Goin' Back To School...

[Inkachu]

I know we've got some people here who've gone back to college later in life, and now I get to join the ranks!! Share your stories, advice, struggles, etc, here in this thread

How old were you when you returned to school?

If you already have a degree, what is it? What degree are you pursuing now?

How do you juggle work and family obligations along with your school work?

What career do you hope to participate in once you've gotten your degree?


I'm not going to say my age (I'm a dork like that), but I'm in my 30's and just started my first class yesterday

I completed about 2 years of college after high school, but dropped out before finishing. Back then, all I wanted to be was a writer, but nobody ever told me that a college degree is pretty useless in that field. And it was just silently understood in our house that, after high school, you go to college. That's just how it was. So I went, took a bunch of literary, philosopy, and religious classes, which I loved, and bombed out in all the science and math stuff, which I despised. I wound up frustrated, rebellious, and just stopped going. And my student loan debt followed me lol. So now I'm going back for a Human Services degree, which I'll use (God willing) to become a social worker, preferably in a medical setting. I'll be paying my way through (NO loans/debt) and taking one class at a time for now.

 

[DZoolander]

My mom went back to school in her 50's and her focus was in accounting. She really enjoyed it!

I went to school and majored in Philosophy (concentration in ethics/moral philosophy - and minored in economics). I've thought about going back - although dunno what I'd want to pursue. I'd probably just aimlessly take courses. lol

 

[Inkachu]

Did you use your Philosophy or Economics degree for a career, Ezoo?

 

[lisah]

I know we've got some people here who've gone back to college later in life, and now I get to join the ranks!! Share your stories, advice, struggles, etc, here in this thread .

That is great! I hope you love it!

How old were you when you returned to school? .

When I seriously returned to school? 52, I think. Although I often took classes just for enjoyment.

If you already have a degree, what is it? What degree are you pursuing now? .

Associates in Liberal Arts & Fine Art Photography. I might go back for a B.A. in Urban Affairs (possibly). I'm still thinking about whether it would be worth the money spent.

How do you juggle work and family obligations along with your school work? .

I was laid off, so I tried to do my work when no one was home.

So now I'm going back for a Human Services degree, which I'll use (God willing) to become a social worker, preferably in a medical setting. I'll be paying my way through (NO loans/debt) and taking one class at a time for now.

Apply for as many scholarships as you can. My art instructor made it through college by applying for all sorts of scholarships. If you can write, it should be a breeze for you to do.

If you are taking more than one class, try to take classes that relate. Like, I took geology and sculpture at the same time. Photography and chemistry. Math's and business/economics. Pay attention to that. It makes things more interesting that way. Or, at least it did for me.

 

[DZoolander]

Did you use your Philosophy or Economics degree for a career, Ezoo?

I ended up in software development - so not really.

Economics has really only served me well in arguing politics...lol It's always fun to get into discussions with people who start throwing around terms like "supply" and "demand" - but clearly don't understand the concepts. What can I say - I'm a dork.

I suppose you might be able to say that the philosophy background and all of the logic courses I had to take maybe helped in my field...but...that'd be a stretch.

 

[ValleyGal]

I was 30 when I went to college for a few months to become a care aide, and I went to work right away - later it was used as the foundation for LPN transfer of function duties. I then went back to school at age 41, took a year of psychology courses, took a year off, switched majors to social work and finished that by a few years ago. I did not take time off; I attended year-round and did not work during that time.

My son got very, very sick at the start of my second-to-last term. I was in all my 4th year theoretical courses like Policies, Research, Mental Health, Gerontology and Community Development. Not only was I in school, but I also had to make the trip to the hospital 3 - 4 times a week over two months. It was in the summer so traffic was crazy and made the commute about 2 hours each way. I was also attending parental information sessions put on for my son's illness - that lasted 6 weeks.

How did I cope? I never read any of my text books... well, one small one, but none of it sank in. While I was commuting, I put up my worship music and focused my attention on my relationship with God, prayed, etc. When I was at school, I focused on learning. When I was at the hospital, I was focused on my son. For me, it all came down to being intentional about what I was doing at the moment. I reached out to only one friend during all that time because there was not enough of me left to go around. I met with her once a week for support, prayer, and to get my mind off such a serious life.

The most important thing for me to remember is that it was only for a little while, and it would end. I had to keep reminding myself of that. I took it day by day, hour by hour and sometimes minute by minute.

I know you can do this Inka! It might get hard now, but once it's done, it will be worth it!

 

[Inkachu]

Wow, VG, what an inspiring story! It's hard to keep from feeling like I'm too old to start again, but then, some of you ladies (I remember Hetta in particular) have given me a great piece of advice: You're going to get older. You're going to turn 40, 45, 50, etc. You can either turn 40 and 50 without achieving something, or having achieved something, because the birthdays are coming either way lol. That's really helped me try to keep my attitude positive, and not feel like I should just give up and get old and be mediocre forever. Do I want to be getting older? No... I wish time would stand still. But that's not going to happen, so the next best thing is to start making things happen for myself, so I can get old with a sense of accomplishment

 

[RedPonyDriver]

I did a Master's program in my early 40's. It wasn't easy or fun. I took 2 classes a semester...that was all I could handle. I had class 2 nights a week, 3 hours a night and spent the other 5 nights doing homework. I stuck it out because it was going to be career enhancing and my employer was paying for it...but if I had to do it over, I wouldn't.

