Hello everyone:

Your significant other is no longer in your life, so many folks ask if they should return to the classroom to get a new degree, complete an unfinished one, or start on the way to a new career. The short answer on this is, “maybe.”

Let’s take a look at what you are up to and decide from there. Are you in a line of work where an additional degree (or an initial one) would help your career path? Have you been a stay-at-home mom (or dad) and you now need to renew your education in order to return to work after a few years’ absence? Are you simply looking for a way to increase your knowledge base? Does your old career bore you and you want to do something new? If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, then you might want to consider going back to school.

If you are in a job where an additional degree would not help, or you love what you do and want to keep doing exactly what you do now and a new degree wouldn’t help (or wouldn’t give you a good return on investment), then the answer might be “no.”

When I returned to school, it was the right decision for me at the time. Because I was an older individual, the money I put into the degrees I got (two undergraduate, one master’s, and a Ph.D.) might never be returned to me, but it was worthwhile to me because of the challenges and opportunities for growth that it presented. It was a great experience and really kept my mind active. I went back to school because I was providing transportation to my 15-year-old son who had been accepted into a college program. I had to be there anyway and had always wanted to get a degree, so I did. I stayed in college from 2001 to 2015, and now I teach at three colleges (so you could say that I’m still in college!). Was it worth it for me? YES!!!!

What about you? What are you considering doing about additional education? How did you reach that decision? I would love to hear from you!

Best,

Dr. Sheri