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Going back to School 10 years Late
KiTA
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So.
A bit of background. After high school (graduated in 1999), I was rather milquetoast. Instead of actually doing research and figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, I let my family browbeat me into getting a degree "in computers" at the local community college. Said Community College was chosen specifically for the reason that I wouldn't have to move out.
No, literally. That was the major selling point to them -- they could continue to watch me 24x7. Thank god I'm 700 miles away now.
I started in 2000 in "Computer Science: Programming". My first warning sign, ignored as I wasn't very wise back then, was that I was taking no liberal arts (... think that's the term, anyway) classes. No maths, social studies, etc -- just computer stuff.
After the first year, the head of the department was forced into retirement and it changed from "Computer Science" to "Information Technology". At this point the entire department quit except for the 2 new teachers hired the previous year, who took over. There was no "Information Technology: Programming", so I ended up with 2 majors -- "Information Technology: General" and "Information Technology: Support Specialist". The first was the remnants of my programming classes, the second was the new "Using Microsoft Office" degree they were offering. This was warning sign 2, I should have bailed like about 75% of the students did.
Towards the end, as this delayed my graduation for a year (for a total of 2 AAS degrees in 3 years), I discovered that I had taken about 35-40 credits that, thanks to the shuffle, didn't count for either degree. I was, ahem, "not happy" with where I was at academically, so I decided to look into transferring to a full 4 year school to continue my education. This is where warning sign 3 finally went off, 2 years too late -- one of the programming teachers, before he was forced out, told me essentially that if I wanted to do anything with programming to move to another school ASAP.
YVCC's new (at the time) "IT" offerings are not accredited. Well, it might be in some weird way that I donno the specifics of -- I was told it's "worker retraining" and not "higher education" or something. Either way, no "real" school will take their credits as a transfer. This pretty much killed the idea of going forward for a while, I had already used 3 years of financial aid and they were basically cutting me off, so it was time to find a job.
Fast forward 9 years or so, to today. My generalistic IT degree has gotten me a job first at a small ISP as a tech support grunt then at MyJob (the largest computer maker in the world)'s Professional Tech Support division. Looking back over the past 9 years, well... I think I'd like to get out of Tech Support and into something else. I don't HATE my job, although lately it has gone to shit due to mismanagement, but...
I don't want to be doing Tech Support in 20-40 years. And that's assuming our callcenter isn't closed, the rumor about MyJob basically forcing people out the door after 5-7 years isn't true, I'm not fired for saying something stupid, etc etc.
So, I am thinking of returning to college and actually doing this right this time. If I hurry, I'll only be 32-33 years old before I finish (as an aside -- dear god). MyJob will apparently schedule around me as much as they can, so I could do it part time and work at MyJob on my days off. However, the problem I had when I was just getting out of high school remains -- I must have missed a memo or something, cause I haven't the foggiest thing what to do.
I'm not talking about figuring out how to go down and enroll, I understand there's entire divisions at schools devoted to signing people up. I figure signing up for financial aid and the like will be just as easy as before, too.
I'm not quite sure what I should be doing. Given my experiences with YVCC, I am extremely wary of screwing this up this time. I'm not getting any younger, I don't have many more tries at this.
Apparently I'm supposed to pick a major, but for those of us with no life experience, what do we do? Aim for something super general? A friend told me to pick something I'm passionate about, but, "Professional WOW Raider" doesn't really seem to work.
It certainly doesn't help that I don't know what career I want to aim towards.
I like editing Japanese comics for the various *chan sites (to the point that I started up a ero-manga Translation group), maybe Commerical Art / Design with a Minor in Japanese? I'm enjoying the hell out of growing Grapes and Carnivorous Plants, maybe Botany or Enology, with plans to become a Vineyard owner / winemaker? Maybe go back to school for a "real" IT degree in programming? I enjoyed tutoring for YVCC, maybe a degree in education? Or maybe something generic and business oriented, like a MBA or whatever they call that? Most of the old "CS" students at YVCC ran from the IT dept for the Electrical Engineering department, maybe they knew something I don't? The more I learn about Zen the more it makes sense to me, maybe give up technology and go become a monk?
