How can a degree help you

While not all careers require a college degree, getting one can provide you with important benefits. A college degree could be beneficial regardless of your career plans. The skills and experience you gain in college can help you in many other areas of your life, including your health and social life. Why go to college? The following are some of the main reasons to pursue a college education. Keep these in mind if you are trying to decide whether or not to go to college.

Going to college allows you to learn more about topics or subjects that interest you. You might also have a chance to explore your passions in greater depth or find new ones.

Spending time focusing on your interests and passions can help you choose a career path. If you have multiple interests or passions, college can help you narrow these down, which can make it easier for you to decide what you want to do for a living. When you go to college, you can expect to work on developing and improving certain skills.

While the exact skills you learn can vary depending on what you are studying, some skills are provided in nearly every liberal arts education, such as writing, public speaking, and technological skills. You can work on improving skills you already have or discover new skills that turn out to be strengths for you.

Some of the skills you learn in college can be used in different areas of your life, such as communication skills that you can use at your job and in your interpersonal relationships or technological skills that you might need in any job. Going to college gives you an opportunity to step outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself.

You might do this by studying a subject that you do not know much about or learning a new skill, such as a foreign language. Doing your best on projects, tests, and assignments in any class you take also allows you to challenge yourself. This can boost your self-confidence and help you make the most of your college experience. When you look for a job after graduation, having a professional network in place can be a big help. College gives you a chance to build this network.

Talking to faculty, meeting alumni in your field, and taking part in events and conferences your school holds can help you gain networking opportunities. Your professional network can make it easier to get your foot in the door of a company you want to work at or find out more about what it is like to work in your chosen field.

While you might not need a college degree for certain jobs and positions, having one still can help. In fact, your degree can provide you with a competitive edge that helps you find a job after you graduate. Employers might be more likely to consider calling you for a job interview when you have a college degree listed on your resume, even if a degree is not required.

Having a college degree shows employers that you can handle responsibilities, manage your time wisely, and achieve goals. When you have a college degree, your chance of earning more money increases considerably.

Going to college can help you form lasting connections with others. If you and another candidate have similar experience, your degree could put you over the edge, helping you land a position above someone else.

A college graduate may go to the top of a list for review, while someone with no college may not be given another look. Not only will you be more marketable when you have a college education and a degree, many job possibilities will open up to you when you have one. Candidates using the internet to help them find more job opportunities will find more options if they are college graduates.

Students can utilize their alumni resources to make connections and learn about jobs they may not have otherwise heard about. The friendships and relationships that students make in their courses with classmates and faculty can be key in helping them find new opportunities down the line. Current students can greatly benefit from utilizing their college experience to help them make important connections.

Education and networking go hand in hand, and college graduates may find a former student classmate or professor ends up helping them land their dream job.

Clearly, higher education pays. Within many industries, college is a critical element of a pay raise. The added credential is usually beneficial for your organization, maybe even helping with compliance or regulation standards. So college attendance and graduation for many industries may be directly connected to a pay increase. Some people may see a raise as soon as they enroll as a student in college, because their employer values and appreciates the many benefits that education can bring to them.

Similarly, college may prepare you for a higher paying industry, ensuring you are qualified for a new position that has a much higher pay. Ultimately, college usually pays for itself relatively quickly. And a recession is often an ideal time to consider a new position, so a degree is a must-have. A degree will help give you the resume boost, as well as the specific skills you are likely to need in order to succeed in a new field.

In , 52 percent of full-time workers with a degree were offered retirement benefits, compared to only 43 percent of individuals without a degree. The cost of a degree may be daunting, especially with many students on the news sharing student loan woes and not feeling like the job market is friendly to their specific degree.

Young adults express that their degrees are a good value, with 72 percent believing that their degree has paid off, and an additional 17 percent believing that it will very soon. This trend stays steady among those who borrowed for school, as well. Plus, there are many programs available to help pay for higher education; scholarships , grants and tuition reimbursement programs are all designed to help students avoid debt. Preparation for a Specialized Career As the world changes, the job market changes with it.

Increased Earning Potential The Bureau of Labor Statistics has shared the average salary for those with various education levels, and the data is clear: The greater your level of education, the higher you can expect your salary to be.

Economic Stability Of the A Pathway to Advancement Have you considered a career as a physical therapist, head librarian, or nurse anesthetist? The differences between degree and non-degree holders are stark: Eighty-six percent of college graduates consider their job a career or a stepping stone to their career, while only 57 percent of high school graduates say the same.

Only 38 percent of degree holders report the same level of satisfaction. Positive Return on Investment The cost of a degree may be daunting, especially with many students on the news sharing student loan woes and not feeling like the job market is friendly to their specific degree.

About Shayna Joubert. Shayna Joubert is the senior content marketing manager for Northeastern University. October 31,