A degree could double your paycheck
Looking at the cost of a college degree these days, you have to ask: is it worth it? The average tuition and fees for a private four-year college in the U.S. is $25,143. That’s for one year. And room and board’s not included.
Even with financial aid, loans and scholarships, that’s a lot to handle. That’s why so many students choose online degrees, which typically cost between $300 and $500 per credit for a bachelor’s degree. Financial help is also available for online degrees.
Still, that’s a big investment. What you really want to know is this: How much more money can I make with an online degree? The answer: A lot. You might even be able to double or triple your paycheck. Take a look at these four examples.
You don’t need a degree to be a tax preparer – the person who helps individuals or small businesses organize and fill out their tax returns. Tax preparers earn about $17 per hour. If you get your online degree in accounting and become a full-fledged accountant, however, your average hourly earnings go up to $31.65, or $65,840 per year. Then you can afford to hire someone else to do your own taxes for you!
Security guards earn $12.42 per hour, on average. If you’re tired of watching parking garages and office building lobbies, getting your criminal justice degree opens up all kinds of possibilities in law enforcement. Correctional officers in prisons and jails make $19.88 per hour. Police officers earn $25.39 an hour (and many can make significantly more money working overtime at special events). Get promoted to detective or investigator and you’re looking at $30.69 an hour, or nearly $64,000 per year. Get started with an online degree in criminal justice.
Preschool and daycare teachers have a rewarding, but exhausting job – and they don’t make a ton of money. The average hourly wage for a preschool teacher is $12.80, which adds up to an annual salary of $26,610. With an education degree, you could become an elementary school teacher earning $52,240 per year – and get all summer off too! Teachers who work in special education or other specialized fields can earn even more.
A nursing aide makes $11.84 per hour, on average. A home health aide typically earns less: around $10.31. If you have a knack for dealing with patients and you enjoy working in healthcare, you can get your nursing degree and triple your earnings. A registered nurse (RN) earns $31.31 an hour – that’s more than $65,000 per year. You can become an RN with a combination of campus and online nursing degrees.
Remember, all these salaries are averages provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So you might make more or less depending on your experience and where you work. Ready to increase your paycheck?
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