Why You Should Pursue Continuing Education
A great deal of students reach the end of high school or their undergraduate studies and feel that they have finally reached the end of a long slog. It can be a bit of a relief to start your professional career after taking countless courses and learning the ins and outs of a field because it feels like you're finally using the skills you've honed. No matter what level you're at, this feeling of success will not last forever.
Life will keep you busy, you'll stick with a job for a while, and perhaps you'll begin to feel stuck despite your achievements so far. Whether you have this feeling, want to progress in your field, or simply want to feel more fulfilled in your life, continuing education can be a boon to your professional development.
There are several ways you can choose to undertake this task. For those of you who have or will graduate high school, it is never too late to start looking at colleges or a university to get an edge in your field. Perhaps the most intimidating part about going to college is selecting the 'right' discipline for yourself.
Even if you plan on going into a STEM field, the humanities, or have no idea what you want to do, it is likely your desires will change once your second year ends. If this is a concern for you, or you're not financially equipped to attend a major state school or program, going to a public/community college near you is a great way to nail down your passions without breaking your spirit or the bank.
These schools have a wide range of accessible courses that can help you get your bachelor's or associates and get in contact with many connected people. If you've already been through undergrad/grad school and have made such connections, there are endless certificate and master’s programs out there in your field or otherwise that can give you an edge.
Why do all this though? It can provide some fulfillment and help you stand out. Okay, those are good examples, but I'm sure that's not new info to anyone reading. Beyond these, it can help improve your mental health by giving you steady goals to focus on. Even better, there's continually less societal pressure to further your education if you aren't ready yet. Second, gaining additional training through education can help you discover passions that aren't related to work whatsoever.
This is vague, but you might find a new hobby in a course that's 'required' for completion but isn't directly in your field. Finally, it can help you pinpoint further what career you want. Having a degree/interest in a large profession carries a lot of ambiguity due to endless career paths - furthering your education can narrow that down through classes alone without stranding you in a specific field you don't like.
It is ultimately up to you whether you want to pursue further education, but hopefully this has helped shed some light on why it is about more than just adding to your resume.