5 Things You Need To Know About Education For Career Change

Since I was a college professor for many years, people ask me about university programs for a career change. Often they’ve been told that a new degree can be a magic key to unlock a new career.

A new degree can be helpful, but it’s also quite costly. You might have opportunity costs as you give up paid employment. You almost always incur significant tuition costs.

The wrong degree can actually get you fired.

Several years ago, Sixty Minutes reported a woman who’d innocently earned a doctorate from a diploma mill. Believing she had embellished her resume, she was uncovered after she asked people to call her “Doctor.” And then she was fired.

In today’s world, you may have trouble gaining access to a program that’s taught live. Therefore you’re relying on remote learning…which may make it easier to work around your current career, but harder to use for a meaningful career transition.

Here’s how to decide if you’ll gain value in proportion to your costs.

(1) Before you invest in a degree, try out your new career in small doses.