Is Going Back to College Worth It for Your Career?

By Monique Wells-Lopez, Ed.D.

The Decision

Going back to college can support a career change, promotion, or increase in earnings, but whether it is worth the investment depends on what the education will actually allow you to do.

Before enrolling, compare where you are now with the career outcome you want. Then determine whether additional education is necessary to get there and whether the expected benefit justifies the time, cost, and changes you may need to make in your life while completing it.

Instead of asking whether college is worth it in general, ask whether the education you are considering is worth it for the career outcome you are trying to achieve.

Why This Matters

Adults often begin thinking about college because something has changed at work. You may have reached a salary ceiling, found positions you want but do not meet the education requirement, learned that advancement requires another credential, or decided you want to move into a different type of work.

Any of those situations can give you a reason to consider additional education, but they do not automatically mean enrolling is the right next step. The value of returning depends on the connection between the education you are considering and the opportunity you expect it to create.

If a particular credential is required for the occupation you want, that connection may be fairly easy to identify. If the credential is preferred rather than required, or you are hoping another degree will generally improve your career prospects, you may need to do more investigation before deciding.

Start With What You Want to Change

Before comparing colleges or programs, identify what you expect to be different after completing the education.

Are you trying to qualify for a particular position, move into management, enter another occupation, increase your earnings, or meet a licensing requirement? You may already qualify for the type of work you want but believe another credential would make you more competitive.

The more specific you can be about the outcome, the easier it is to evaluate whether education belongs in the plan. “I want a better job” is difficult to evaluate because it does not identify what needs to change. If you know that the positions you want consistently require a bachelor's degree that you do not have, you have something specific to investigate.

If you are still trying to determine whether you want a different position or an entirely different career direction, see Are You Trying to Change Jobs or Change Careers?

Find Out What the Career Actually Requires

Once you know the outcome you want, look at several current job postings for positions you would realistically pursue. Pay attention to the qualifications that appear repeatedly and whether employers describe them as required or preferred.

You may find that employers consistently require a particular degree, license, certification, or other credential. You may also find that employers accept equivalent experience or that the qualification you are missing is not a college degree at all.

A professional certification, license, technical program, apprenticeship, additional training, or more experience may be enough for the work you want to do. Knowing that before you enroll can prevent you from spending time and money on education that does not address the actual requirement.

For a closer look at these differences, see Does the Job You Want Require a Degree, Certificate, License, or Training?

Look at What You Already Have

Before deciding what additional education you need, take inventory of the qualifications you already have. Include previous college coursework and degrees, along with work experience, licenses, certifications, employer training, military education, technical skills, and other relevant learning.

Compare those qualifications with what employers are asking for in the positions you want.

You may discover that you are closer than you thought. You may need one specific credential or several courses rather than another degree. Your current education may already be sufficient, but you need additional experience in a particular area. You may also confirm that another degree is necessary.

The goal is to identify the smallest meaningful gap between what you already have and what you need for the career you want. Once you know what that gap is, you can make a better decision about how to address it.

Compare the Career You Have With the Career You Want

If career improvement is your reason for returning, salary should be part of the comparison, but it should not be the only consideration.

Look at the differences in earnings, benefits, schedule, job stability, advancement opportunities, working conditions, commuting or travel, and the work itself. A position that pays more may also involve longer hours, greater responsibility, a less predictable schedule, or changes that may not fit what you want at this point in your life.

If you are changing occupations, also consider where you are likely to enter the new field. Your previous work experience may transfer and help you enter at a higher level, but that depends on the occupation and employer. A career change can sometimes mean accepting a different position or salary level while you establish experience in the new field.

The comparison is really about whether the career you are working toward gives you enough of what you want to change to justify what it will take to get there.

There May Be More Than One Education Path

If additional education is necessary, compare the available ways to meet the requirement before deciding which program to pursue.

A degree may be one option, while a certificate or industry credential provides another. A community college program may prepare students for the same occupation as a private training program. Your employer may offer education benefits or internal training that changes the cost of one option. Previous college credit may also reduce what you need to complete.

Compare what each option qualifies you to do, how much you would need to complete, how long it is likely to take, and what it will cost.

The least expensive or shortest option will not always be the right one, but neither will the option with the highest credential. The education should be appropriate for the outcome you are trying to reach.

Consider the Real Cost and Completion Time

Once you have identified an education path that makes sense for your career goal, look at what completing it would require.

Tuition is part of the cost, but you may also have fees, books, technology, transportation, childcare, required equipment, or other expenses. If attending means reducing your work hours, giving up overtime, changing childcare arrangements, or turning down other opportunities, those changes also affect the investment you are making.

How you pay matters as well. The same program can create a very different financial decision depending on whether you receive employer assistance, grants or scholarships, pay from your current income, or borrow to complete it.

If you need to explore resources that may help with the cost, see What Financial

Resources Could Help You Return to College?

Your completion timeline should also reflect the pace you can realistically maintain. If you plan to attend part-time because you work full-time or have other responsibilities, use that pace when estimating how long the program will take. Prerequisites, course sequencing, internships, clinical experiences, and how often required courses are offered can also affect the timeline.

Previous college credit may shorten the path, but find out how it applies before assuming how much time it will save.

Think About When the Career Benefit Would Begin

If increased earnings are one of the benefits you expect, consider when that increase is likely to happen.

A program may take several years to complete while attending part-time, and the career benefit may not begin immediately after graduation. You may still need time to find the position you want or meet additional requirements for the occupation.

That does not mean a longer path is a poor investment. The benefit you are looking for may include greater job stability, better working conditions, more opportunity for advancement, or work that better fits your life. Those outcomes can matter even when the financial return takes longer.

What matters is using a realistic timeline when you compare what the education will require with what you expect to gain from it.

What If You Are Already Close to Finishing a Degree?

If you already have a significant amount of college credit, the decision may look different. Finishing a degree could require less time and money than beginning a new program.

Being close to a degree, however, does not automatically mean finishing that particular degree is the best career decision. Your goals may have changed since you first attended college. Before returning to finish, determine whether the credential still supports what you want to do now and whether another program would make better use of your previous coursework.

If you are weighing those options, see Should You Finish Your Degree or Choose a Different Program?

Before You Decide

If your career is the reason you are considering college, begin with what you want to change and the positions that could provide that change. Find out what those positions actually require and compare those requirements with the education, experience, and credentials you already have.

If additional education is necessary, look at the different ways you could meet that requirement and what each option would involve. Consider the total cost, the time it would realistically take to finish, how attending would fit with your current responsibilities, and when you could reasonably expect the career benefit to begin.

You may find that returning to college makes sense. You may find that a different credential or type of training would accomplish the same goal. You may also discover that education is not the primary barrier between you and the career change you want.

Knowing which situation applies to you is part of deciding whether going back to college is worth it for your career.

Disclaimer

This article provides general educational and career information. Employment requirements, salaries, licensing and certification standards, education costs, financial aid, transfer-credit policies, and career opportunities vary by employer, occupation, institution, location, and individual circumstances and may change over time. Verify current requirements and costs with employers, institutions, licensing or credentialing organizations, and other appropriate sources before making education or career decisions.