For many of us, going back to school as an adult is an attractive choice to make. When you want to further your education, going back to college to get your graduate degree, PhD, or even getting professional qualification can sound like a great idea. But how do you know if you’re making the right choice? In this blog post, we’re going to consider a series of questions to help you work that out.

1. Does the Cost Make Sense?

Firstly, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re fully aware of the cost of what you’re embarking on. Think about what the total amount of years studies will accumulate to, along with any living costs you may need to pay. If you’re doing this for career progression, it’s important to ensure that you’ll be able to earn this back. If you know that it will allow you to excel in your career or land a high-paying job, then it can often be worth it. Or, if it’s not and you’re happy with the costs (and know how you’re going to afford it), then it may make sense to you.

2. What’s Your Motivation?

From here, you’ll also want to ensure that you’re thinking about your motivation. Knowing why you want to go back to school can help you make sure that it’s the right thing for you. If you know that you need further education to get a promotion or to change careers, then this can be essential for you. Likewise, if you want to be a professor, this is going to be a key step. If not, think about why you’re considering going back to school to determine whether it’s for the right reasons.

3. Can You Prioritize Self-Development Instead?

Depending on how you’ve answered above, you may find that what you might actually want to do is work on your personal development here instead. It’s okay to want to further your career – but maybe what you’re looking for here is self-growth. When that’s the case, looking to educate yourself, read more, work on your emotional intelligence, and develop internally could be beneficial to you as a human as well as your progression in life. So this could be something to bear in mind.

4. Can You Educate Yourself?

Something that you may want to think about here is whether you can gain the same education by conducting self-study. Of course, if you want the certification for your career, that’s a different story. But if you’re interested in educating yourself, you may be able to do that through reading and studying out of enjoyment. You can also turn to tools like Quizgecko to support your private studies and improve your knowledge. Once again, this can often depend on your main motivation.

5. Will it Further Your Career?

When you’re thinking about what you want to study, you may also want to keep in mind how this will feed into a career. With the chosen field that you’re considering studying, work out what career options would be available for you. That way, you can make sure that you’re choosing the right field to go into.

6. Will it Make You Happy?

Another thing to consider is whether it’s something that you really want to do and will enjoy. It’s easy to think that it either needs to make financial sense or benefit your career, which is understandable – but your happiness matters too! If you know that going back to school and furthering your studies is going to make you happy, then that’s a very valid and important reason too. It doesn’t always have to be money-oriented.

7. How Will You Balance it All?

It’s also key for you to think about how you’re going to balance your studies with life. If you have been out of the education world for a while, it may take you a little while to get used to things again. Plus, if you’re working while you’re studying, you need to ensure that you’re going to be able to balance it all and not get burnt out!

Final Thoughts: Furthering Your Education Your Own Way

Ultimately, the only person who can make the right decision here is you! Only you know what’s right for you and what will bring more value into your life. Of course, if you’re looking to build a career in education then you’re likely to find that continuing your studies and reaching the PhD level will be required. Whether you’re looking to improve your career, gain further qualifications, or study for enjoyment, it’s always important to make sure you’ve thought things through and know that investing in your education is the right thing to do for you.