There's a local community college near MyJob, CSI. I was told that it would be wise to take my basic stuff (social studies, math, etc) there with the intent to transfer to a bigger school later... Should I not worry about this "major" stuff and aim for that?
tl;dr: I'm an unexperienced smacktard who wants to go back to do the college thing again. How do I get started?
A bit of background. After high school (graduated in 1999), I was rather milquetoast. Instead of actually doing research and figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, I let my family browbeat me into getting a degree "in computers" at the local community college. Said Community College was chosen specifically for the reason that I wouldn't have to move out.
No, literally. That was the major selling point to them -- they could continue to watch me 24x7. Thank god I'm 700 miles away now.
I started in 2000 in "Computer Science: Programming". My first warning sign, ignored as I wasn't very wise back then, was that I was taking no liberal arts (... think that's the term, anyway) classes. No maths, social studies, etc -- just computer stuff.
After the first year, the head of the department was forced into retirement and it changed from "Computer Science" to "Information Technology". At this point the entire department quit except for the 2 new teachers hired the previous year, who took over. There was no "Information Technology: Programming", so I ended up with 2 majors -- "Information Technology: General" and "Information Technology: Support Specialist". The first was the remnants of my programming classes, the second was the new "Using Microsoft Office" degree they were offering. This was warning sign 2, I should have bailed like about 75% of the students did.
Towards the end, as this delayed my graduation for a year (for a total of 2 AAS degrees in 3 years), I discovered that I had taken about 35-40 credits that, thanks to the shuffle, didn't count for either degree. I was, ahem, "not happy" with where I was at academically, so I decided to look into transferring to a full 4 year school to continue my education. This is where warning sign 3 finally went off, 2 years too late -- one of the programming teachers, before he was forced out, told me essentially that if I wanted to do anything with programming to move to another school ASAP.
YVCC's new (at the time) "IT" offerings are not accredited. Well, it might be in some weird way that I donno the specifics of -- I was told it's "worker retraining" and not "higher education" or something. Either way, no "real" school will take their credits as a transfer. This pretty much killed the idea of going forward for a while, I had already used 3 years of financial aid and they were basically cutting me off, so it was time to find a job.
Fast forward 9 years or so, to today. My generalistic IT degree has gotten me a job first at a small ISP as a tech support grunt then at MyJob (the largest computer maker in the world)'s Professional Tech Support division. Looking back over the past 9 years, well... I think I'd like to get out of Tech Support and into something else. I don't HATE my job, although lately it has gone to shit due to mismanagement, but...
I don't want to be doing Tech Support in 20-40 years. And that's assuming our callcenter isn't closed, the rumor about MyJob basically forcing people out the door after 5-7 years isn't true, I'm not fired for saying something stupid, etc etc.
So, I am thinking of returning to college and actually doing this right this time. If I hurry, I'll only be 32-33 years old before I finish (as an aside -- dear god). MyJob will apparently schedule around me as much as they can, so I could do it part time and work at MyJob on my days off. However, the problem I had when I was just getting out of high school remains -- I must have missed a memo or something, cause I haven't the foggiest thing what to do.
I'm not talking about figuring out how to go down and enroll, I understand there's entire divisions at schools devoted to signing people up. I figure signing up for financial aid and the like will be just as easy as before, too.
I'm not quite sure what I should be doing. Given my experiences with YVCC, I am extremely wary of screwing this up this time. I'm not getting any younger, I don't have many more tries at this.
Apparently I'm supposed to pick a major, but for those of us with no life experience, what do we do? Aim for something super general? A friend told me to pick something I'm passionate about, but, "Professional WOW Raider" doesn't really seem to work.
