You’ve worked hard, perhaps for many years (and usually at least three) in earning your degree. You’re proud of yourself and you are glad that you put in the effort because now you can move forward with your life with all kinds of options open to you.
One of those options – one that you might not initially even realize is there, let alone take any time to contemplate it – is to continue learning. You don’t have to go straight into the world of work after gaining your Bachelors degree. You don’t have to start your own business or do any of the other ‘expected’ things.
You could apply for a masters degree, and after that a doctorate. You could get as much education as you want before you even think about starting a career.
Does this sound intriguing? For some it will be the last thing they want; they’ll just want to start their work and see their dreams – and ambitions – become reality. However, if you are wondering whether this would be a good option for you or whether continuing your studies is a better idea, read on.
We’ve put together some of the best reasons why more study after earning a degree is actually a good idea, and potentially the best idea for you.
You’ll Learn About What You Love
Once you leave education and start working, you might be lucky enough to have a job you enjoy that links in with the things you are interested in. The truth is that the more education you have, the more likely this is to happen, and we’ll discuss this in more detail later in this article.
For now, though, the point is that in many cases, people are not happy in their work. They find a job that is suitable, if not exciting, and then it starts to take over their lives until that’s what they do and what they are.
Therefore, getting as much of an in-depth education as possible while you can is an excellent idea. It will give you a sense of purpose, and if you’re learning about something you enjoy, you’ll want to do your best. You’ll like learning, and that’s very important.
There are responsibilities you need to take care of in life such as earning money and taking care of loved ones, but it’s also important to have fun and do things you enjoy, and if that means learning more about a certainly subject, then that’s what you should do.
Don’t worry that by leaving full-time education and getting a job (whether you like that job or not) will be the end of your ability to learn more things and continue studying. Thanks to many advances in education, it’s now possible to learn online at times and a pace that works best for you. You can therefore continue to learn about the thing you’re truly interested in and brighten up your life considerably.
It Will Help You With Your Career Goals
Some careers don’t require a degree or any formal qualifications at all. Some require a bachelors degree. Yet if you really want to get ahead and be the best in whatever career you have chosen for yourself, it’s the additional studies after this, your masters and your doctorate, that really make the difference.
Because so many careers demand earning a degree, it’s becoming more and more usual for people to study for and obtain that degree. Having these qualifications will show that you take your career and all that it entails seriously, and it will show potential employers that you have the skills and knowledge they are looking for.
Not only that, but in some cases, additional degrees are absolutely necessary for some careers. These will often be careers linked to research, but not always – you can study for a Rockhurst University online Ed.D. in Health Care Leadership, for example.
In other words, if there is a career or position you want, it may well require you to go back to school and continue your studies. If you enjoy learning, this is a good thing. If you’re not a keen student, it might be wise to consider the career you are thinking about because it is highly likely that you will need to continue learning well after you have found a job too.
You’ll Get The Job You Really Want
We spent a little time earlier discussing how many people choose a job because it suits their needs, but it’s not necessarily something they enjoy. If you don’t want this to happen to you, then it may well be that you need to continue studying. The more knowledge and experience – and formal qualifications – you have, the more choice you’ll have when it comes to your career.
If you continue to study after earning a degree and obtain as many additional qualifications as you can, you won’t have to settle for a career that is suitable, but not what you are really passionate about. As long as whatever it is you are studying links to the career you actually want, once you do graduate and you feel you have enough education, pursuing your real ambitions will be much easier.
When you have a job you dislike, it can affect all other areas of your life. You’ll worry about it when you’re not there and hate the fact that you have to go back to it. You’ll miss out on fun times with your family and friends because you’re preoccupied with your concerns.
Plus, when you’re at work you might not put in as much effort as you could or should because you don’t like what you do and you’re not interested in that particular job or career. All of this can lead to mental health problems like depression and stress, and at the very least it can make you miserable.
This is why it’s best to work hard on your education to ensure you can work in a field – and at a level – that is what you really want.
You Can Create Career Goals
You shouldn’t assume that just because you have graduated with a degree that you automatically know exactly what to do in terms of your career. You might be just as undecided as you were when you started studying.
