Of all the many benefits that employers can offer their employees, one that is usually underappreciated—but potentially most valuable— is tuition reimbursement. Not all companies offer help with college, of course, and recent economic belt-tightening has reduced the numbers, but still, two of three American companies offer assistance for undergraduate education (down from 78% in 2004), and 56% offer assistance for grad school.

The definition of "classroom" has changed significantly in the last decade, especially at major universities that have embraced online courses as part of their curriculum. If pushing your kids out the door to school has awakened in you a hunger for learning,  if you want to refresh your knowledge in a certain subject, or even if you're considering going back to school to help improve your career prospects,  going back to school can be as easy as a click of the mouse.