It certainly doesn't help that I don't know what career I want to aim towards.I like editing Japanese comics for the various *chan sites (to the point that I started up a ero-manga Translation group), maybe Commerical Art / Design with a Minor in Japanese? I'm enjoying the hell out of growing Grapes and Carnivorous Plants, maybe Botany or Enology, with plans to become a Vineyard owner / winemaker? Maybe go back to school for a "real" IT degree in programming? I enjoyed tutoring for YVCC, maybe a degree in education? Or maybe something generic and business oriented, like a MBA or whatever they call that? Most of the old "CS" students at YVCC ran from the IT dept for the Electrical Engineering department, maybe they knew something I don't? The more I learn about Zen the more it makes sense to me, maybe give up technology and go become a monk?
There's a local community college near MyJob, CSI. I was told that it would be wise to take my basic stuff (social studies, math, etc) there with the intent to transfer to a bigger school later... Should I not worry about this "major" stuff and aim for that?
tl;dr: I'm an unexperienced smacktard who wants to go back to do the college thing again. How do I get started?
KiTA on
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Most writers can't write as a job. But many enjoy being around the written word, so working in Publishing is great. Something general is probably not what you need, and you may want to look into masters programs. They're typically shorter, and focused more on "doing this as a job." I'm in an MBA program, which is very much "what businesses do, and what YOU should be doing as a manager." Friend of mine is in urban planning as a master's student, and it's the same deal -- very focused on case studies and "these are the kinds of things you'll run into as a job."
I would advise against an undergrad degree at your stage in life simply because you probably won't get much from a very general bachelor's degree. You don't need to take classes in art history or basic biology, most likely, because it sounds like you have picked up on a lot of this stuff as an adult learner.
If you're really not sure what you'd want to do, but you want to be in a position where you could move into different fields, something like an MBA probably would serve you well. I would suggest going to a state school or something large, not a community college, as your networking opportunities will be greater and you won't run into too many academic politics.
If there's a trick, it's the idea of "what do people do for a job... and how do I get that job?" Education is, in many ways, a catalyst for job acquisition. You can work your way up without a degree, but it's usually faster and more of a "sure thing" to get a degree, because you have more qualifications than the "other guy."
For me, I went to school to get a pretty specific undergrad degree, but what I use the most out of it are the general elements -- usability, writing skills -- and less the specifics. Now I'm in a position where I'm thinking to myself "OK, this is not a job I can be at for much longer. But if I change fields, I don't want to start at the bottom again. How do I avoid starting at the bottom?" For me, that was going to school for my MBA -- now I can capitalize on the managerial elements of my current job, with emphasis on my degree, when I change jobs.
I (hopefully) won't have to start over as a peon because the degree gives me experience that normally I'd have to learn on the job. So it's a jump-start to standard managerial practices.
For you, it sounds like you need to discern between "job" and "hobby." Enjoying something doesn't mean you can or should do it as a job, because often there simply isn't a job there -- or it's hard to get. Example -- my urban planning buddy above went to school for Music Business. Well, there aren't jobs in music business because the music business doesn't work like a typical field, so learning some music and some business lets you function as, essentially, a low-level band manager. Who wants to do that as a job? He didn't realize it until he was almost cut loose, though, at which point it's too late to change.
I think what would be worthwhile for you would be to check out a local big school, and get a list of all of their master's programs. Anything that sounds interesting, set up a chat with someone *in the department*, not a generic counselor, and ask "what kind of jobs do people get from this program?" That's the goal, after all -- to get a better job. So that should be your first question.
I wouldn't worry about what your major is right now. Most schools don't require you to declare your major until the end of your sophomore year. 50% of students major in something different than what they wanted to major in as freshmen. Your first semester or two, take classes in subjects that you are interested in majoring in.
If you are going to take your basic stuff at a community college, make sure it will apply towards some sort of graduation requirement at the 4-year school.
