Return to College or Not

Aoi

First off, I'm definitely not looking for anyone to make up my mind for me in any way, I'm just looking for some outside opinions, and thoughts on my situation. Thanks for looking

Anyway, my situation is this. I'm post "traditional university student" age, and way back when (about 10 years ago) because of money and various other reasons, I didn't finish my degree. Anyway, since then I made a pretty good living for myself with the state, good money, experience and all of that regardless.

Anyway, when that ended, I found myself in a position where I needed money quickly and ended up temping at a big company and getting hired on. Once again, decent money, not what I was making with the state, but pretty damned good regardless. This time though, the position is absolutely miserable, and I find myself looking at a good year stuck in that position before I'm able to move on, and while it's a huge company with a lot of advancement opportunities, I look at what I'm doing, and what I can potentially do here and realize that because of past education and the narrow experience, I'm fairly limited, even within such a large company.

So at this point I'm finding myself with a choice. I've been accepted back into school to finish up my degree, which will end up taking several years. Financial stuff is taken care of, too. The thing is, school and this current job aren't going to mix, and any kind of job I can and will get during school hours/days is going to be significantly less paywise of course, and while that's not such a deal breaker with my current living situation, it does leave me stuck living in a less than great situation during that time (cramped, room mate that I'm not fond of living with, on a side of town I'm not fond of at ALL).

So it really leaves me conflicted. Stick with the money and the job I'm not fond of (to be really nice about it) or stick with a bad living situation, potentially for several years, in order to make life much easier/potentially prosperous down the road. This all must sound rather silly to some of you, but again, once you've been out of school lifestyle/mindset for around 10 years, the thought of going back into that is really nerve racking, and since classes start in the middle of next month, I don't have a lot of time to make up my mind either.

Anyway, thanks for any input.

Lewisham

Aoi wrote: »

So it really leaves me conflicted. Stick with the money and the job I'm not fond of (to be really nice about it) or stick with a bad living situation, potentially for several years, in order to make life much easier/potentially prosperous down the road. This all must sound rather silly to some of you, but again, once you've been out of school lifestyle/mindset for around 10 years, the thought of going back into that is really nerve racking, and since classes start in the middle of next month, I don't have a lot of time to make up my mind either.

You need to mention whether you have dependants. That changes the game significantly. You also haven't said anything about what doors your degree will open up, whether it is the same career path as the one you have been on, things like this.

You've boiled it down to "my degree will get me more money" but most grads will tell you that isn't necessarily true. You haven't made the case for returning to school apart from that you don't like your current job. That's not a good reason, and that's not going to keep you in school for the next three years if/when money gets tight or things in the degree get tough.

Aoi

Good point. No dependants, no significant bills, none of that. My current career path is a bit unsteady. Previously I was middle management, handled a small office staff, edited classroom manuals, updated office intranet information, things like that. My newer job didn't even really follow along that path though. I went from a claim administrator (basically paperwork pusher) to a glorified call center person.

My degree though (at least what I had been previously going for) is computer science/software engineer. School is for more than just money too. Regardless of my experience, I don't feel challenged, and I would rather struggle for a few years to be able to do something I'm happy with in the end, and do something I really feel challenged by, than to continue to let any skills I once had sit and atrophy. I also have the desire to better round out my skills in general, which this will help with.

And again, my current living situation makes it a lot easier than it would normally be. My rent and bills are only around 400 a month, so I don't have a lot to deal with/worry about money wise at all, so I definitely feel like if I'm going to do it, this really is the best/most opportune time to do so.

PeekingDuck

In a couple years you can be a little older with a degree or a little older without a degree. Go back.

wallabeeX

I don't think anyone in their right mind is going to talk you out of going back to school and it sounds like you're pretty gung-ho about it.

So, what's the question here? I don't see why this would be a bad idea.

Drew_9999

Sounds like you've made up your mind. What's the problem?

Lewisham

Yeah, I'd go back to uni too.

