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question about going back to school

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05.02.2012 3:25am

Thread Creator

Clowd Cole
Dangerous Zombie

So I decided today that I hate my job so much that im going back to school without question as soon as I can.

So my question is, what would be a better option... quit my job move back with my parents and work part time living off scraps or keep working full time and just kill all my free time?

Also if anyone here has went back to school after being out for 8 years do you have any advise?

Buggle Up! Danger! Danger! (Genocide!) Death the Crisis! Dangerous Zombie!

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05.02.2012 6:19am

Zophycakes
I'M FROM THE INTERNETTTT
Administrator

Depends on how what you value more: free time, or independence?

Going back to school meant cutting back to free time and taking a bite of the shit sandwich called student loans, but I make a point to ensure that I have free time, that I go out and do things and see my friends, etc. It will hurt me economically in the long run but the way I see it creating memories and enjoying life while I'm young is more valuable.

If I were in your shoes, moving in with the 'rents seems like a dandy idea, but I get along pretty well with mine and I have a pretty healthy social life andI can stay nights/chill elsewhere if I want to.

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05.02.2012 2:32pm

Crusader
Not Even My Dad Hit Me

I'm with Zoph. School, to me, is as much about the experience as it is about the practical/academic stuff. To do otherwise cheats you of the full benefits, which IS exactly what you're dropping all that coin for in the first place.

What are you going back to school for? Undergrad? Do you wanna get a Masters?

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05.02.2012 2:36pm

Sanna
What a Tedious fight!

I need to go back to school as well, but I can't decide what exactly what for. How do you decide on a major? Not meaning to jack CC's thread, but I figure this would be better to ask here than to make a whole other thread. I really don't want to work retail for the rest of my life. Especially at minimum wage. You know it seems like it would be simple to figure out, but I really don't want to waste my money on school and not get a job in the end. That's already happened to me once. I'm a little jaded, and afraid of getting burned again.

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05.02.2012 3:02pm

Big Tall
Taller Than Tall

Zophycakes said:If I were in your shoes, moving in with the 'rents seems like a dandy idea, but I get along pretty well with mine and I have a pretty healthy social life andI can stay nights/chill elsewhere if I want to.

This. I was lucky enough to have a bit of money kicking around when I went back to school after a 6 year hiatus so I could afford to not work and go back to school, but if I'd been going to a school closer to home I probably would have moved back just to take some pressure off.

As far as keeping a job in some capacity, I guess that would depend on what you're going back to school for and how busy you'll be.

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05.02.2012 3:25pm

Crusader
Not Even My Dad Hit Me

Sanna said:

I need to go back to school as well, but I can't decide what exactly what for. How do you decide on a major? Not meaning to jack CC's thread, but I figure this would be better to ask here than to make a whole other thread. I really don't want to work retail for the rest of my life. Especially at minimum wage. You know it seems like it would be simple to figure out, but I really don't want to waste my money on school and not get a job in the end. That's already happened to me once. I'm a little jaded, and afraid of getting burned again.

What interests you? What do you WANT to do?

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05.02.2012 5:20pm

Ashilyn
Career GM

Hilariously, Sanna, I came here to not-Jack CC's thread too, because I pretty much have all the same concerns and issues. I know I'm going back to school this summer, and if it works well, maybe in the fall, and working things out is.... frustrating @_@

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05.02.2012 5:28pm

kirbenvost
Give Life Back To Music

I wish I'd thought of this shit 7 years ago. But I guess it's never too late to go back... Life just seems a little financially overwhelming right now though so I don't know when that's ever not going to be an issue.

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05.02.2012 8:10pm

GalaxyHead
Undisguised Man-Made Nova

I actually think most people could benefit from attending college in their mid to late 20s rather than 17 or 18, even though there is a stigma surrounding it. Why? Most of my students, freshmen and sophmores, have no idea what they want to do with their degree. I think this contributes to the drop out rates, plagiarism, cheating, poor performance and even the rise of anxiety and depression amongst college populations (which seems obvious). They take classes they have no interest in because they think it will get them a job of SOME sort. Most of them receive poor advice from a combination of shoddy college advisers and family members and the colleges literally lie to them about the usefullness of a degree in the current economy. I talked to a student who wanted to major in psychology simply because he wanted to figure out his "issues" and I had to persuade him that this was a bad idea since he otherwise was not really passionate about the field.

