The Advantages and Disadvantages of Going Back to School

Lots of people today have plans or have already gone back to school. They have many different reasons for this action. If you are someone who is on the brink of diving into this scenario, why not look first at the pros and cons of going back to school and see if the decision is appropriate for you.

The Advantages of Going Back to School:
It will help you realize the dream career you never reached when you were still at the age of exploring yet was not given the chance to pursue your dream career. This is now your chance to finally realize the dream you always had.
You can achieve personal growth. Many adults lose sight of who they are after many years of working at the same job, raising the family, and having so many responsibilities. Going back to school gives you the chance to reconnect with yourself. You have the opportunity to explore yourself once more, your capabilities, interests, talents, and passion. You can let your guard down; the pressures of being a mother, father, teacher, boss, provider, mentor, adviser, and many other roles adults have to play and be the student again
You can achieve intellectual growth. You can now maximize the unused capacity of your human brain when you are, once again, a student. This time, without the monetary rewards, your knowledge and skills can be expanded that may lead to an amazing sense of accomplishment.
Finding a new career or going up the ladder. Going back to school can get you started on a new career which you enjoy more and that can make you feel more accomplished. It can also help you go up the ladder of positions at your present career. You can now be able to compete with the other people at your company or organization since you are equipping yourself with more competence and skills to grab higher positions.

The Disadvantages of Going Back to School:
Although going back to school may sound inviting, it has some disadvantages, too. One is that when you have a higher degree, companies or organizations may think that you are expensive in the job market. Employers might think that you have a new degree under your nose but that you have not yet applied the new set of skills that degree comprises.
The coursework might be unrelated to your professional objectives. With this, you might end up going in another direction that is not directly related to your career path.
Getting a new degree might just look good on paper. It looks good to have titles at the end of your name like PhD and others. Still, you may look like an increased expense in the eyes of the employer. Some employers might even think you are overqualified for a job.
Going back to school incurs new expenses. You also won’t know if you can really be able to earn these expenses back again once you have your new degree.

Going back to school is your choice. Weigh the advantages and disadvantages before you decide if it is for you and if it is what you need for your career objective.