As the world around us grows ever more complex, millions of Americans must return to school years, even decades after they complete their secondary education. Why? New technologies are being developed every day and it’s impossible to keep up with them all without expert instruction. Not to mention the fact that many professions require that you have a bachelor’s degree to apply for a position.

No matter how passionate and dedicated you may be, you won’t be able to get your foot in the door if you lack the basic educational requirements. This is often a hard pill to swallow for older employees who were sure that they were done with school, but it is a reality of the marketplace today. Bosses are looking for workers who keep abreast of the latest developments in their chosen field.

A changing employment picture

Another reason continuing education is more important than ever before is that there’s less job security than there was a generation ago. According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American worker stays at each of his/her jobs for 4.4 years. That means that you can expect to “job hop” approximately 10 times over the course of your working life!

While it is true that some employers will provide in-house courses to help improve their worker’s skills, that is the exception, not the rule. Most expect their employees to go back to school in order to obtain the skills they need to compete in the modern workplace.

Can you do it?

For most adults, the hardest part about returning to school is balancing their responsibilities. Many returning students have jobs, families, even mortgages. How can they possibly add education into that mix and expect it to all work out?

Think outside the box

Until quite recently, night school was the only option for working adults who wanted to go back school. The main problem with this format was that students had to plan their busy schedules around these classes. They also had to travel to them and could rarely carry a full course load because of time constraints. As a result, it often took them much longer to earn their degrees. But even if you have a lot on your proverbial plate, it is possible to receive your BS in psychology on time if you sign up for classes online.

How Kaplan University can help

One of the advantages of the programs of study we offer is that you get to set your own schedule. That is the reason why 90 percent of our students complete their coursework online, rather than at our campus programs. Kaplan University is proud to serve adult undergraduates, who are often ignored and marginalized by traditional institutions of higher learning.

Who are they?

Most of our students, over 45,000 strong, are adult learners with families and/or jobs. More than two-thirds of them are women and sixty-five percent are over the age of 30.