People return to college for many different reasons, but typically it’s to earn a set of skills that will make them a more valuable contender in the work force and potentially help them earn a higher salary. But if it’s a higher salary that you seek, then that means funds to return to school may be scarce; after all college is expensive. But if you already have a steady job and want to earn your master’s degree debt free, your current employer may just be able to pay your way through school. But you first have to persuade your boss that you’re “worth it.” When preparing your speech, it might be useful to touch on the areas listed below.
Asses How Your Education Could Benefit the Company
First things first: you need to explain to your boss how receiving more education will benefit the company as a whole. Will you be better equipped to lead and manage? Will you be able to bring a set of modern, fresh skills to the industry? Will you be able to generate more revenue? Will it better equip you to train new hires? You need to thoroughly explain how continuing your education is beneficial. Then you need to prove why you are the one who deserves to go back to school to learn these new skills, which leads us to our next tip—
Mention Your Loyalty
One of the easiest ways to sell yourself is to mention that you’ve been loyal to your employer for “x” amount of years. Say that you’ve already proven your work ethic and mesh well with the company culture, so there is no further “risk”—something that comes with every new hire. And your employer doesn’t have to deal with recruiters. Hiring someone from an agency can get really expensive, so you can end up saving them some money. By investing in your education and allowing you to learn the skills to fulfill a new position for example, your employer can have faith that he or she has a dedicated and hardworking employee.
Address Time Management
Of the main concerns that your employer will have is whether school will interfere with your current job. You need to persuade your boss that you can juggle the two. To convince your boss even further, you may even suggest online schooling since the model allows more flexibility. Or of course, you’ll take traditional night classes.
Consider Signing a Contract
If your employer is nervous that you’ll take your new knowledge to a different company, agree to sign a contract stating that you promise to stay with the company for “x” amount of years—it doesn’t have to be anything drastic, but assuring your boss that you won’t go anywhere within the next year will convince him or her that.
Mention Tax Credits and Deductions
Last but not least, you need to remind your employer that by footing the bill for your education, he or she is eligible to receive various tax credits and deductions come tax season.
About the Author: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she writes about education, online colleges, online degrees etc. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.