 

[Hetta]

My first degree was at the traditional age to obtain a bachelor's/master's degree, and I have had a professional career ever since. I decided a few years ago to go back to school to obtain an MBA, but as I took those classes it made me begin to think really deeply about what I wanted for the rest of my working life, and whether I truly wanted to stay where I was/do what I do (in the business world). I realized that I didn't, and so instead I did a complete turnaround and began taking 'catch up' classes so that I could obtain my B.S. in Psychology. I can't begin to explain the thought processes that led to this, it's complicated, lol.

So I graduated in the fall, and I had three offers for graduate school: an MS in Psyc, an MS in Counseling (mental health) and an M.Ed in a program that I won't name in case it identifies the college because I don't know how many of those degrees are offered, but it is college education and vocational related counseling. However much sense that makes! I really, really wanted to be a counselor. It is something I've thought about for years. However, having considered it carefully, I realized that it would take me four years before I could become a licensed counselor (the degree requires 60 hours of study, and 3000 hours of supervised practice are required before licensure, the supervision beginning after graduation/successful completion of the NCE and jurisprudence exam and those 3000 hours could not be completed in less than 18 months).

While I am totally behind adult education and will absolutely take my area of study to PhD level, I did not want to wait 4 years to begin my career, at a time of life when most people are looking ahead to retirement! If I had started this ten years ago, I would be in an entirely different place, but I didn't, so it is what it is.

I'm excited about the M.Ed. I'm excited about what I'll do after that. As you know, I'm very positive about education, and I believe that I'm in a better place now from going back to school and making these changes. I was bored with my career, bored with management and business, just plain old bored. I have no regrets whatsoever that I didn't pursue an MBA, I believe that my degree in Psychology has opened my mind and educated me in so many wider ways than just "getting a degree" and having a diploma in my hand. (I graduated summa cum laude btw, so we oldies can definitely do it and then more besides.

As for the kids - they have grown up in an environment where education was prioritized.

 

[ValleyGal]

It's hard to keep from feeling like I'm too old to start again...

My mom was about 55 when she left my dad. She had always been part of the farm work, but she really always wanted to be a nurse. I encouraged her to go back to school, but she thought she was too old to go into nursing. At that time, it was 6 months to be a care aide, 12 months to be an LPN, and 2 years to be a RN. I mentioned that all of them are nursing, and no matter what she did, she would still have at least 8 years of work before retirement at age 65 (mandatory retirement has now been lifted). Anyway, she took the plunge and got a certificate as a care aide. She got a job right away as an accupuncturist's assistant, and has been there ever since. She is now 72 and still loves it as much as she did back then.

The advice I gave her was that she could either die with the regret of not following her dreams, or she could die without regrets and do what she always wanted to do. Eventually, I had to follow my own advice when I went back to school for social work. One of my greatest values is security, and I had to sacrifice that value in order to follow my dreams. Sometimes decisions are hard like that, but there is a lot of personal growth as a result.

 

[Inkachu]

I did a Master's program in my early 40's. It wasn't easy or fun. I took 2 classes a semester...that was all I could handle. I had class 2 nights a week, 3 hours a night and spent the other 5 nights doing homework. I stuck it out because it was going to be career enhancing and my employer was paying for it...but if I had to do it over, I wouldn't.

What was your degree in? Are you now working in a career that uses your degree?

...*snips long post*....

So are you hoping to become a teacher, or an education administrator, or...?

My mom was about 55 when she left my dad. She had always been part of the farm work, but she really always wanted to be a nurse. I encouraged her to go back to school, but she thought she was too old to go into nursing. At that time, it was 6 months to be a care aide, 12 months to be an LPN, and 2 years to be a RN. I mentioned that all of them are nursing, and no matter what she did, she would still have at least 8 years of work before retirement at age 65 (mandatory retirement has now been lifted). Anyway, she took the plunge and got a certificate as a care aide. She got a job right away as an accupuncturist's assistant, and has been there ever since. She is now 72 and still loves it as much as she did back then.

Good for her! I worked with a nurse who didn't start nursing school until she was 45, and she worked for about 20 years and loved what she did before she retired.

 

[Hetta]

So are you hoping to become a teacher, or an education administrator, or...?

No to teaching. Sorry that my post ended so abruptly. I actually thought that I'd lost it so I just thought grrrr, and I would re-type it later. I had a lot more to say but it doesn't really matter in retrospect, ha.

I doubt I would ever teach, but if I did, it would be at college level, not grade school. There are a lot of options and I'm already looking into a new direction that I can take now, before I complete my M.Ed, that would help me get on that path. Mainly, I think that some form of college advising - vocational and academic - would be a good choice for me. I have a real passion for education (which was one of the things I would have added) that would be valuable, along with a great deal of knowledge about the world of work and careers.