Also, speaking as a pedantic CS major:
IT is very different than CS. Programming is not CS, it's just one of the tools that CS uses. There are tons of computer related degrees: CS, IT, CIS, Software Engineering, Computer/Electrical Engineering, and more.
edit: To add on to what Eggy said, you can look at college as a way of getting into a specific career. If you knew what career you wanted, it probably wouldn't be worth it from a time/money perspective to go to college. You'd probably get more out of getting an entry level job in that field and working your way up than going to school for 4 years. It doesn't sound like you know what you want to do, so college may be the best way to go. Be aware that many degrees are terrible for vocational purposes. Go to school because you want an education.
If you're attending a community college then you can choose 'Associates in Science' or something as your major, depending on where and what you're transferring into.
You can always change your major. Your decision now isnt set in stone.
Just be aware that federal aid gets kinda pissed off if your still taking general courses after 4 years.
MBA might be good, if I ever want to do anything other than being a grunt... Hm.
Depends on where you go to school.
This is not true. I don't ever remember the FAFSA forms asking for my major, and even then I am positive there would be an "undecided" option like most colleges give you.
Step Two - Look at the 4 year school of you choice on that degree and see what classes are required for it
Step Three - Take that list of classes to your local accredited community college and take the lower division classes there.
Step Four - Transfer to 4 year school of choice and finish your higher division classes there
Really, there is no magic memo and you really aren't "running out of time." My aunt was in college at 50, there's no age limit in the classes. If you really, really don't know what to take just get your generic gen ed degree at a CC.
Being out of school for "x" years does effect you in that sometimes your previous classes don't count for your new degree. Meaning, when you were in the CC prior you took no math, english, science classes. Now when you go back if you need a class with a prerequisite of "high school math so and so", you won't meet that requirement and will have to test out or take the equivalent high school math class. This happened to me, I'm taking 3 classes that don't count for anything because high school was a long time ago.
I'd say get your generic AA and get those out of the way, figure out what you want as you're relearning how to be a student. You need a wide range of classes for the AA so maybe something will hit home with you.
PSN Hypacia
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Discord Hypacia#0391
Unless I'm reading that wrong, I'm thinking that it says that you need to be working towards a major or certificate.
I'm pretty sure you can do it without a major, and you're just declared as General Studies or a Liberal Arts degree. As long as he's registering for classes that lead to some sort of degree, whether he's decided on which degree or not, he should be ok.
Weaboo List
Yeah, I'm stuck on Step One, heh. It seems like such a catch 22 -- how do you know what you wanna do as a career without having, er, worked in that field?
That's because step one is bullshit.
Go to a four year school, spend the first year doing general studies requirements on courses that sound interesting. Use that time to determine what you want to major in.
As for advice, the main thing I can offer is to not worry about being too old or whatever. You are never too old to go back to school and get an "official" education if that's what you want to do. We have some guys in my class who are older than the professors teaching us, and it doesn't matter to anyone. Heck, I just turned 28, and I'm just now about to graduate in May. So honestly, stop worrying about being too old, it's really a non-issue.
The important thing that you should be focusing on is whether or not returning to school is really what you want. It sounds like you have a broad range of interests, but you are unsure what you want your career to be. There are many careers you can go into that don't really need a degree, so that's always an option. However, in general, 4-year degrees will open your options tremendously. Even if you graduate with a seemingly non-relevant major, simply having that degree will make you more attractive to potential employers. My advice would be to study the various degree plans at whatever college you're thinking about attending, contemplate on your own abilities and interests, and just pick the one that lines up the most with those interests. Yes, it may turn out not to be what you were expecting, and yes you might end up changing your major later on, but simply having a goal in mind can go a long way toward motivating you and pushing you through all those classes. As others have said, most schools have a set of "core" courses that all degree plans are required to take, so you can always start out with those. Then, if you change your major later on, it's no big deal. In any case though, I'd definitely recommend picking a major from the beginning and sticking with it until either you finish or you know you want to do something else.
