Education is a crucial element in career preparation and advancement today. Our current economy has shifted over the last several decades. Today, having a degree is essential to most fields of industry. If you have already been in the workforce for some time, but you want to open up new opportunities for yourself, or you want to advance in the industry you started in, going back to school to finish your bachelor’s could be a great way to accomplish this. Let’s look at a few indicators that you should go back to school and finish your bachelor’s degree.
Do You Have The Time?
Thanks to today’s technology, pretty much anyone can go back to school to finish their bachelor’s, regardless of how much time they have to devote to their studies. It is possible today, with online degree programs, to work as quickly or as slowly as you need to. This is the best aspect of finishing your degree online. If you have the time to take on a heavy class load and work quickly through your courses, you can do that. If you have many other obligations right now, you can take on a light course load and work more slowly. The choice is entirely up to you.
Even with this great flexibility, you will need to sit down and honestly evaluate how much time will be involved in completing your bachelor’s degree. When asking yourself the question should go back to school, the time investment will be a crucial factor. What other obligations do you have each week? Will you need to be on campus at certain times? Will the class schedule fit your work or home schedule? Will you need to make arrangements for child care? These are all very important questions to ask yourself.
What Is Your Goal?
Another important consideration when you are asking the question why go back to school, is what is the end goal? Do you have a clear definition of what you want to accomplish with your degree? When you have a clear definition of what you want to accomplish, it will be easier to stay motivated during your educational experience. People often get discouraged with their workload when they cannot clearly see the end reward.
One of the ways you can keep your goals front and center is to create a vision board. This is a way to keep your goals visible to you. These can be made out of cardboard or poster board, or if you prefer you can keep your vision board in a journal where only you can see it. Regardless of how you do it, it is important to remember why you are going back to school to complete your bachelor’s degree.
Will You Need Help?
Another factor to consider is whether or not you will need extra help in certain areas of study. If it has been a while since you have been in school, you may need remedial help in certain subjects. Most degree programs will offer these remedial courses so that you can get up to speed to complete the required courses for your degree program.
Another option is recruiting the help of a tutor. A tutor can work with you one on one to help you fill in gaps that you may have in your education. Before you pay for a tutor, be sure to talk with your school to see if they provide tutoring services for free. Many students miss out on these valuable services simply because they do not ask.
Communicate With Faculty
If you are wondering if you should go back to school the best place to start is by talking to the faculty at the school you are considering. The staff in the admissions department will be able to offer you a lot of good information about coming back to school.
Many students miss out on a wealth of information and assistance because they do not make a good connection with the faculty from the beginning. The admissions staff and career counseling staff will be able to offer information on financial aid, career planning, and even job placement later on. Communicating with the staff should be a regular part of your educational experience. The staff is there to help you, but if you don’t ask, you may not know all of the things you need to know.
Going back to school is a huge step. It can be scary but also exciting and profitable for your future career.
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