Aoi

Well, you get enough family scowling at you and planting negativity about things, and you really start to doubt yourself when it comes to this type of change. It's been stated several times that I just got in to a huge company, and that I'll have plenty of opportunities in the future, while if I quit, and go back to school, the future is a lot less certain.

At the same time, in the year I've worked here, I've seen a pile of people laid off, seen a complete change in management, and the entire structure of the department changed. Hell, the account I work on is leaving at the end of the year, so my position isn't even all that secure.... :? I have no god damned idea why I even made this post now. My family is full of retards.

Thanks guys. My biggest concern really was money and security, especially with the job market the way it has been lately, but in the end, I'll likely end up a bit more secure in the job market with a degree than I am without.

ihmmy

go back to school. it's worth it and you know it

RUNN1NGMAN

Take a look at the statistics on lifetime income for people with a college degree and without. There's really no downside to going back. Even if you DID have dependents, increased income after graduation would most likely offset any cost of living loans you had to take.

Endomatic

I think you're better off going back to school. It will open up so many more options to you when completed and allow you to permanently control any future work and living situations. More money and a better education will allow you to live alone (if you choose), in a better part of town and either move up to a better place in your company now, or find a better company.

It looks like the next little bit might suck, but it's worth it for your future I think, especially if you really don't have any loose ends to worry about like funding/money and a place to live.

DiscoZombie

I am in the minority, but my feeling is that school doesn't matter so much. I sort of worked my way through college, and I hated college. felt like I wasn't really learning anything useful, and I really struggled with it. One of the jobs I had during college was temping at Morgan Stanley. They offered me a permanent job. I said no, I was going back to school. so I left, continued to struggle through school, and have been temping for the last 5 years after graduating, when I could have had a good permanent job without all the hassle.

Honestly, if I think about it - given the choice between spending, like, 7 hours a day studying things at college that may or may not be relevant to the job I will eventually get, or just spend a fraction of those 7 hours a day pimping myself to companies until one bites - well, I think it would take much less time and effort to get hired by spending that time looking for the job you want rather than spending tens of thousands of dollars and several years to get a possibly irrelevant education in order to add an extra line to your resume.

that said, it obviously does look good if you have more education, but it hasn't exactly made all the difference for me. Hell, at my current job, there are people with master's degrees doing exactly what I do, for a pittance. it's kind of a shame.

Lewisham

DiscoZombie wrote: »

Honestly, if I think about it - given the choice between spending, like, 7 hours a day studying things at college that may or may not be relevant to the job I will eventually get

That's because you obviously didn't have a passion for your degree. If you did, you would have followed the career path from your degree. This is admittedly harder with some subjects than others.

If you have a passion for your degree, like I did with Computer Science, your career path will follow on from that education. The degree will have been worth it. If you just went "meh" and took whatever job came out of school, then of course it wasn't worth that much to you.

But do remember that people with degrees, on average, make more than those that don't.

DiscoZombie

I completely agree on the passion for your degree thing. Maybe I should have added that to my post. If you have a passion for a subject, then hells yeah, get your degree and pursue a career in that field. If you're getting the degree just because you think it's what you're supposed to do, then meh, don't bother.

Aoi

Ahh, see that is another part of it for me. I really do have an interest and love for the subject. That's another one of the reasons I want to go back. I know my skills are really degrading since I'm not working in the field that I was going to school for, I know I'm not working in an area I want to spend my life working in, and I know that to be taken seriously in the field I want to be in, I have to go back to school. A good part of it really was doubt planted by family, as well as current comfort over future struggle causing nagging doubt as well.

Ultimanecat

You only live once - and while some people take that as enough reason to be a bit conservative and try not to fuck up lest you get no second chances, I see it as all the more reason to take a chance now and make yourself end up better for it.

It's all a bit cliche, and it's perfectly possible to be a happy person just by coasting or doing what you're "supposed" to be doing...but nobody's ever broke the bank or changed the world doing that, either.

