4 Ways Your Education Level Can Limit Your Professional Success

Unfortunately, in today’s society, you may need more than simple hard work to advance in your career. While there are a few stories of millionaires who never went to college, the reality is that most regular people without college degrees are more limited in their career options. Below are four ways your education level can limit your professional success.

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1. Not Having a Degree Will Limit Your Lifetime Earning Potential

One of the best reasons to obtain higher education is that having an advanced degree can greatly increase your lifetime earning potential. According to Forbes, people with a college degree on average make $830,000 more than those with just a high school diploma. If you want to be financially secure and have enough money to raise a family and put children through college, having a college degree is absolutely integral.

2. Many Careers Require a Degree for Advancement

While you may find your way into a field you enjoy, certain higher positions in that field may be off limits to you without a degree. Being a dental assistant, for example, is certainly not the same thing as being a licensed DDS. Obtaining that position will require a lot more education. In other cases, advancement may be possible without a degree but will be much more difficult. A degree in management or business administration, for example, will allow you to advance to managerial positions much faster.

3. Many Jobs Require Advanced Technical Skills

One way that less education can limit your professional options is that many more advanced positions require specific kinds of technical knowledge that are typically only obtained through higher education. For example, an online Master of Science in Information Security or an equivalent degree might be required to obtain higher positions in network security in the corporate world. Having such a degree can assure employers that you have the right technical knowledge and skills to protect their computer networks.

4. A Degree Lets You More Easily Switch Employers

Unlike in the past in which people worked for the same company for decades, most modern workers end up leave the company they work for multiple times. With a college degree, you will be a more attractive hire on the job market. It’s definitely great insurance to have to make sure you stay employed in your field.

Obtaining a degree can have a multitude of great benefits. While college is a big investment, it is certainly one that can pay off in regards to professional advancement, pay and job security.