That said, I can give you some impressions that might attract you to or push you away from certain degrees. For example, Computer Science. CS is not just programming, as theclam said already. It is as much about math, physics, and using analytical methods to solve problems. Programming is only a method to implement those solutions. In that same vein, Engineering isn't just about tinkering with machines or putting circuits together. You have to take several advanced math and physics courses before you even get to the engineering classes, and even then you never leave the math/physics behind, you just learn how to use them in practical applications. My point is, if you're even considering a major such as CS, Engineering, Physics, etc, be aware of what will be expected of you, and make sure that you have an affinity for those subjects before hand. If you enjoyed science and mathematics in high school and want to take that to the next level, you would love those majors. If not, you will likely be frustrated and end up changing majors eventually.
So all in all, just take a long, hard look at what it is you like to do. When you find that, choose whatever seems closest to that and get moving. You'll have time to work out the details as you go along.
Oculus: TheBigDookie | XBL: Dook | NNID: BigDookie
Yes, you may end up not wanting a career in it in the end doing that, but there's a good chance you will. You won't find what you like if you don't try.
In my opinion you shouldn't regret what you do, but regret what you don't do. Give it a go whatever it is you decide on. I quit my IT lead admin position to go back to school at 26 years of age, I'm over halfway through my CS degree and enjoying it. CS is not anything like IT where it matters so don't be shy of that just because you found IT numbing, if you really enjoy computers.
There was also a good reason it was shut down, I guess -- Cobol and Fortran were requirements, and while still important, I don't think they'd be considered a focus of any serious degree nowadays... or 10 years ago.
Of course, I could be wrong.
Oculus: TheBigDookie | XBL: Dook | NNID: BigDookie
1) Start with community college. Class sizes are smaller, and the student population is more likely to be filled with part-time or non-tradtional students who are going to be easier for you to relate to. They're there to get an education, not hang out and party.
2) Start with one or two classes. Don't overload yourself, especially if you haven't been doing the whole attending class/homework/whathaveyou thing for a few years. What classes should you start with?
2a) Read through the course list. Does something jump out at you? Try to find something that sounds fun or exciting and start with that.
2b) Find a Gen Ed class. College Algebra or whatever. If you're on your way to a 4 year degree, you have two years worth of these classes to get out of the way, so you might as well start now. While potentinally boring and less than insightful, these classes can at least serve you to help get your study habits back to functionality.
3) Branch out! Okay, so now you've finished your class(es). Figure out what you did and didn't like about them. Was the paper writing a total bitch? Did the creative team project work out really well? Once you've made your list, now you need to talk with all the new people you've met, fellow students as well as teachers. Ask them about classes they've taken or what they plan to take. Try to figure out which classes involve stuff that you like and ones that you don't. Hopefully a pattern will emerge and you'll realize something like "Hey! Everytime somebody puts an equation on the board I start to fall asleep" and you'll know you're going to want to find something outside of Math & Science. Of course, if there's no pattern yet, go back to step 2.
The reason I recommend this process is because I've tried going to college without any idea what direction I want to go and all it has led to is frustration and eventually dropping out. Thinking "I should really get a degree" just wasn't enough to sustain me through all the bullshit, and there are going to be plenty of bullshit classes that you hate along the way. Unlike high school, college is a choice, and choosing to pay a ton of money for something you're not sure you really want is hard to swallow. So find something you are really interested in first.
Oh hey, I just noticed:
http://www.khake.com/page21.html
Horticulture degree would also work in say, Landscaping.
http://www.schoolsintheusa.com/careerprofiles_details.cfm?carid=1534
http://www.careersinhorticulture.com/
And "Commercial Artist" covers a LOT: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos092.htm http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos090.htm
I seen people basically waste thousands of dollars because of this.
Yes, you can. It's called a Foreign Language (or a Modern Language) major.
