Posted on Aug 20, 2016
How do you measure your Return on Investment (R.O.I) of your time from attending a free certification course, workshop, degree program?
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The degree program I went through with the Army (USAGPAN or US Army Graduate Program of Anesthesia Nursing) has an extremely high ROI. All I gave was my time (was Masters now Doctorate
- about three years now after your undergrad and your two years plus critical care). The school was paid for plus I got salary, insurance, time in grade/service, etc. I have a great job on active duty providing surgical and OB anesthesia to soldiers, family members, retirees, etc. Our bonuses are competitive. We do the same job in garrison or out in austere environments while deployed.
The profession is usually well compensated on the civilian side when one gets out or retires. I have friends and colleagues that borrowed over $200K to complete this education on the civilian side whereas through the Army I had no student loans. Best decision I ever made. Was enlisted for 9 years prior and can retire in about 3 1/2 years.
- about three years now after your undergrad and your two years plus critical care). The school was paid for plus I got salary, insurance, time in grade/service, etc. I have a great job on active duty providing surgical and OB anesthesia to soldiers, family members, retirees, etc. Our bonuses are competitive. We do the same job in garrison or out in austere environments while deployed.
The profession is usually well compensated on the civilian side when one gets out or retires. I have friends and colleagues that borrowed over $200K to complete this education on the civilian side whereas through the Army I had no student loans. Best decision I ever made. Was enlisted for 9 years prior and can retire in about 3 1/2 years.
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I would measure my ROI based on if I learned anything and how valuable that knowledge will be in the future. The smallest bit of knowledge can yield incredible results. Knowledge is power and can be very beneficial when dealing with finances and stocks. I'd never pass up a free course - to me, such things are priceless.
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CW3 Dylan E. Raymond, PHR
Does free mean better? Is there a specific time period to see if the learnings yields results?
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CW3 Dylan E. Raymond, PHR - I wouldn't necessarily say free means better, however when free, to me, means "what's to lose" at worst you don't learn anything, at best you learn something that can prove to be invaluable as far as finances and investments. When you pay to attend financial courses you are of course, risking you lose money and not learn anything. Knowledge is only good to those who choose to use it.
As far as time periods - that's hard to tell. If I invest something today, next month I may have only made a few pennies off of my investment - but when I retire I may be a millionaire. Was the investment worth it? To some, maybe not, to me absolutely.
I took a 3 day course and learned almost nothing - however I learned what "SCRA" was. "SCRA" has saved me thousands of dollars. Loans, APRs, investments. My credit has since shot up and I know I am protected when it comes to rental agreements and payments. Was the course worth nearly 3 wasted days? Yes. Absolutely.
As far as time periods - that's hard to tell. If I invest something today, next month I may have only made a few pennies off of my investment - but when I retire I may be a millionaire. Was the investment worth it? To some, maybe not, to me absolutely.
I took a 3 day course and learned almost nothing - however I learned what "SCRA" was. "SCRA" has saved me thousands of dollars. Loans, APRs, investments. My credit has since shot up and I know I am protected when it comes to rental agreements and payments. Was the course worth nearly 3 wasted days? Yes. Absolutely.
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CW3 Dylan E. Raymond, PHR
This question is not limited to financial investments it could be for a certain degree, Project manager certification etc.....
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Very hard question to put a realistic answer to. First of all, we can't see into the future. One never knows what you're going to need or use in the future. When I took typing class in school I never knew I'd need it so much now that computers are here. Being able to type correctly instead of "hunt and peck" is a blessing. This is just a small example, but here are so many more. Knowledge gained is never wasted, no matter if you never think you will ever use it - more than once I've been surprised!
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