It might seem obvious that a good education is key for climbing the career ladder. But how and why exactly does your education determine your odds of getting a good job, and rising above the competition? In fact, beyond just knowing valuable information, there are several key areas where having a solid educational background makes a big difference.
It’s a requirement to get a foot in the door
Employers’ basic standards for academic qualifications are getting higher and higher all the time; if you don’t have a significant academic record, your resume might not even get past the initial filtering stage with many prospective employers.
As governments spend more on education, and more young people become able to go to university and get bachelor’s degrees or higher, having a degree is becoming the new normal. Being well educated and qualified is no longer an unusual perk that makes you stand out, but a basic requirement for being a convincing player in the jobs market.
Having the right transferable skills
A good education provides with you a panoply of excellent transferable skills for employability that many employers are prioritising when they choose who to hire and promote.
Learning about a range of different subjects helps to develop a penchant for curiosity, a trait conducive to innovation, intelligent risk-taking and entrepreneurship. Having to get to lectures on time, complete assignments and revise for exams hones your ability to effectively organise your time.
Your academic work will also instilled in you a knack for creative problem solving, a reliable eye for important details, and the motivation and grit to get important but difficult projects finished.
Meeting the right people
Educational institutions are vital for developing networks;, both professional and personal, that will serve you for life. Being in a place of learning, full of smart, creative people of a similar age and with similar career goals in mind, will allow you to meet people who will become key contacts down the line.
But the network opportunities are just there to directly serve your career advancement. Many students meet their spouses and/or most valued friends when studying. Having a successful and fulfilling personal life will help you greatly in achieving your career goals, as it gives you the psychological stability you need to focus on work.
Earning more money
As much as many people might like to talk about how being a graduate is nort technically necessary for this or that high flying career, it’s still a fact that graduates earn more—quite a lot more.
Both male and female graduates earn over 1 million dollars more over the course of a lifetime than those without a college degree, and this effect is still large when other factors such as background are taken into account. Graduates have higher salaries and many more well paying opportunities for career progression. Many of the best paying jobs—doctor, lawyer, engineer—are simply unobtainable without a big investment in the right formal education.
How has your education helped you get to where you want to be? Share your comments below
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