Strategic Thinking and Education

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Your education, or that of your children, is one of the most important places you can apply strategic thinking, especially in this time of sky-high tuition costs and student loan debt.

Education is an end in itself, of course, but that is not enough for it to be anymore. If you are going to go to school for something, you need to have a reason and an end goal in mind. You need to think strategically, in other words.

Find Your Education End Goal

As usual, start with your goals. What is the end goal? What do you hope to achieve by going to school? Are you studying for a career, like teaching or medicine, that requires a four-year degree, or are your goals simpler? Why do you want to go to school?

Many career paths do not require a degree at all, and others only require a two-year degree or a certificate. Make certain that you are going after whatever educational level is required for your end goals before you commit. Also, make sure that the end goal is a realistic one. Not every field has jobs in it anymore and you do not want to be left high and dry!

Create Your Path

Once you have found out what education you need for your goal, it is time to design an educational path that will get your there using an optimal combination of time and money and incur as little debt as possible.  

Even if you want to do something that requires a lot of schooling and a lot of debt, such as veterinary school, you can utilize strategic thinking to help you reduce the time and cost burdens.

For example, you can start by taking classes at a community college even if you will need to transfer later. These colleges are significantly cheaper. You can take all the courses possible there and then transfer them to your final college. You can test out of many classes at most schools.

Public schools are cheaper than private ones and even public schools vary in cost. Shop around to get the best deal. Most employers will not care what name is on your degree. Finance your education with cash or grants and scholarships if you can to reduce your overall debt burden.

Conclusion

There are all just examples of ways to think strategically about getting an education. You can use these ideas and the strategic thinking process to design the ideal educational experience for you.

Loving Life — The Reboot!

Dominique

This article provides general information and discussion about health and related subjects. The information and other content provided in this article, or in any linked materials, are not intended and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having.