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Five Reasons to Get Your College Degree Now

Why Online Education Makes Sense Right Now

Economic downturns can be hard on education plans. It's easy to start second-guessing yourself and wondering if you should have chosen this year's high-paying profession as your major.

You love what you're doing, your boss thinks you possess a lot of initiative for pursuing an education, and your family admires you… and still you wonder.

You're worried about your job security, the high cost of food and filling up your tank, and your mortgage. If tuition continues to increase, how will you pay for it? Is your investment in education going to "recession-proof" you?

What should you do?

First, let's take a look at how online courses can help you achieve the goals of having satisfying employment, a career that is sustainable, and the ability to find another job if, for some unfortunate reason, your company or industry encounters hard times.

Next, let's be really honest with ourselves about the nature of recessions, inflation, job loss, and the future. The possibilities are very scary, but history has demonstrated time and time again that behind every economic downturn is an opportunity.

Do you remember the dot-com collapse? People who lost their jobs took the opportunity to go back to school, retrain, and to broaden their skills. Without exception, people who went through those tough times look back and say that it was, in reality, a great motivator. They diversified their skills and had an opportunity to gain self-confidence, new experience, and a belief in their own abilities.

Here are a few things to tell yourself as you read the headlines describing the hard economic times. Think about going back to school. If you're in school, stay there.

1. Having a degree means more money.

For years, government studies have demonstrated that people who have a degree will earn more money. Perhaps even more importantly, if you have a degree, you can change jobs and career tracks more easily if you are laid off or your industry goes into decline.

This chart compares lifetime earning potential with and without a degree.

"As shown in Figure 3, for full-time, year-round workers, the 40-year synthetic earnings estimates are about $1.0 million (in 1999 dollars) for high school dropouts, while completing high school would increase earnings by another quarter-million dollars (to $1.2 million).

"People who attended some college (but did not earn a degree) might expect work-life earnings of about $1.5 million, and slightly more for people with associates degrees ($1.6 million). Over a work-life, individuals who have a bachelor's degree would earn on average $2.1 million — about one-third more than workers who did not finish college, and nearly twice as much as workers with only a high school diploma."

"A master's degree holder tops a bachelor's degree holder at $2.5 million. Doctoral ($3.4 million) and professional degree holders ($4.4 million) do even better."

2. Higher levels of education are correlated with less unemployment.

If you have a degree, you're likely to be employed. You will have a job, and you will have excellent prospects for getting another job. In fact, with a degree, you are considered trainable and companies will invest in you even if your background is not a precise match for their needs.

3. Being an online student will impress your boss.

People admire individuals who sacrifice and commit themselves to education. They know that at the end of the road, you are better equipped to be a contributing community and family member. You'll also be a better team member and employee at the job. Your boss will recognize your efforts, and may even recommend you for a tuition reimbursement program.

If you're taking courses online, your boss will be even more impressed. More and more companies are turning to online training, webinars, and even virtual world role-play in order to train their employees. Showing your facility with online courses demonstrates you've kept up to date with quickly emerging and changing communications technologies. You never know — your boss may even suggest that you participate in online training.

But what about the sacrifice? The cost? The time away from my loved ones? Yes, getting an online degree can be a long, hard road, and you need to have the complete buy-in of your family and other loved ones. Always discuss the benefits, not only to you, but to your entire team (family, work, loved ones, friends).

4. Making progress toward a degree gives you a competitive edge.

On those late nights when you're pouring yourself another cup of coffee and fighting fatigue as you complete discussion board entries, you may not feel as though you're becoming a stronger and more nimble competitor in our knowledge economy. However, take heart. You are giving yourself a competitive edge.

Taking online courses gives you a chance to remind yourself that technology and the world are always changing. Recessions and economic hard times simply trigger more rapid change in certain sectors of the economy. Taking courses makes you more agile and flexible in the knowledge economy. Remember that part of getting a degree is learning how to learn. Once you realize that and take it to heart, you can feel confident when confronted with any unexpected change, and you'll start looking for what you can do to adapt. A college education gives you that skill.

5. Taking courses prepares you for the future and helps you feel in control of your destiny.

Economic downturns can produce a lot of anxiety. It does not help that the news media tends to focus on the negative and to use scare tactics to keep you tuning in. While it is good to keep informed, it is more important to have a plan for yourself and to stick with it. Don't let fear and worry undermine you and your future.

There is absolutely no doubt that taking courses and obtaining a degree will help you gain employment, possess a higher self-concept, and know that you can survive changes of direction and challenges.

Study the areas that interest you. Don't just run toward this year's trendy or high-paying job. Instead, take a clear and honest look at yourself.

• What are the things you love to do?
• Who do you like to work with?
• Where and how do you like to work?
• What subjects fascinate you and why?
• Where are your strengths?
• What are your learning preferences?

If you can answer those questions clearly and objectively, you will be far along the path to being able to chart your own course. You can choose careers that mesh well with your strengths, and you'll feel proud of the contributions you can make.

Paying for college and budgeting time both require solid, responsible planning. Your family members will see that you make your education a priority. Perhaps you're having to sacrifice now, but it will pay off with big dividends in the future.

Finally, with a positive attitude about education and your future, you're a great role model for your family. You are looking at your family in a team sense, and you're doing your part as a responsible team member to assure the safety and security of the family and your community.

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Dr. Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D. has been involved in the development and administration of online courses and programs since the early 1990s. Her latest book, Excellence in College Teaching and Learning: Classroom and Online Instruction 2007, was co-authored with George Henderson. Her first book Leadership and the e-Learning Organization was published in 2006.

We welcome all comments directed to: recession [at] elearners [dot] com.