Too Old for College?

[Piccolo]

I've been seriously considering going to college to pursue a dual degree in physics and engineering. Right now, I work on what is basically a helpdesk, and don't really have any skills that I could use to get a better job. My entire professional career has been working on helpdesks. I'm not interested in the IT field at all, but have thought about getting a few IT certifications just to get a better job. I'm know I'll never be happy working in the IT field, so I'm really not that motivated to go the certification route.

If I decide on going to a regular college, there are 3 things I'm worried about.
1) Money, and quality of life, while trying to juggle a full time job and full time school.
2) Going back to school itself. It's been 8 years since I've been in any type of regular classes, and I'm worried I won't be able to get back into my old study habits.
3) Age. I'm 25 now. I'm worried that I'll feel out of place surrounded by 17, 18, and 19 year olds. Especially if they are smarter than I think I am

So, what do you think? Go to school? Get the IT certs? Stick with what I have now and hope I can grow in the company when the opportunity arises?

Thanks for the input.

[Casket Crew]

Im 25 and just started school for Computer engineering and I plan to go to law school there after and there are people my age and older all over the place

[chesus]

when i was in college i was 18 and most of the people were over 25

[3l1t3]

25 is young. I'm 22 and I'm in college. You have to look at the long term, which you obviously are doing, and consider your future. A college degree (even if it's unrelated to your career) will give you a leg up. Certifications help as well. Good luck

[fengler]

my mom is 43 and shes going to asu for manufacturing engineering...

[Chauncey]

Originally Posted by Piccolo

I've been seriously considering going to college to pursue a dual degree in physics and engineering. Right now, I work on what is basically a helpdesk, and don't really have any skills that I could use to get a better job. My entire professional career has been working on helpdesks. I'm not interested in the IT field at all, but have thought about getting a few IT certifications just to get a better job. I'm know I'll never be happy working in the IT field, so I'm really not that motivated to go the certification route.

If I decide on going to a regular college, there are 3 things I'm worried about.
1) Money, and quality of life, while trying to juggle a full time job and full time school.
2) Going back to school itself. It's been 8 years since I've been in any type of regular classes, and I'm worried I won't be able to get back into my old study habits.
3) Age. I'm 25 now. I'm worried that I'll feel out of place surrounded by 17, 18, and 19 year olds. Especially if they are smarter than I think I am

So, what do you think? Go to school? Get the IT certs? Stick with what I have now and hope I can grow in the company when the opportunity arises?

Thanks for the input.

Hey Piccolo...

I'm 25 as well, and I'm just starting college (on Monday to be exact). NO, you are definitely NOT too old to start college. Look at it this way: now that you've been out here in the real world for a few years, you've most likely got a pretty concrete grasp on how things work, how to move up the job ladder, how to network (socially, that is), and most importantly, what you want to do for a career. I'm pursuing a certificate in Airframe repair to complement my Powerplant certificate so I can continue working in the aviation field as a fully cert'ed A&P. The pay is around 20-25 bucks per hour, not half bad for a kid who barely graduated high school, eh? Oh, and in case your wondering, I have about 6 years experience in this field which allows me to command that high of a price. Aviation is a field totally centered on accountability and responsibility and every time we touch (yes, I said touch) the aircraft, we're responsible for its airworthiness. That being said, we risk our very licenses and certs every time we touch the 'craft. This is the justification for commanding such good money, that and the fact that lives are at risk every time the plane is flown (whew!! where did that come from? Sorry!)

Anyways, that will allow me to pursue more gainful employment which in turn will allow me to finance my dream of becoming the first college graduate in my family's history. I will be studying for a degree in Real Estate Development or Business Management, most likely.

To answer your questions...

Originally Posted by Piccolo

1) Money, and quality of life, while trying to juggle a full time job and full time school.

It's gonna be a ball-breaker, that's for sure. What makes this easier is if you don't have a family yet. I don't, and I'm glad I've decided to wait until I have my education out of the way first. Search for every grant, loan, and scholarship you can get. Your quality of life may decline just a LITTLE bit, but look at it this way: at least it's only temporary and besides, you're getting something worth far more than the sacrifice you've made to get it. Finally, nothing can take away your education, can it? Not layoffs, divorce, family deaths, NOTHING.

Originally Posted by Piccolo

2) Going back to school itself. It's been 8 years since I've been in any type of regular classes, and I'm worried I won't be able to get back into my old study habits.

You've heard the old expression "Sink or swim", right? Well in college, as in life, it is the golden rule. Discipline is either your best friend or worst enemy in school. I study my ass off for whatever test or exam I'm gonna take and every time, I come out with at least an A-. You gotta ask yourself, "How bad do I really want it?" If you set aside one hour of study time every day to cover class material, you'll be either on top or waaaay ahead of the others.

Originally Posted by Piccolo

3) Age. I'm 25 now. I'm worried that I'll feel out of place surrounded by 17, 18, and 19 year olds. Especially if they are smarter than I think I am

Intelligence and smarts have zip-point-shit to do with age. Most of the teenagers I know don't know their asshole from a hole in the ground and are most likely too concerned with partying and p*ssy-chasing rather than studying. Hell, "old farts" like you and I have that behind us, right? I'm still working on it. Haha!! Anyways, you're too old to give a shit what they think about your age, correct? Besides, you've been out here in the real world and you know what real smarts are, dontcha? I thought so too. You know, networking (socializing, knowing people), working up the ladder, blah blah blah.

About opportunity, by the way...opportunities do NOT "arise". They are created by people with the guts to do something cool, so create them.

Best of luck!!

