Going Back to School—Worth It or Not?

You've been toying with the idea for years: To go back to school and do what you REALLY want. We asked over a dozen people who made that leap to tell us: Was it worth the time and money? Overall, the answer was a resounding yes. Yet most people reported that what they gained wasn't always what they were expecting.

Right on the money
Fifteen years after completing his Bachelors, Manohar Shintre invested $80,000 in an MBA and couldn't be happier. "I recouped the money I spent within three years of getting my degree."

The surprise: "I'm more satisfied with my life because I finally took care of the nagging feeling that I need to do more, to push myself harder—not for the sake of the higher earnings, but for the sake of my own continuous growth."

The long search
Best-selling author Caroline Miller spent years after college starting a non-profit, raising a family—and seeking her next move.

The surprise: She found it two decades later in the field of Applied Positive Psychology. One year, one Masters and $45,000 later, Miller is the author of "Creating Your Best Life," and says, "I am a better person, friend, wife, coach, mother and mentor because of this life-altering year."

An accidental passion
Brandon Peele "went back to B-school for traditional reasons," he says.

The surprise: He was diverted by a course in Creativity and Personal Mastery. "It totally changed my life and continues to do so," says Peele, who now teaches and coaches in that field.

Fess up: If you could go back to school, what would you do?

More: www.dailyworth.com