Are you feeling like you want more for your life and from your job? If so, continuing your education and earning a bachelor’s degree may be the right choice for you. Having a bachelor’s degree can set you apart from the competition and increase your quality of life in many ways. Knowledge is power and advancement in today’s job market. Those who know can grow and earning your bachelor’s degree is a great way to get your career and your life headed on the right track.

Here are 5 reasons you should consider earning a bachelor’s degree.

Education Pays

The more you know, the more you earn. Employees with a bachelor’s degree are better able to find and keep jobs in their field of interest. While in these jobs, employees are making more than they would with just a high school diploma. On average, a bachelor’s degree pays $17,500 more each year than a high school diploma and this gap continues to rise. Recent studies have also shown that millennials today who hold a high school diploma will make only 62 percent of what their peers with a bachelor’s degree earn. Finally, due to an increased chance of employment in a good paying job, those with bachelor’s degrees are less liking to live in poverty. Those who hold a bachelor’s degree have only a 6 percent chance of living in poverty after graduation. Going back to school may take time, but in the end it pays.

Help Promote Yourself

Without the proper degree, you can only climb so high on the career ladder. When you go back to school for your bachelor’s degree, you are investing in yourself. This investment puts in you in a great position to achieve success while you move your way up in your new career. Earning a degree also shows your employer your commitment to the job and your knowledge.

Get The Degree Get The Job

With an unemployment rate of only 3.8 percent, those who hold a bachelor’s degree are better able to get the job of their choice out of college, compared to an unemployment rate of 12.2 percent for high school graduates and 8.1 for students holding a two-year degree. Not only are they able to get the job, but they can find it faster. The average time spent on the job hunt is 27 weeks with a bachelor’s, versus 31 weeks for those without one. That’s a whole extra month of employment and a salary!

Meet the Right People

Going to college and attending classes with others in the same major helps you gain a network of peers. This network of people is a great way to find jobs and keep current with the field, even after you have graduated and entered the working world. While in school, your instructors are also a great way to learn more about the industry. They can help you write a resume, find jobs, and meet people working in the industry you are trying to get into.

Learn to Communicate

While in school, many of the projects and assignments you will have to complete will require you to write and present the information you are learning. In doing this, you are gaining valuable practice that helps you develop your communication skills. The knowledge that you are gaining while doing this will help you better present yourself in school, when looking for a job, once you have landed the job, and throughout your working career.