling around the country inspiring the next generation of workers.

Why Is Continuing Education Important? Now You Know!

As a professional, it’s natural that questions like “why is continuing education important?” keep bouncing in your mind. You know going back to school costs time and money, but the move might also not have a significant effect on your career.

Worthwhile or not, you now know the potential benefits you could reap from continuing your education. Weigh them up, evaluate the nature of your career, and then make a decision.

Good luck and keep reading our blog for more career insights.