OremLK

DiscoZombie wrote: »

I completely agree on the passion for your degree thing. Maybe I should have added that to my post. If you have a passion for a subject, then hells yeah, get your degree and pursue a career in that field. If you're getting the degree just because you think it's what you're supposed to do, then meh, don't bother.

Also really comes down to what you have a passion for. An English degree is next to useless if your goal is to become a published author, for instance.

It's all so contingent on what you want to do. Computer Science? Sure, that opens a shitload of doors if that's your passion, so if that's the case, yeah, go back to school. For that matter anything technical is obviously going to benefit from (maybe even require, in some cases) a degree.

Six

You\'re much more likely to regret not going back to school while you have the chance than going back.

Toefoo

I was faced with this exact same choice, TWICE. The first time I refused to let go of my job and let the offer of finishing school with low rent/tuition costs pass by. The second time, I got laid off from my job and realized I should have gone back to school the first time I had a chance. It gets really comfortable when you work at a decent or great job and feel "heh, degree shmegree, I'm making money without one!" But you never know when a company has absolutely no use for you anymore, ESPECIALLY if you're temping with them. After that, its back to searching frantically for another job that won't pay much and doesn't make you happy.

In the end, I agree, take a chance and go back to school :P

Namel3ss

Aoi wrote: »

My rent and bills are only around 400 a month

lucky bastard, thats just slightly more than 1/3 of just my rent.

Jimmy King

Aoi wrote: »

Well, you get enough family scowling at you and planting negativity about things, and you really start to doubt yourself when it comes to this type of change. It's been stated several times that I just got in to a huge company, and that I'll have plenty of opportunities in the future, while if I quit, and go back to school, the future is a lot less certain.

At the same time, in the year I've worked here, I've seen a pile of people laid off, seen a complete change in management, and the entire structure of the department changed. Hell, the account I work on is leaving at the end of the year, so my position isn't even all that secure.... :? I have no god damned idea why I even made this post now. My family is full of retards.

Thanks guys. My biggest concern really was money and security, especially with the job market the way it has been lately, but in the end, I'll likely end up a bit more secure in the job market with a degree than I am without.

As someone who dropped out of college, has held some positions in very large companies, and worked up to being a sr developer (and effectively the local director of it in all but title) in a small international company, I am telling you loud and clear "GO THE FUCK BACK TO SCHOOL IF YOU CAN".

I have had to fight tooth and nail to get the jobs I have. I have missed out on several great jobs due to lack of a degree. I am severely underpaid in my current job, which I probably would be at this company if I had a degree, but I probably wouldn't be with this company in the first place if I already had one.

Now, perhaps you should consider going part time while continuing to work full time. This is what I am doing. Yes, it takes fucking forever and can be stressful, but I suppose not as stressful as not being able to pay for anything because I'm not working.

Aoi

I already have the opportunity to work part time at school, so working isn't that much of a worry at the moment. As for working full time, and school part time, my current job schedule is 10 hours a day. Not something that would give in a particularly friendly way to going to classes in any way.

ceres

Go back to school. I'm getting ready to make this decision myself, and I do have a degree... just the wrong degree. Sometimes you finish things up the first time around and realize "wait, maybe this wasn't the greatest plan."

LewieP's Mummy

Go back, get the degree. My husband didn't go to Uni, so when he lost his (very horrid) job, when LP's sister was 1, I encouraged him to go to uni. He did, and graduated 4 years later with a 2:1 honours degree. We had LewieP while he was at Uni. Money was very, very tight, but it was so worth it. He now has a job he loves, earns more than we need (well, once we've finished paying for Lewie at Uni), and is much happier. He also became a much more confident person, realised his own worth, it was lovely to see him grow.
Just go for it.

Aoi

I made up my mind about halfway through the thread Yeah, there's very little reason to not go, and as for money, I've been worse off than I will be when attending school, so yeah. Living situation might suck for a while, but eh. In the long run, it definitely sounds like it'll be really worth it. Thanks for the input everyone. Helped push me past the stupid voices in my ear.