Honestly? Teenagers have no real passion or interests when they enter college, and that is what it takes to really get into a career you can tolerate and love doing for the rest of your life. Passion, and I don't mean FIST TO HEAVEN RITEOUSNESS but just a driving force, takes years of life experiences and failure and successes and experimenting to develop. I tell my students to write speeches about something they REALLY care about and they just say "I don't know." I don't think it is systemic apathy, just...they're so young! They have no real personality yet because they haven't been allowed to have one by the school systems.

But I will say, the ones that DO know what they want to do and have good guidance and support networks (and, luckily, good mental health) are the MOST focused students. They attend classes, they do the work in an ethical manner, they don't argue with their professors.
It's the same way with "non-traditional" students (students over the age of 25). They have a goal and they know how to get it. They've worked out in the "real world" and they know what they want to do and what they would rather not do.

Picking a field to major in, in all practicality, has a lot to do with a combination of your interests, your skills, your ability to focus on one area without eventually hating it, the sorts of jobs that you can obtain with that degree that won't land you where you started, and the sort of outside professional development opportunities available (i.e. paid internships, co-ops, etc.). Communication seems like a shitty major but my department, atleast, has a ton of undergraduate internships that are paid. Engineering and some biology and social work departments make paid co-ops/internships mandatory for graduation.

Sometimes working in a particular field for a few years can also help you focus on a major. For example, did you know that most consultants have had some sort of basic retail or customer service exprience? You can't learn the ability to relate to and interact with people on a professional level through lectures no matter how many communication courses you take.

You also have to ask yourself: "Is college worth the debt?" At this point, you should take the time to search for schools that will offer you a scholarship. I don't know if the Pell Grant is still around, but you should always apply for one and any other free funding you can get your hands on. Sometimes the debt to earnings ratio for undergrads, atleast in the U.S., makes it not worth the investment unless you choose a career with the potential for high earnings.

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05.02.2012 8:32pm

Zubis
Registered Member

It depends on if your job is strictly 9 to 5 or not. If it is, then you should have some social life - not much but some.

If your job requires you to work overtime, it might have a serious effect on your health. I did a Masters over two years part time and while working full time. 60 hour work weeks (crunch time periods) plus 8-12 hours of classes plus 20 hours of college work very nearly killed me. I'm not exaggerating - after I finished the Masters I had to take an unplanned leave of absence for a week because I was so physically ill from stress.

Most people I know who went back to collge in their late 20s or early 30s switched jobs for less responsibility. Sure the pay sucks but it keeps you going and you know you can run out the door when your shift ends.

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05.02.2012 9:47pm

Free Spirit
Zetta Member

I'm in the exact same boat at the moment. I hated my job, and the field in general, and I have hated it for years. I finally quit about a month ago, and have already gone through the paperwork of being accepted at a college for a Computer Science degree. Just gotta wait to hear back that my tuition deposit went through, and I'll start scheduling classes for the fall. Also, I'm still waiting to see if my credits from ten years ago will transfer, since that would shave a year, maybe more, off my school time.

Financially, I've always lived at home, and have always been single, so I have done nothing but save money over the last ten years, ever since I dropped out of college the first time. Even though I have more than enough money saved up to live on my own, not work, and pay off my education to boot, I am stil going to live at home as long as humanly possible, even after I graduate. I can't imagine why anyone would want to move out of their parents house to begin with if the situation at home is tolerable. I have no debt, no rent, no bills, no responsibilities, and am planning on doing absolutely nothing for the next four months until classes start. It's wonderful. And I don't plan on getting another job until I graduate from college and can finally get a job I enjoy. I'm focusing 100% of my time and energy on my schooling this time around.

My advice is save up as much money as humanly possible beforehand so that when the time comes to hit the books, you don't have anything else in your life to worry about. I would say definitely live at home with your parents if they can stand you and you can stand them and it's not a financial burden for them. I know not everyone is as lucky as I am to have parents that pretty much don't bother me at all and ask for little to nothing in return for letting me live with them, but if you do have such a situation with your folks, I think you'd be wasting a golden opportunity to relax while you get your shit together.

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05.02.2012 10:49pm

Crono
Crono can cross dimensions too!