[kazlab67]

Barely graduated high school and got to the same point you are now. Went back at 26 and it was hard but worth it. The worst part was I was already married so my wife had to sacrifice alongside me. She stuck it out.
I hated having all those 19 year old cuties wanting to be my lab partner....GULP!!!

[japbike]

Best person to ask this, is Speedmom2...!! she can give ya some pointers.. oh and BTW!! STFU!!! 25?! for f@ck sake, your still a kid (know what I mean) If I could be 25 again.....***********dreaming****sigh*****

[Chauncey]

Originally Posted by japbike

oh and BTW!! STFU!!! 25?! for f@ck sake, your still a kid (know what I mean) If I could be 25 again.....***********dreaming****sigh*****

Japbike, you're how old again? 31? And you think that's old? I know, you've heard it all before...but you're only 6 years older than Pic and I, that's nothing. Just wait until you crack 65 or so, you know?

If you think about it, you're still a child as well being as the life expectancy for an American female is, what, late 70's or 80's? Haha!!

[snigg]

lots of 20somethings in college. i know of some mid-20yr olds in my classes.

[BlazenFire]

When you said you were old, I thought prolly in late 40s . 25 is nothing man, I know a guy whos like 47 , gave up racing motorcycles and took up college full time to become a doctor...talk about motivation ! About quality of life, it depends on you. College life is what you want it to be. Doing your work on time and making time for extracurricular activities well ahead, is very important in college.Procrastination, makes shit pile up, and when students do this, they try to cram all the material the night before the tests, and end up failing .Im 19 now, Gonna be another 2 more yrs of college and then 4 yrs of med school before I get an MD, but Ill have to do my residency for nearly another 5 years since I want to specialize. That makes me nearly 30 yrs old, before Im a real doctor.Since you are still young, and the degree shld not take more than 4-5 yrs , I say go for it man Gluck.

[bigdogg]

I'm 34 and started going to college at 31. I'm still taking classes now. I take one or two classes at a time, and only have to go to school once or twice a week in the evening. It's fun, you get to meet new people, and you can ride to class. BTW, I don't think I've ever been the oldest in any of my classes. The hardest part is getting started, then it's all down hill. Good luck...

[Mike_Clown]

Im 22 right now and this is my fifth year in college. I guess I am going the slow and steady route. My buddy decided to go back to school right around the age of 25. He is 27 right now and still enrolled here at UMR. He also has a 7 year old daughter. It is never too late.

[UberGoober]

I went back to college at about 26 and graduated when I was around 31. I have to tell you that going back wasn't easy, I was only able to because I was at just the right time in my life to be able to do it.

The class part was easy. Most people your age don't have a problem in college. First, you've probably been holding down a job for a while so you know how to work. That means getting up in the morning and being there on time will be easy for you. Also, like most working guys, you probably take pride in your work so you won't take short cuts - like some younger folks do - and should have little trouble producing quality work. Finally, your age will allow you to bring a better perspective into classes and your life's experience will help you understand the "why" questions more easilly. I was a shitty student in High School but college was a total cruise for me.

Being surrounded by younger people is not a problem either. If you do community college, a good place to start, you will probably be younger than most of the other students. Also, most college students these days are women. I liked being surrounded by young women. Plus, when you do make friends, chances are you will be in a leadership role. Also, you will probably be about the same age as many of your professors or teacher's aides so you will have an easier time getting to know them and that will have a beneficial influence on your grades as well.

The problems I had when I went back to college all stemmed from money and work. Having been a successful engineer in the merchant marines, I had grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle. Since most of the jobs available to students are just part time, I had a heck of a time learning new spending habits. When I did land a good job, I wavered a little and concentrated more on work then I did school. It took my father's death to get me back on track and decide that school was more important than some BS job I had originally taken just to get by.

Once I graduated I fell on really hard times too. I did really well in college - I was on the Deans list every quarter and gradated Magna Cum Laude. But once it was over, I couldn't get a job to save my ass. Part of the trouble is that a general BA degree isn't real applicable to the working world. Even a BS degree has problems, really good jobs often require at least a masters so you might work hard and then come up empty. People might tell you different, but that's the truth I found.

That time in my life really sucked. I couldn't get any job. I'd go on an interview and find the interviewer/future manager was almost always four or five years younger than me. I think they could see I was pretty driven and I think some of them were worried I'd either take a promotion away from them at some point or realize the job wa BS and go elsewhere. In fact, I even had a company tell me that!

After a while, when I finally figured out I couldn't use my degree to get a job, I figured I'd fall back on my blue collar background and do some labor job for a while. That didn't work either. As soon as I applied at a company and they found out I had just got my degree they passed me up. They all figured I would work there a few weeks and then leave them for the first white collar job that came along. I couldn't lie about college, because how do you explain why you gave up a steady, good paying job and then took a bunch of BS part time jobs for five years? Cocaine?

I took a bunch of tests for government jobs and got nowhere. I was on lots of hiring lists, but no agencies were hiring. In desperation I started selling off my property. My little motor bike, my guns, my paperback books all went down the road. Eventually, Christmas came and I got a temp job at costco stocking shelves. (And that was worse than being unemployed) I used to go home and think about shooting myself.

Eventually, I wound up going to Japan and teaching English - another dead end job, but at least it got me moving again. Finally one of the tests I took came through and I got a government job. In the end college paid off, but there was a time there it wasn't easy.

I'm not sure if everyone has that kind of trouble when they graduate college in their thirties, but I could sure how they could. Just remember, once you do graduate, you'll be starting out at an entry level position all over again. The good news is, once you do get going, you'll go farther with college than you'll go without it. Go do it.