Some people in this situation will take the first job that comes along which, as we’ve seen, is a bad idea (unless you are very lucky, and it happens to be a job that you really do want and love). Some people will do nothing and wait for inspiration to strike. Some will take the time to research the possibilities open to them.
What if you could spend any time you have studying, however? If you don’t know what to do next and you don’t want to make a mistake when it comes to choosing a career, but you also don’t want to do nothing at all, you can continue studying. This time will therefore be put to good use, and you can think about all your options at the same time.
By the time you finish your education, you’re much more likely to not only have a clearer idea about what you might do for a living, but you’ll also have the qualifications, knowledge, and skills to help you achieve your goals.
You Can Boost Your Earning Potential
Something that some people will have a problem with when it comes to continuing their education is that they won’t be earning any money. This is why a lot of people choose to start their careers even if obtaining additional qualifications would be a better option.
The truth is that the more qualifications you have, the more you can prove that you are an expert in your field. This means your potential earnings will increase, and although it will take you longer to get started, in the end you’ll earn more. It’s a payoff that could be worth thinking about and it’s a good idea to weigh up the pros and cons.
Of course, there is a middle ground. We’ve mentioned how online learning can be a great way to ensure you have the flexibility you need to study when you might not otherwise have been able to, and this is true even if you have started working.
With some online courses, you can study in your free time and have paid employment. You’ll be earning money and you’ll have the chance to study, so it’s a good option to consider if this is really going to be a problem for you and potentially curtail your academic or career dreams.
It’s important to understand that money isn’t everything, and that you can be very happy earning a small amount of money in a job you enjoy that offers a good work-life balance. However, if you can do all of that and earn more money thanks to continuing your education, why would you not try it?
It’s Great For Personal Development
Perhaps you’re completely happy with your lifestyle and the job that fits in so perfectly with everything you do. You might think that, in this case, you don’t have to continue your education after earning a degree – and certainly that’s true; you don’t have to do it. However, you might still want to, and having this option is important.
It has been said that lifelong learning is important. Studying might be linked to lower instances of cognitive decline and conditions such as dementia. Not only that, but it’s an enjoyable thing to do, and it can give you a great way to develop your own thinking and personality.
Your learning might not even have anything to do with your job or other things you like in life, but no matter what, if you can do well and achieve great results, you’ll be proud of yourself and realize what you can do when you put your mind to it.
You Can Demonstrate Your Excellent Work Ethic
Multiple degrees are a mark of dedication and hard work. Having this kind of ambition demonstrates that you are driven to succeed. That’s a quality sought after by the job market. Having multiple degrees increases your marketability to potential employers since it demonstrates that you are committed to succeeding in your chosen industry. Putting in some long hours at school is a good indicator of how dedicated you will be on the job.
If you’re not dedicated to learning, the outcomes won’t be as good as they could be. So, a good result in your degree course will be the perfect proof of a good worth ethic to anyone who might want to hire you. Therefore, it’s crucial that you put as much effort as possible into your degree to obtain the best results all around.
Improve Your Networking Chances
Although the education itself and the career opportunities that follow earning a degree are, of course, the most important part of continuing your education beyond when most people will have stopped and begun their careers, there is something else that can be extremely helpful. It shouldn’t be your first or only reason for studying for additional qualifications, but since it is potentially part of your educational experience, it’s well worth mentioning.
The fact is that you can have many exciting networking chances and opportunities when you study for longer. You’ll meet all kinds of people studying the same thing as you, for example. You’ll meet people in clubs and extra-curricular activities. You’ll even meet important speakers and experts in the field you want to get into once you have completed your education.
The more people you can meet, the more chances you’ll have to network, and this could mean you can find job opportunities that you would otherwise have missed, for example. Or perhaps you’ll find the ideal partner for your new venture. Whatever the outcome, even if networking only helps you boost your confidence (which, the more you do it, it will), it will be worth it.
If you make sure you make the most of every networking opportunity afforded to you throughout your education, you’ll be in a much better position when it comes to finding the job of your dreams after earning a degree.