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We tend to spend a lot of time telling our children about how important an education is, yet it’s similarly important for adults to engage in continual learning as there are many emotional benefits and practical benefits to the pursuit of education.

Today, it’s never been easier, or more convenient to engage in education thanks to the plethora of online learning opportunities made available in recent years, from the likes of Udemy where you can learn a variety of skills from communication techniques to computer programming, or Lynda, that is a more specialist platform for those interested in digital media, or even specialist courses such as the Kettering Supply Chain Management program that is a proper degree offered by a credible university.

This is fantastic for those with children who often live an incredibly busy life trying to juggle family life with activities such as a full-time job or business.  Indeed, many people that have children and work at the same time, can’t think of anything more overwhelming than signing up to an educational institution and pursuing a course of education with the time requirement involved.  

The idea of looming deadlines, the need for research, and the like, is just too much for them to handle given everything else that’s on their plate, yet, in doing a more flexible course online where you can manage your own learning and are guided through self-paced modules… it makes education accessible to even the busiest of people.

Now that we’ve established pursuing education has never been more convenient, or more cost-effective as online courses tend to have much lower fees than traditional brick and mortar institutions, let’s take a look at some of the benefits in terms of the power of education:

EARN MORE

You may have already heard the saying “the more you learn the more you earn”, which is fundamentally true as people are compensated based on the value they provide a third party, so if you can provide more value because you have more knowledge then you will tend to be paid more.  It’s not the fact you have a fancy piece of paper, it’s the fact that paper represents a bank of knowledge that you possess which others might not.

This is what makes you a more competitive prospect when it comes to applying for jobs, it’s not the piece of paper, or the grade, but what that grade represents in terms of the value it infers you will provide.  Now, of course, experience can be one of the best teachers, and therefore some people will value experiential education much more than academic education – but the point remains, it’s all about how much value you are perceived to be able to provide a third party such as an employer or client.

SELF CONFIDENCE AND SELF-ESTEEM

The expansion in terms of your own personal development with regard to self-confidence and self-esteem can be significant.  The personal expansion that comes as a result of higher education has been proven to improve your mental health, as whilst it can be challenging, it encourages you to overcome mental barriers such as procrastination and perfectionism – whilst stimulating your mind and engaging you socially in ways that are perhaps unfamiliar outside of academia.

The reason your self-confidence grows is because confidence is akin to a muscle in that people aren’t either confident or unconfident… you have to grow your confidence, and the only way confidence grows is through being challenged, and education provides a constructive way to challenge yourself on this level.

With regard to self-esteem, this is linked with the personal pride that comes from making progress with anything in life, yet educational courses are particularly good for this, as the majority are structured in a way that makes it easy to see your progress – for instance, breaking a course down into bite-size modules, that as you complete each one, you feel good about yourself and it has a snowball effect.

There’s something to be said for setting out to achieve a goal and achieving it – few people have this feeling, and the pride you will feel as a result of committing to something and completing it will have an incredible effect on your levels of self-confidence, self-worth and self-esteem.

YOU WILL BECOME A GREAT ROLE MODEL

If you have children, it also offers a great way to role model, as kids tend to do what you do rather than what you say.

This means, if you are pointing out the importance of doing your homework, because you are having to do yours – they are much likely to respect and conform to your instruction of them sitting down, and finishing their homework.

Now, it’s important to remember that education comes in many forms, and whilst this article talks specifically about academic education – the benefits are just as prominent when doing other types of education, such as the independent research required to set up a business, for instance.

In fact, whether you’re interested in business or not, it can be useful as an adult, to view education through an entrepreneurial lens – as entrepreneurs often consider what the return on investment of a specific activity will be… and in the case of education, you want to make sure that you are investing your time, money and energy into something that is going to generate a worthwhile return for you.

In summary, education is a very powerful tool to enhance your financial position, your feeling of self-worth, self-esteem, and self-confidence.  It’s also hugely beneficial in terms of providing a good role model for your children and establishing rapport when it comes to doing homework, as what better way to encourage your child to do their homework, and keep them on track academically, than to sit down together and study together.  

This way, you are making use of study time but combining it with spending time with your child, which is a great way to regulate and balance out the time you spend together, whilst setting a fantastic example for them to follow.