Continuing Education - Is It Worth the Investment?

There are many factors students consider when going back to school. Affordability is often on top of their list. Many try to determine the risk V. reward. Is a $30,000 master's degree worth it? Will I get a promotion or land a better job? It is recommended to look at where you are in your career, where you want to be, and how many more years you will be in the workforce. We will give you a couple of examples and help you decide what the individual should do.

John Smith is 35 years old, married with two children. He is currently working as a team leader for Nike. John has a bachelor's degree from University of Phoenix and he is considering going back to school for an MBA in Project Management. Nike is a very large company and they are constantly hiring and offering their employees advancement opportunities. Taking all of this into consideration, an advanced degree should certainly benefit John. He has about 30 years left in his career and has a lot of growth potential in his current company. An MBA could help him move into a more managerial or director type role.

Mary Moore has a little bit of a different situation. She is 52 years old and COO of Unique Printers. It is a smaller company and she reports directly to the President. She is looking at multiple programs online. She is considering investing $42,000 for her Master's in Human Resources. Mary has been working 35 years now and wants to retire at the age of 60. Due to her circumstances, we would probably not recommend Mary to continue her education at this time. There is little to no room for advancement and she will only be working another eight years.

As you can see, everyone thinking about going back to school has a different situation. Some are harder than others. Again, it goes back to the risk V. reward. One thing that may sway your decision is if your employer will help fund your education. In the previous example, if the President was willing to pay Mary's tuition then she would really have to think it over. It would be very tough to turn town a free education. Employers do this often to show how they are investing in their employees. They hope the employee grows in their role and stays committed to their company. The only drawback is if the employee decides to leave for a better opportunity.

Continuing Education Courses for Everyone

Education is one of, if not the most valuable attributes an individual can have. With education someone is able to solve problems, sell products, analyze data, and much more. There are many different types of continuing education available. There is industry specific continuing education. This type of education is usually required by the state and enforced by state legislature. Some common forms of continuing education are continuing legal education (for lawyers), insurance continuing education (for insurance agents), real estate continuing education (for realtors) and adjuster continuing education (for public and insurance adjusters). These are just a few of the regulated professions out there. Most of these professionals do their continuing education either online or in a classroom to meet their compliance deadline.

Another type of continuing education is for individuals who want to go back to school to enhance their resume, change career fields or move up in their current company. Formal education at a college or University is one of the most widely used resources for everyone. College classes used to be done on campus, but now with technology changing online courses for adults have taken a huge leap. They are now almost as popular as adults continuing their education in a classroom. Many students complete a bachelor's degree then work full-time for 15-20 years. They then find out they need higher education to continue to advance their career. This is where online education comes into play. Adults are able to balance their career, school, and their families at the same time. With the economy changing, other online students decide to go back to school for a complete career change. The healthcare industry for example has been booming. So a Master's in Healthcare Management has been a popular degree choice over the past five years.

Adults are not the only ones utilizing online courses. Many 18-25 year old students also pursue online education. Many feel online education is more flexible and easier to do. They also like the fact they are learning the same material whether in a classroom or online. This was a major issue some time ago. Employers perceived online education as a "discounted" degree and only hired graduates from a campus based institution. Times have definitely changed! Now, large Universities such as Penn State, Drexler, and even Harvard offer online classes and online degree programs. These larger accredited institutions have really helped change the perception of an online degree.

Adjuster Continuing Education

Insurance adjusters have many roles and obligations to serve the public and their company. Their main purpose is to investigate, evaluate, and settle insurance claims. There are many different industries an adjuster can work for. They must be knowledgeable in what their specific company insures. The three most popular items an adjuster assesses damage on are homes, automobiles, and office buildings. They usually just specialize in one or the other. Adjuster continuing education keeps adjuster professionals up to date on different laws and regulations that pass in their specific state or in their specific industry. One of the most popular courses is ethics for the adjuster. Ethics is important in every industry but may be one of the most important attributes to a successful adjuster. Another popular course is adjuster case law. It covers all of the rules and regulations an adjuster must abide by. State laws change every so often so it is important to stay up to date on them.

An adjuster has a couple of different options when completing their educational training. They can do it online or in a classroom. Online is typically the preferred method. Online adjuster courses are usually inexpensive and can be completed within a couple of hours. It saves the insurance adjuster time and money. If the agent decides to sit in a classroom they have to listen to an instructor for however many hours the course is worth. So if it is a three credit hour class, the agent will sit for a three hour lecture. The good thing is there is no final exam after the lecture. The agent can just sign an affidavit saying they attended. These classes are still popular today because agents can network with other adjusters and avoid taking any exams.

Every state has different rules and regulations when it comes to insurance adjuster continuing education. Florida for instance requires 24 hours every two years. Florida adjusters also have specific courses they must take depending on what type of license they hold. If you have any questions on what classes to take make sure to contact an approved provider so they can go over exactly what you need to meet your state's requirements. They will be able to assist you over the phone. An approved provider can also help you choose the correct adjuster continuing education credits you need to fulfill all of your obligations. Make sure to complete all of your adjuster continuing education hours by your compliance deadline to avoid any fines.