While anime and manga and videogames are one thing, being able to read the Shobogenzo and other Zen works would probably be more important to me.
... Huh. How about that. What would you do with such a major?
Someone will yell at me for this but ...
Definitely pick something you are interested in BUT please think about the marketability of what you pick. A language major could get translation gigs but career wise maybe not the easiest to get into or the most stable. DON'T get hung up on what to do at first. You have 2 years of lower division classes to figure this out. When you get into your CC just do the basics and use your electives to feel things out. You have to take a science to graduate, try a science that interests you like Chemistry or Geology. You have to take a math, try one that's advanced. You need a History, try a regional history or an Ancient History. Lots of people go into school undecided. Just because you're in your late 20's doesn't mean you have to have it all figured out. Some people do, some don't. Just relax.
PSN Hypacia
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Discord Hypacia#0391
Ha! That's another question entirely! The short answer is: I don't know. For that matter, what do English, Philosophy, or History majors do with their degrees?
The long answer:
Keep in mind that most majors don't directly translate to a job in a certain field. Liberal Arts programs are not really designed to train you how to do a job. They're designed to train you how to think. That's why many types of jobs don't care what your degree is in nearly as much as they care about the fact that you have a degree and from where you received it. That being said, mastery of another language, especially one like Japanese that is less common, is a valuable skill to have and will be an asset to any company that does or is looking to do business in Japan.
Government work.
Also, I'm going to echo everyone in here who's saying that there's no such thing as "too old." I'm 30 now, and am in my third semester back in school. In my first semester back, my history class included a student who was 92.
So yea, never too old.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
yeah, I don't see why businesses would need someone who could speak a Foreign language. Oh, wait, yes I totally could.
Language transcends into almost every field of work.
I didn't mean that "private sector has no interest." I was more trying to point out that a lot of foreign language degrees can get you an easy in with several government agencies.
This. I'm at a community college now, and it's really been helpful. There's a couple of advantages to doing it... usually, they're a lot cheaper (in this case, about $15,000/yr cheaper), and it's more flexible. Is it easier to take time off at night for classes, or morning? Usually they can get your degree planned out based on that (for instance, night classes are easier for me, so I have my next year and a half planned out based on night classes). The cost is really the biggest advantage for me, though. We don't have tons of money, so spending only $3500/yr to get classes out of the way is a huge benefit for us.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
Oculus: TheBigDookie | XBL: Dook | NNID: BigDookie
It is never too late. I am sure you'll find that right thing if you just start going.
This.
I'm going to be 27 in April. I graduated with a Bachelor's in history in 2005. I've been working in the IT field for the last 6 years but I'm increasingly becoming more jaded with it the longer I stay with it. So guess what I'm going to do?
That's right, I'm going back to school. I'm applying to the law program at the university that I work at since full-time staff get tuition assistance. Since I'll be going part-time, I won't finish the program until I'm 31. This doesn't bother me at all since I took classes with people older than the instructor when I was working on my undergrad. It's really accepted now that college is for anyone who can afford it, not just for 18-23 year old kids.
Basically, get over this pre-conceived notion that you're too old to go to school. You should take advantage of any opportunity to go back to school, especially in this economy.
Edit:
Your BA in history is good for three things:
1. Teaching history.
2. Getting in to law school.
3. Bar trivia.
errrrmm... the last time I checked, you needed to have a bachelor's (undergrad, 4-year) degree before going for a master's of any sort. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like the OP only has an associate's degree (or 2). So, unfortunately OP, I think you're going to be looking at undergraduate degrees for now.
Out of the things mentioned in the OP, I would suggest hitting up the local community college first and getting all of the English, math, science, etc. out of the way. Look into bachelor's programs at whichever college you want to go to, and see how much of each subject you'll need. Chances are, your electives will already be full, so it's just a matter of getting the other stuff out of the way. Then, when you start your "Junior/Senior" years at the big college, you can focus on your major (whatever you figure that to be).
