Are you stuck in a rut at work, doing the same job year after year with little or no hope of moving up the ladder? Do you constantly wish you could switch gears mid-career in search of your dream job? Are you the idealist who believes that education is a continuous process and has an eternal thirst for knowledge or the realist who just wants that promotion and the consequent increase in salary?
The situations described above may be different, but the solution for all is one: continuing education. The term continuing education, which includes undergraduate credit courses among many other types of learning activities, is generally used to refer to education provided to students who are older than the traditional age of college students.
According to a national survey of students in continuing education, adult students in the two- and four-year college degree programs were considerably older than traditional students.
Increasing numbers
In its latest projection for higher education, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics reported that total enrollment of students age 35 and older in degree-granting institutions is expected to increase 7 percent from 2005 and 2016.
One of the important reasons for continuing education could be the state of the economy. According to an annual report by the Sloan Consortium, a group of organizations dedicated to quality online education, bad economic times often have a good impact on education. It encourages working professionals to improve their skills not only to keep their current jobs, but also to improve their chances of advancement and increase their employability.
Some of the common benefits of continuing education are:
• By enrolling in advanced or graduate degrees in their field, adults improve their chances of moving up the corporate ladder and increasing their salary. There are certain specialized roles, such as nursing administration, that generally require professionals to obtain advanced degrees.
• Many people pursue an education to improve their skills and position themselves favorably in the job market.
• Sometimes continuing education becomes necessary if you want to change careers and do not have the qualification, training, or experience to enter the new profession of your choice.
• Some adults follow education because they are hungry to learn. For them, education is a lifelong pursuit. Some pursue degree programs related to their professions, while others choose fields that interest them, which may or may not be related to their professions.
• For some, the reasons for continuing education have nothing to do with learning or income. They see it as something that will improve their image among friends and family.
• Successful completion of continuing education courses is known to have a positive impact on people’s self-esteem and quality of life.
Education can be a necessity for some and a passion for others. But the fact is, for many, it may not be possible to quit a full-time job to pursue education. That’s where online degrees and distance learning programs come in handy as they allow working adults to learn and earn at the same time.
A wise old man (or woman) once said that it is never too late to go back to school. The greatest tribute to that old adage is being paid by our country’s working adult population fighting all odds to go back to school!