Upgrading your education
By Diana McLaren • Bankrate.com
Once the territory of bored housewives and high-school dropouts, continuing education in Canada today is so large and diverse that the old stereotypes just don’t apply.
Canadians are flocking to post-secondary institutions
in record numbers, studying everything from infectious disease control
to documentary film-making. In major centres, students can choose
from a number of college or university calendars. Internet-based
distance education courses translate into schools without borders
for those with enough time and money.
And there's the rub. At an average cost of $500 for
a one-semester course -- not counting textbooks, lab fees, travel
costs, child care and the myriad other fees charged for extra services
-- returning to school is a big investment. And specialized courses
can cost far more: at Toronto’s Ryerson University, a 42-hour course
in 3-D Game Design has a price tag of $950.
Aside from the financial costs, there's the pressure
on adult students who are working and have family responsibilities.
For those who succeed, the pay-off can lead to greater self-confidence,
promotions at work, new career avenues and higher earnings.
What's the payback?
On average, workers who participated in adult education and obtained
a post-secondary certificate made significant gains in wages and
earnings, according to findings of a new Statistics Canada study
that tracked 11,000 workers over a period of six years.
The study, entitled Adult Schooling and its Earnings Impact in Canada, found:
- Approximately 14 per cent of workers surveyed participated in
adult education.
- On average, young men saw their earnings increase by eight per
cent after returning to school and completing a post-secondary
certificate/diploma/degree; young women’s earnings increased by
10 per cent.
- Among older workers, aged 35 to 59, increased earnings after returning to school were only realized if they stayed with the same employer.
Eager to learn
Most people who work with adult students note their high degree
of motivation. "These are students who understand that post-secondary
education has shifted from a one-shot experience to continuous,
lifelong learning," says Wes Koczka, dean of Continuing Education
at the University of Victoria and president of the Canadian Association
for University Continuing Education. Koczka says workers today know
they have to "learn to earn."
But motivation can turn sour when students face the
pressures of a boss who insists they work late on school nights
or a child who is home sick with the flu. To combat these and the
myriad other competing pressures on adult students, schools are
developing an array of extra counselling and support services aimed
at those returning to school. These range from essay-writing labs
to loans of laptop computers.
Centennial College is Ontario's oldest and most diverse
community college. Counsellors there have developed a comprehensive
guide to help students returning to school. "It’s hardest for
a mature student returning to full-time studies," says Centennial
counsellor Diane Yip. "If you give up your job to return to
school, you no longer have the same social network, income and identity
you had before. If you return to school full-time, your identity
becomes that of a student. If you study part-time, the challenge
becomes how to juggle multiple roles."
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