You may find something along the line that you really like, and you can go with that for your major. Or, what types of jobs are you interested in? What types of degrees (if any) are required for what you want to do? Another general undergrad degree that's a little bit less general is Business Administration - business is a good choice no matter what you want to do, which is why so many people persue it.
The Best in Terms of Pants on JCCC3
Community college is your best bet. Go in, talk with the staff, fill out an application and file a FAFSA. Then take a placement test and figure out your current abilities. Up to here, everything's free. Take a few course guides home.
How about this? Find out if they have a summer semester. Usually it's not too crowded, it takes fewer credits to go full time. So you can try it out.
Only problem is they usually don't have the number of courses that they do in the fall or spring. But pick a few entry-level courses in something that interests you, and enjoy.
Most community colleges are accredited now- but just for safety reasons I'm transferring over to WMU (Western Michigan) in the fall to do my computer and higher-level courses. But you don't have to transfer to a four-year school if you don't want to. Just make sure you get something fun AND useful. I wanted to make video games, so I did the gaming courses, without realizing 1) it was a Video Game Art degree, and 2) I draw square circles without even trying. I can't draw. So I got out of that and into computers, because I like them and people always seem to find new and inventive ways to fuck them up, thus needing someone to fix the damn things.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
2 AAS (I believe that's the term) degrees that don't transfer. I did not take any Liberal Arts classes, which meant if I started over back then I'd be a freshman again (and this was after 3 years of college already), and I was told, in rather polite terms, that the other colleges in Washington state did not consider YVCC's IT classes to be sufficient for equivalency, or somesuch crap.
See, again, that's part of the problem. I don't have any idea what kinda jobs are interesting. Maybe I should hit up a job fair or something.
Edit: Maybe I should just start researching the majors (Japanese, Commerical Art/Design, Horticulture/Viticulture, Computer Programming) I'm interested in and see what still appeals after more research into what people in those fields actually, you know, do.
Just noticed "CIS - Graphics" on the local chart too, which might be a better fit than a general art degree if I'm aiming for editing stuff professionally like that.
Thinking of taking Intro to Horticulture, Elementary Japanese 1 (although it'll be weird, as I already know the kana), and one of the art 101 classes in fall or summer. Drawing, Ceramics, Papermaking, Design, Photography, and Digital Photography are the options, Ceramics or Drawing sound fun.
Hm.
Like I said before, I'm finishing up my liberal arts education (math, science, english) at a local community college myself. I'm paying $110 a credit hour for stuff that would run upwards of $360 a credit hour over at Western Michigan. This is saving me lots of cash and aid money, not to mention the classes are a lot smaller and easier to understand.
Here's what I would do:
1) Go stop by the local community college and ask some questions- are the courses accredited, do they have a transfer agreement with any four-year schools, etc.
2) If you like what you hear, fill out an application and turn it in. See if you can find out what they're offering for thier summer terms.
3) File a FAFSA. Start here and file one. Even if you don't get any cash from the Pell Grants, having a FAFSA on file allows you to go get Stafford Loans. A freshman such as yourself could get maybe $3,500 in subsidized loans split over two semesters. "Subsidized" means "uncle Sam picks up the interest until you're six months out of school". So no worries there.
4) If you want to transfer over to a four-year school, go talk to an academic counselor at the community college. More than likely, they'll be able to tell you what you need to take to satisfy all the requirements needed for transfer.
5) Get a course catalog and start figuring out what it is you want to take. More than likely, they'll have you take a test that's designed to see what your math (Algebra 1 and 2), writing and reading abilities are. This will help in placing you as to what you have to take.
6) Check to see if there's some kind of program that offers prior learning credit. Working for -MyJob- has given you a lot of skills that could give you a free pass through some classes. You just have to figure out which ones.
7) Register and go pick some classes.
I can has cheezburger, yes?