Will Earning an Online Degree Boost Your Job Prospects?

If you’ve been downsized this past year, you may be wondering if it’s worth it to go back to school to earn a degree. For many people over 50 going back to school is a daunting task given the current state of the economy and their lack of funds to pay for an education. But depending upon your situation, earning a degree could make you more marketable in your current field or help you begin a new career.

Online degree programs are available in a variety of subjects, including business, interior design, Web design, and teaching. Online courses offer flexibility and don’t require commuting. Here is a short checklist to help you decide whether earning a degree is a smart career move.

1. Are your current skills obsolete? If you’re having trouble finding a job because your skills are out of date, earning an online degree could help you become more competitive. Many employers want to know that the people they hire are tech savvy so consider taking some computer courses if you’re weak in this area.
2. You can’t get hired without certain training or credentials. If you work in a field that requires ongoing training, licensing, or other credentials, you may have no choice but to go back to school. Do some research to see what types of degrees people have in the field you want to work in.
3. You want to completely change careers. Sometimes going back to school is the only way to completely switch to a new career. For example, medical facilities always seem to need nurses, and if you have an interest in this field you’ll definitely need to earn a nursing degree.

When comparing different degree programs, look at the types of financial aid you can receive, format of the classes, qualifications of the instructors, and amount of time you’ll need to commit to course work.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 2nd, 2009 at 4:14 pm and is filed under Reverse Mortgage . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.