Thinking about going to back to College

[Dagger75]

I tried the college thing back in the day. I majored in Computer Science, lets say I wasted a bunch of money. I do have an AA degree but not a BA or anything like that. So fast forward about 10 years and I want to get a degree. I have decided to actually get a degree in something I want to learn rather than something I think will make me rich like that last time.

Anything a 30 year old who hasn't been in a school in 9 years should be watch out for? Anybody else gone back to school after a long time want to give me some pointers. Thanks

 

[Xath]

Well, I'm in college now, but I know a bunch of people who waited. Look carefully at your school's options. Alot of places offer night courses for full-time workers, and many campuses have day-care facilities.

You might think that you'll feel out of place on a college campus, but it really depends on where you go and what you major in. I'm a Thet major at the University of MD, College Park, and I know there are at least 10 people in my major alone who waited to go to college or came back to finish their degrees.

My advice: Wait to declare your major. Take classes you like and see where you want to go. And good luck.

 

[Byrons_Ghost]

I was 29 when I went back for my Comp Sci degree. Your decision to pursue something that you're more interested in is definately the way to go, especially with the way computer jobs are these days. I took CS because I liked it, and I'm not sorry that I did, but it would be nice to get a job that uses the @#$% degree...

Anyhow, definately hold off on declaring your major for a while. Depending on what work experience you've already got, that's going to play a much larger role in future career choices than your major. A friend of mine, for example, has a BA in Philosophy and and MBA. And he just became a field agent in the FBI. So, outside of specialized professions like CS or accounting, a basic business or liberal arts degree will do you pretty good in a general job search.

Start slowly on the academic load- don't expect to be on top of things just because you're older, or know more, or had some college already. At the university I went to, everyone had to take a math placement exam, and I scored low enough to begin in the remedial algebra class- not even the college algebra one I'd had the first time around, but the one beneath it. I was floored at the amount of stuff I'd forgotten; during the test I kept flashing back to that Simpsons episode where Bart's trying to work out the word problem about the train.

For future job stuff, keep an eye on internships and work study type opportunities. I didn't have much chance to do that sort of thing, since my financial aid was such that I had to work a lot of hours just to make money. And I'm feeling the lack of field experience now that I'm out. Depending on the field or company you're in, you might be able to get some assistance from the company. Also, a lot of school have some sort of "nontraditional" or returning student programs, so look into something like that. It'd be helpful to schedule an appointment with some sort of academic counsellor or advisor and see what all you can access. Find information in a larger university can be tough though; expect to get bounced around a lot between people.

 

[der_kluge]

First off, Xath, what the heck is a Thet major?

Secondly, I want to understand your reasoning behind going back and getting a second degree? If you're just not happy with your chosen field that's one thing, but there are tons of jobs out there that don't require specific degrees, and often real-world experience, or the fact that you have *any* degree can get you places.

Is there a specific field you are wanting to get into that requires a specific kind of degree?

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Anything a 30 year old who hasn't been in a school in 9 years should be watch out for?

The co-eds, mostly.

 

[king_ghidorah]

Byrons_Ghost said just about everything I would have, and academic advising is what I do for a living!

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Great thread, I was going to start one soon enough. After getting back from GenCon this year, I'll be looking into my AD and then determining whether I want to pursue a career among the rpg companies or go for something else. Never been published before though, unless you count the Bland-Aid letter in this month's Dragon.

 

[eabha]

I headed off to university at the age of 17 knowing absolutely nothing about the world. I'd been living in a small town, going to a pretty useless high school, and was shocked upon arriving at York U. here in Toronto. Very eye opening.

I quit after one year. I spent the next six years working crap jobs and wanting to finish my degree but not wanting a repeat of my earlier experience. I finally decided to do it in 1995. I left Toronto, went to a really small town (Antigonish, Nova Scotia) and a really small university (St. FX) and had a blast!

It was like a second adolescence. I lived in residence (girls only, but that was all part of the fun...sneaking guys in...). I partied at the local pubs. All my friends were 17 and 18 years old. They teased me, called me an old lady, but it was all in good fun.

And I did very well. Older and wiser, I aced most of my classes, and even with all the fun I was having, I still managed to graduate first in my class (forgive the bragging!).

More importantly, I chose a major I was really interested in (English Literature) and I learned a lot. I went on to complete a Master's Degree in the same field. Now if only someone would pay me to interpret poetry...

 

[Scotley]

Regardless of your career goals, more and more companies are requiring a degree, pretty much any degree, for all but the lowest tier jobs. I say go for it. It can be tough if you have kids and other responsibilities. My wife went back for her RN while working full time and it was very hard on her and the family. Still we are glad she did it. The demand for nurses should keep her well employed for the foreseeable future. Others mentioned some of these things, but find out about tuition assistance at your current job, also any grants or scholarship programs they might offer. Look into the tax benefits as well. There are some tax incentives for student loan interest and I think for just being in school. Be careful about borrowing money if you aren't going into something that will increase your income. My experience has been that a lot of fairly smart people do poorly in college. I think part of the reason is that they were able to breeze through high school without really learning good study and time management skills. Look for programs for new and non-traditional students that can help you master these skills before you get too far along. It can really pay off. If you are seeking financial aid consider a test prep course. A lot of non-need based programs are based on test scores. If you haven't had math and english courses or work experience relating to those areas in a while you may find the SAT and ACT a challenge. Good Luck.

 

[Angcuru]

This thread puts my current situation into perspective. After two years (as of the coming August) at community college, I'll have my AA in Psychology. I love the subject, I have great understanding of it, and it's versatile + high demand. However, having put in my transfer application to Kean University to continue my education in Psychology, I have yet to recieve a reply.

Now, I have landed a summer job in the construction business making about as much as I can expect to make once I have my BA or even Masters degree. Hard work, early start, but working one summer will pay for another two years of school, and then some.

My worry is that if my application is rejected that I'll end up working this job and not going back to school, because the money is just that good. Because of the nature of the job, there would likely be times when I'd be out of work for weeks, even months at a time. I don't want to be in this line of work for longer than necessary, because I have my father as an example of what working in construction for your whole life can do to a person.

Actually, what I'm worried about is actually similar to what happened to my dad. He was a mathematics major at Kean in the mid 70s, and because he was attending on financial aid, and Affrimative Action cut him off from that financial aid, he was unable to finish his degree in Advanced Mathematics. Went into the construction business, didn't look back, now in constant pain.