Why Getting a Degree in Your 30s Can Be Valuable

There’s no doubt about it, completing a higher education degree is extremely worthwhile. This is true for anyone – regardless of their stage of life – but achieving this can be especially valuable for mature-aged students. Indeed, attaining a further qualification is essential if you are aspiring to a career change, to move up the corporate ladder, or even just to level up your job prospects! 

Admittedly, however, returning to study later in life can be difficult. It is especially challenging when we consider how busy our professional and personal schedules already are. That is why, if you are looking at getting a degree in your 30s, you have to be committed to the cause. Despite this, it must be said that the value of attaining a tertiary qualification far outweighs the challenges. So, to learn more about the value of getting a degree later in life, just read on!

Getting a Degree: Tertiary Education Courses and Qualifications

In our digital age, it is now simpler than ever to get a degree. For instance, you can even enroll in master’s courses online! The best part about this is that by completing a master’s course via online study methods, you can make obtaining a postgraduate qualification fit into your already busy lifestyle. Flexible study methods such as part-time learning make slotting in time to study even easier! If you are a night owl, for instance, you may prefer to study late at night. Alternatively, a morning person will usually prefer to study early in the morning, before work. 

Importantly, studies have shown that different personality types are more productive at different times of the day. This concept is consistent with the popular personality study known as MBTI (or Myers Briggs Type Indicator). As part of this research, it has been identified that there are 16 unique personality types. These personality types are made up of different combinations of personal attributes, values, and other qualities and characteristics. Under the MBTI concept, personality identifiers have been established as being inclined towards either introversion versus extraversion, thinking versus feeling, judging versus perceiving, and sensing versus intuition. As such, depending on what personality type you are, this will also determine at what time of day you are most productive.

Irrespective of this preference, however, the flexibility of online study methods is likely to suit practically all personality types. You just need to be able to access the coursework digitally. And for this, all you need is a computer! Or, indeed, a laptop, tablet, or other electronic device.

The Benefits of Higher Education: Becoming Tertiary Qualified

If you ask the experts, the benefits of obtaining a higher education qualification are broad. Indeed, completing a tertiary qualification can open many doors. Some of the opportunities tertiary graduates can enjoy include:

Better Job Prospects and Employability

If you complete a tertiary qualification, you immediately become more competitive in terms of your employability. In a society where, unfortunately, undergraduate degrees are almost a dime a dozen, it pays to pursue postgraduate education. To clarify, a postgraduate qualification can be completed in the form of a Master’s Degree or even a Graduate Diploma, which focuses on a particular area of specialization.

The Development of New Skills, Knowledge, and Capabilities

With the completion of a postgraduate degree, so too comes the development of new skills, knowledge, and capabilities. This is essential in aiming to upskill in your career or even if you wish to change industries completely! Alternatively, you may already be skilled in a particular area but not yet have the qualification to prove it. As such, getting that piece of paper may just be the missing puzzle piece to the next step in your career trajectory.

A Greater Sense of Achievement and Accomplishment

Once you graduate from your tertiary degree, allow yourself to feel proud of your achievement! Indeed, individuals who pursue academic qualifications are very highly regarded – both by employers and by society as a whole. Hey, if you want to go the whole hog – pursue a doctoral thesis or Ph.D. Also known as a Professional Doctorate Degree, this is essentially the highest form of academic qualification you can aspire to attain. As such, Ph.D. candidates are considered to make up the elite of the academic world.

Returning to Study as a Mature Age Student: Making it Work For You

Undoubtedly, if you are a mature-aged student, you are likely to already have a lot on your plate! You may already have both professional and family commitments – especially if you are a parent. 

As such, you need to take measures to ensure that fitting study into your life will work for you. Consider utilizing a visual planning method – such as a diary or calendar, or even a productivity app on your phone. This will help you stay on track and accountable to your study workload. Of course, you should also take care to be aware of your course outline before you even begin your degree. This will allow you to map out key dates throughout your study period – such as mandatory readings, assessments, and assignment submission dates. It will also help you break up your weekly study commitment, as many course themes will be broken up into designated periods. Naturally, if you are studying part-time online, you can study whenever you want. However, you will still need to be mindful to meet assessment due dates and other key course requirements.

Returning to study in your 30s is a concept that, admittedly, is quite daunting. With work, family, and other commitments already taking up a big chunk of your time, the question is – when will you fit in time to study? The best thing is, the emergence of online and flexible learning methods makes completing a degree more achievable than ever. Better yet, once you have completed it, your qualification will pay for itself in terms of career progression and a sense of personal achievement. The long-term value will be worth it!