Know the value of your qualification

When you borrow to get an education, you are investing in a valuable asset; one that you hope will boost both your career prospects, your quality of life, and your future pay packet.

It may seem expensive but then not having a qualification can sometimes prove even more costly.

To decide whether your qualification is value for money, use our qualification value calculator to compare your potential earnings with the full cost of your loan.

Keep in mind too, that if you're more qualified you'll have greater job stability.

Assets
An asset is a useful or valuable person or thing. In financial terms it's an item that can be converted into cash such as bank deposits, shares or property.

Your education can also be viewed as an asset. It has both monetary and non-monetary value. It's monetary value is in the increased earnings you expect to get as a result of being a qualified worker.

Qualifications give you job stability
Research shows if you're more qualified you'll have greater job stability.

The research is called "A forward-looking measure of the stock of human capital in New Zealand", by Le Thi Van Trinh, John Gibson, Department of Economics, University of Waikato, and Les Oxley, Department of Economics, University of Canterbury.