I'll go with the usual. If you can tolerate living with your parents then by all means save the money. Not everyone can though ESPECIALLY after having lived on their own for any amount of time. I lived at school for 4 years except summers from 18-22 and I'd say that 40% of the time spent at home that summer was madening to the point where I packed my bags at least 3 times before calming down. Then to save money I lived at home for my fifth year while I finished my masters. I basically just slept there and there were entire weeks where I didn't go home and crashed on a buddy's parents couch (he lived there too). I love my parents but I HATE having to live with them or bare any mark of debt to them be it financial or "You live under our roof do this and this and this" nonsense. If I had to move back at 28 I'd shoot myself.

I agree that going to school at 25-30 makes sense for a lot of people it certainly isn't for everyone. If I had to go back to school for any significant amount of time at this point in my life I'd be very upset; then again, I paid my dues already.

Currently Playing: Dark Cloud 2: 3 hours.
Also Playing: CT, FF VI, Solatorobo, Secret of Mana, Halo 4.
Just Finished: Fable II: 7 hours.

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05.02.2012 11:36pm

Thread Creator

Clowd Cole
Dangerous Zombie

I love my parents to death, but the major problem with living with them is location. The only school close to where my parents live is one of the most expensive private schools in TN so even though I would save money on rent I feel I would just spend as much going there.

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05.03.2012 6:40am

Ladile
Medic!

A lot of what GalaxyHead said is spot on, especially for me. When I started college, I only knew that I wanted to do something with "science" since I had liked it well enough in school and I was told that there were better career options in that area. I ultimately ended up with a B.S. in Health Sciences with a concentration in microbiology. However, when graduation rolled around, I was in a bind - I'd gotten so sick of academia that I knew that I didn't want to pursue a Masters or go into research. I wanted to work in a lab, but had no practical experience with working in a lab. As a result, I spent the 5-6 months following graduation feeling constantly sick because I had no ideas and no plans on what to do next.

What I finally ended up doing was enrolling in a local technical college to get an Associate's in Medical Laboratory Technology (or CLT as it's also called). In the end, about the same amount of money was spent to do that as it was for me to go to college for four years. I got my CLT degree in a year and a half (a year of classes and six months of clinicals in an actual hospital laboratory), got licensed and certified, and found a job about two months later.

If I could go back, I would definitely do some things differently. In retrospect, I see places during my college career where I could have and should have done more, but didn't due to my lack of experience and general uncertainty with what I wanted for a job. I can't call my four years in college a waste since I did learn a lot about myself and how life works, not to mention it ironically gave me a leg up for my current career path since I'd have needed a four year degree to advance to the next rung on the ladder anyway. However, part of me *does* wish I could just go back, skip college, and go to technical school instead; would have saved some money and some grief for both myself and my parents.

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07.03.2012 5:44am

Sigma
I think I do...

There's no way in hell I could have made it 4.5 years with my parents. The odd luck that I have, though, I've made it through (mostly. I do have 6 more months after this Summer) with not a lot of debt from what I understand. And what debt I do owe is all Federal, so there aren't a whole lot of rates and tricks to worry about.

So what I'm really saying is FAFSA that shit up. Pell grant (Up to 5,500/year) will take care of most of in-state tuition for most public universities. There are definitely other grants and scholoarships around too, so hit those up. Then you've got it down to living expenses or if you're okay with the loans and play your rent cards right, nothing at all.

Often there're also deals about being a Resident Assistant or Dorm Manager or some such. These are to taste. I was an RA for two years, and I really shouldn't have been. I'm capable, but I don't like it. There's a lot of outgoingness and event/community-building type creativeness that I simply don't do well. They do sometimes come with free room and/or board and/or a stipend, but living where you work can be super shitty.

I really don't know how FAFSA works over the age of 24, but if you hate your ex-job, it probably means you qualify for need-based grants/scholarships.

For Sanna and Ashilyn, I agree with GalaxyHead. The only thing I can really add is watch out for the differences between what you think your career might be, what the coursework is, and what the most common jobs in the field are. My mother got a degree that usually ended up in a mindless chemistry drone job. Thus she's hated every job related to it. Knowing that, I started out in Mechanical Engineering (because I love the prospect of making awesome shit) right after high school. But two years in, I started having doubts if I could really do the actual jobs related to ME, so I bailed into Computer Science which I'd already had experience in and knew I enjoyed. I look back and wonder if it was just the coursework that threw me off ME, though, but CS is treating me really well, so I have nothing to complain about.

On a less founded note, I think location is important. If you're going to a school that's in a good location for your major, I believe you're more likely to get internships, jobs, etc. I could definitely be wrong, and it's not a deal breaker by any means, but perhaps something to think about if you're attached to your area or find moving difficult.

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