Why do so many people return to college later in life - Essay Example

The return to school is spurred by a variety of reasons; these include, increasing job security, and new skills to become more competitive in their respective business or career fields; without doubt, earning new academic qualifications opens up a whole new world of opportunities. This essay is aimed at examining, and discussing various reasons that motivate people to go back to school, even after many have already started their career. One of the driving factors behind the school returning wave is the economic meltdown that has resulted in increasing rates of unemployment; it has made it increasingly difficult for those who do not have degrees to get jobs.

The unemployment gap is particularly explicit between those with degrees and those without, this situation make the idea of going to college become an increasingly attractive alternative. As a result, many of the high school graduates in the job market realize that the job market is not accommodating for them; thus, they opt to go back to school to get post high school qualifications. . Employers, at times offer incentives to employees in their staff who that have furthered their education, besides; there are positions that can only be filled by people with special skills or academic qualifications such as masters and other higher educational diplomas (Shih).

Indeed, in some organizations no matter how effective one is, absence of a college degree could prevent them from getting a promotion, either way, in most organizations; professionals with advanced degrees are often paid higher salaries than their colleagues. The bureau of labor statistics in the weekly earnings summary reported that a high school diploma holder earns around 621 dollars per week while a bachelor’s degree holder can earn around $1145 each week which is almost doubled the former (Schweitzer).

Individuals with masters and doctoral degrees make even more with the averages ranging around $75,000 or more, the gap between the potential of high school diploma holder and a doctorial holder exceeds a million dollars in a lifetime. On the other hand, not all those who return to school, do it for the sake of acquiring promotions of formal employment; indeed there are many entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals who go back; , not of the credentials but for the skills acquired therein. When one starts a new business, they may feel the need to improve their skills in the field so that they are able to manage it better or to save on hiring specialists; furthermore, others get back to school so that they can meet new people in their fields.

This is because going back to school avails the opportunity to make new connections and network, both which are vital aspects in