Online Degrees: For Baby Boomers, They Could Be Essential
Posted by Bridget Quigg
The job market is tough. Real tough. Darn tough. Only the most skilled, educated and savvy shall thrive. And, if you’re older than 45, your age can work for or against you. Offering exceptional skills based upon years of experience is a plus. Being closer to your retirement age without more skills to offer than your younger counterparts, isn’t.
When baby boomers, those folks born between 1946 and 1964, look for employment in this down economy, they may need to work harder to prove themselves than ever before. As a result, many are considering going back to school, especially online. Online courses can fit into a schedule filled with work, family and other responsibilities – like grandkids and aging parents.
Furthering your education with an online degree not only improves your skill set, it also shows that you care about staying engaged and successful in your career. This drive will be attractive to possible employers.
Does More Education Pay Off?
Beyond just helping you get the gig, more education can lead to more pay. I took a look into PayScale’s salary database to see what the difference is between pay for people with over 20 years of experience who have either a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree. See below.
| Job Position | Degree | Median Annual Salary |
| Nurse | Bachelor’s | $65,104 |
| Master’s | $74,516 | |
| Regional Sales Manager | Bachelor’s | $107,008 |
| M.B.A. | $117,510 | |
| Mental Health Counselor | Bachelor’s | $48,112 |
| Master’s | $50,403 | |
| High School Teacher | Bachelor’s | $59,950 |
| Master’s | $63,100 |
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Be ware of online degrees. My company has hired 2 people with online degrees that were totally incompetent for the job. One had a bachelors and ended up leaving before she could be fired. The other with a masters in finance can barely do a journal entry and admitted that she does not understand financials. Basically she is a data entry clerk with a worthless degree. Both came got their degrees thru University of Phoenix. Needless to say I will not hire another person with a degree from this school.
Posted by: Jacquie Garner | May 07, 2009 at 03:10 PM
Jaquie, Thanks for your comment. That's great feedback. It's helpful to get people thinking about the quality of the education they seek if they go the online route. An online education has advantages since it is convenient and, often, less expensive. But, as you point out, an online degree can't help a person who does not take advantage of the educational opportunity they're being given.
Posted by: Bridget Quigg | May 07, 2009 at 11:20 PM
Thanks for this blog.Good chart here.
Posted by: life experience degrees | August 21, 2009 at 01:10 AM