Should I Continue My Education After College?

You finished one milestone - an undergraduate degree, so what's next?

You may be questioning yourself: Should I continue my education after college? Will the benefits outweigh the costs? And so forth.

These questions riddling your mind, can be answered through other queries:

Does your career demand a higher education?

An advanced education will likely boost the career you are working in. If you work in law or medicine, just as an example, the higher skill sets you earn through education, the more qualified you'll become to perform your duties, which leads to better job security - discussed below.

Do you want better job security?

A competitive workforce means only the cream of the crop will thrive. According to the Census Bureau, those with a master's degree earn roughly 15% more than their bachelor holding counterparts. Also, the statistics provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, titled "Education Pays", showed that those holding a higher education fell into lower unemployment categories, along with more median weekly salaries.

Do you want to advance your knowledge and skills?

One of things that will give you an improved advantage in life is knowledge. You've heard this time and again - that books open windows to the world, and an education, better education - is a ticket to your dreams.

Are you passionate about your field of study?

This is the main question you should ask yourself when deciding to pursue a graduate degree. This is because advanced degrees tend to focus on one specific subject area. If you plan to make a lifelong career out of nursing for instance, then taking master's courses in this area is one way of promoting yourself into management roles. The same is true for other careers like teaching, medicine, physiology, psychology and much more.

If you've answered yes to most of these questions, it's perhaps in your best interest to pursue a graduate, or even a post graduate degree.

One other concern you may have is the strain of working and going to school. If such is the case, an online college offers the flexibility needed to study during students' free time, while work offers the benefit of gaining hands on experience.

The ultimate motivators for more education are a higher salary, better job security, more knowledge, and ultimately a better position in life - for challenges that are sure to come. Professionals know that education is a lifelong experience, which never ends.