Should you top-up your diploma with a bachelor’s degree?

Returning to study and getting your bachelor’s degree may seem daunting, but the advantages it will give you will make the investment in further education worth it. Not only is it good for your career, you will gain skills you can transfer to any career such as leadership, time management and teamwork. Plus, if you decide later you want to continue your education even further, a bachelor’s degree will ensure you have access to master level degrees around the world.

The current job market is highly competitive, especially with the travel bans and lockdowns that have occurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With more and more people looking for work, employers can be selective about the criteria used to assess potential employees. You might also be struggling to find a position after your diploma studies. If you want to make sure you stand out from the competition when applying for a job, why not continue your studies with a Bachelor’s degree?

Many employers now require a bachelor’s degree as the minimum level of education, especially for leadership or management positions. By adding a bachelor’s degree to your resume, you will find that there are many more career opportunities available to you. You will also have more opportunities internationally as your bachelor’s degree will be recognized around the world.

Bachelor degree programs usually include elective courses, which will allow you to explore your interests in your chosen field. Elective courses will give you deeper knowledge into specific areas related to your course of study. You will learn about current trends, challenges and opportunities, and examine cases from the real world. By selecting the right combination of elective courses, you will be able to specialize your skills toward the demands of the industry or tailor them towards your dream career path. A great university program will ensure the elective courses are regularly updated to keep up with the trends and needs of the industry to make sure you have skills that are in demand, which will give you a competitive edge in the job market.

In many cases, bachelor study programs include the opportunity to complete internships. While you may have completed internships in your previous studies, additional internships are a chance for you to gain experience in the same industry with a different company, in a different role, or in a new industry all together. You might also have the chance to intern in a country you had always dreamed of exploring. Internships are a great way to add professional experience to your resume and highlight your skills. Plus, companies have to invest time and resources into training their interns, which often means they are interested in hiring them into permanent positions when they graduate.

Building and maintaining a professional network can have lasting effects on your future success. Your time as a bachelor student will allow you to build relationships with other students as well as faculty. If you study on an international campus, then you will make friends and gain contacts from around the world. Projects with external partners and internships during your studies will also give you the opportunity to make new professional connections. By maintaining the network of connections you form during your bachelor’s degree, you will have access to industry insights, career guidance, and even recommendations for jobs down the road.

As a bachelor’s graduate, you will also join the university’s alumni program. Being part of an alumni network offers many benefits. You will have access to further education opportunities, social and networking events, as well as exclusive job opportunities.

The time you dedicate to earning a bachelor’s degree will help you become a learner for life. Your studies will not only build your knowledge with the field of your degree, but with the additional time you spend studying, you will also improve and develop many other skills. You will be required to explore and analyse issues from different perspectives, which will develop problem solving skills as well as the ability to evaluate information and construct logical arguments. You will also improve your communication skills, as you are required to clearly express yourself, give and receive feedback, and communicate with a broad range of people from different backgrounds and cultures.