Why Go Back to School? Reasons for the Journey
Date: September 14, 2024
Why Go Back to School? Reasons for the Journey
Generally speaking, the reasons for the return journey are different for every person. All and all, adults return to school to improve their current situations. Moreover, a few return to finish what they started years or decades prior. Still, others return because they feel their existing skills were “dinosaured out.” Of note, many people return to college to quit their current jobs. Finally, some are just bored and want a new challenge.
Whether you’ve “made something out of your life” or are still searching for your “calling,” societal trends have shifted. At the present time, “returning” is almost trendy. Accordingly, a recent study in New York of 2,000 parents polled showed that 44 percent planned to return to college.1
We Are Hardwired for Learning
In brief, returning to school shouldn’t be shocking. Of note, “our brains are hard-wired for learning,” says Ryan Patridge, a guest blogger for 10 Reasons Adults Should Go Back to School. Moreover, one may “go back to school to retrain [themself] as a thinker that can chew over and digest information rather than just swallowing it whole.”
Hence, the percentage of people aged 25 and older with a Bachelor’s degree or higher jumped from 29.9–36.0 percent from 2010–2019.2
Degrees and Earnings Have Some Correlation*
Going Back, Reason One
One obstacle to returning to school, which most often comes up, is the cost. However, have you considered the cost of not returning to your vocation? Comparatively, how much should you be making? Furthermore, could going back to college finally put you in the income bracket you desire?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, earnings and unemployment rates by educational attainment for 2021 showed that out of all U.S. workers, those with a high school diploma made a median weekly wage of $809 [or $3,236 a month].3 Whereas individuals with Associate’s degrees earned a median weekly salary of $963 [or $3,852 a month].3 While moving upward, those with Bachelor’s degrees earned a median weekly wage of $1,334 [or $5,336 a month].3
Moreover, according to the U.S. Social Security Administration, “There are substantial differences in lifetime earnings by educational attainment. Consequently, men with Bachelor’s degrees earn approximately $900,000 more in median lifetime earnings than high-school graduates. In comparison, women with Bachelor’s degrees earn $630,000 more. Likewise, men with graduate degrees earn $1.5 million more than high school graduates in median lifetime earnings. Similarly, women with graduate degrees earn over $1.1 million more.”4
Degrees and Happiness Have Some Correlation*
Returning, Reason Two
Yet, on the whole, motivations for returning to college can be more than monetary. Motives can be altruistic and emotional, with some returning students wishing to “find themselves.” Additionally, it seems that pursuing a degree of interest and happiness has some correlation. According to a 2013 Pew Research Center study, 55 percent of college graduates reported being “very satisfied” with their jobs.
By contrast, only 40 percent of non-graduates reported the same satisfaction. Furthermore, for workers with Master’s degrees or higher, that number climbs to 69 percent.5
Additionally, placing yourself in a college program–even an online program, causes one to suddenly need to work with teachers, other students, and possibly teams. Because of this, many find an added level of networking supplementing their overall happiness. Overall, this gives attendees an instant community. Ultimately, for some adults, college has become the “new village.”
Control of Your Life and Other Reasons to Go Back*
College Again, Reason Three
Today, you might have a thousand reasons for returning. By and large, people go back to school for different reasons. Ultimately, many achieve some measure of added self-esteem and new-found control over their lives. By and large, signing up for a program has varying results among individuals. But, that said, the discipline of learning grows the mind. While the commitment toward a program, and signing up for expanding knowledge changes one’s “mental landscape.”
Therefore, whatever your current “terrain,” we’ve put together a list of some academic “side effects.” Herein, there are many benefits students find upon returning to school. On the whole, these include:
Basic Reasons
- Improved Situations
- Upgrade to Professional Status
- A Title or Degree
- Advancement, More Money
- Entry into the Workforce
- No Longer Outdated or “Dinosaured Out”
- Refreshed Confidence
- An Updated Resume
- More Relevant, Current
- Help to Quit a Current Job.
Other Reasons
- Transitions from Routine Jobs to Desired Vocations
- Broken “Glass Ceilings”
- Entirely New Careers
- New Challenges
- Added Achievements
- Mastery of New Subjects, New Fields
- Proved Something to Oneself or Someone Else
- New-found “Callings”
- Ability to Serve Others Better, aka Give Back.
Ready For a Change? What Are Your Obstacles?
Finally, there’s never going to be a perfect time to return. Yes, there’s always going to be a list of obstacles. (We’re sure your list is long.) In brief, returning takes effort, sweat, and willpower. All in all, hitting the books hard may require getting up earlier than your family members. Simultaneously, you will likely have to hone your computer skills or learn to Zoom. All things considered, you will need to tackle registration and FAFSA applications.
However, the journey, with many new directions, is unparalleled to any other trip you’ve ever taken before. Ultimately, you will arrive differently than when you started.
Summarily
Lastly, in the words of UMass Global Chancellor Gary Brahm, “It’s never too late to dust off an unrealized dream.”1 Summarily, for these reasons, Gurnick Academy has trained specialists ready to help ease your return and come alongside you. In conclusion, speak with an Admission specialist today.~
*This is a statistical correlation. Results vary from person to person. As with anything, a college trajectory gives you precisely what you put into it.