Ask the Recruiter

According to a U.S. Census Bureau study, the average person with a bachelor's degree earned $56,788 in 2006, but averages like that are subject to many variables. In your situation, you shouldn't expect your employer to automatically reward you for getting your bachelor's--as far as they're concerned, you'll still be doing the same job and therefore should be working within the same compensation structure. What matters more are the new opportunities for advancement that degree should open for you--both inside your organization or outside.

Starting with inside the organization, obtaining your degree can be a good occasion for a frank conversation with your chain of command about what career tracks they see as possibilities for you. A big factor is whether you happen to be located within commuting distance of the corporate headquarters, or are willing to relocate. To move up from store manager, you probably need to take on regional or other responsibilities within the corporate office, since there may not be much further for you to advance on the store level.

The specific opportunities may vary, but what's important is that your employers be able to articulate a plausible and appealing career track to you. If not, another benefit of your degree will be that you should be more marketable on the outside job market, where your combination of a bachelor's degree and management experience should give you some new options.