Evil_Reaver

ceres wrote: »

Go back to school. I'm getting ready to make this decision myself, and I do have a degree... just the wrong degree. Sometimes you finish things up the first time around and realize "wait, maybe this wasn't the greatest plan."

I'm in the same boat as you, Ceres; I already have a degree... it's just the wrong one. Fortunately, I'm going to have the opportunity to go back next year because I just took a job at a university and they offer a 75% tuition discount. Needless to say, I'm going to jump all over that benefit and get a real degree that I will actually use.

Aoi

Hah... Got home from work today to find out my room mate lost his job.... FUCK

Valkun

As a CS major myself, definately find a way to go back to school. Your opportunities of getting a job in the software development field without a degree are pretty limited.

I don't have the source on hand, but some report (Bureau of Labor Statistics?) showed that software engineering/programming was one of the few fields to actually still be growing during this economic downturn. Combined with the fact that fewer students are entering the field, it's a really stable* industry with a high compensation for your services.

*If you're willing to change jobs every few years because of antiquated corporate raise policies that cap salary increases far below what experience for programmers dictate.

[/Sales Rant]

Good luck finding a way!

DrFrylock

If you plan to go into a primarily vocational profession, like IT or Web development/design, then maybe go get some certifications instead of going back to college. If you plan to go into a profession where there's an academic body of knowledge, you should go back to college. It's not that you can't learn this body of knowledge without going to college, but college gives you an opportunity to focus on the basics - the foundational knowledge - of a field directly. This won't automatically make you better at your career - you still have to go through the trouble of internalizing all that knowledge so you can apply it. That will happen over time.

Aoi

DrFrylock wrote: »

If you plan to go into a primarily vocational profession, like IT or Web development/design, then maybe go get some certifications instead of going back to college. If you plan to go into a profession where there's an academic body of knowledge, you should go back to college. It's not that you can't learn this body of knowledge without going to college, but college gives you an opportunity to focus on the basics - the foundational knowledge - of a field directly. This won't automatically make you better at your career - you still have to go through the trouble of internalizing all that knowledge so you can apply it. That will happen over time.

I had thought about this too, but to be completely honest, I'm actually wanting to get back into some of the subjects outside of my field too. Language, writing, etc. I'm definitely going back for vocational reasons primarily, but as odd as it may sound, I want something more well rounded than what just going after certs would get me.

I'm still going through scheduling for classes, going for grants (of which, there are some nice ones for people 25+), but I'm a bit on edge now knowing that my roomie is jobless. Argh, what amazing timing.

Ardor

Consider your position, as you already have done it seems. You have options within your same company, right? How are your options in your current situation outside your company?

I've found that having a degree doesn't necessarily get you started with more money than not having one, but you have many more options and opportunities open to you with that degree. Also, it helps you advance through a company through invisible ceilings if you will. Depending on what you're doing, some companies may not see people without a degree as trainable or useable past a certain step of the company ladder.

If nothing else, your degree will allow you more options and opportunities in the future.

I'd say that's worth it in the long run, especially if the financials are taken care of as you mentioned.

Aoi

Man things get buried quick around here.

Anyway, discussed it with the roomie, they're getting their shit together as far as the job situation, so hopefully that won't be an issue. Looking into on campus employment, all admissions paperwork is taken care of, as is the financial aid stuff, now it's just waiting on (hopefully) the acceptance letters. Thanks for the input guys, I really appreciate the outside opinions and experiences.

Alexander

Have you thought about professional qualifications also such as diplomas?

I dropped out of a PR degree after two years as I had some tough times, I have just started a course with the Chartered Institute of Marketing which I can do after work which is nice, I'm planning on turning it into a diploma and then into a post grad diploma while I work my way through marketing roles.

I suppose it is entirely specific to the industry you want though aoi.