Five Reasons to Go Back to College
Now that graduation season is over, I like thousands of other graduates, are listing our textbooks for sale on Amazon and putting together our resumes. When I went back to college, I was surprised to see a lot of people in their 30s and 40s. These people were usually working in the field they were pursuing a degree in. Why would somebody take on the additional burden of projects and tests? Why would anyone walk out of a regular paycheck to walk into a classroom?
As someone who did just that five years ago, I can give you my main reasons for deciding to go back to college.
1.Become more marketable.
More and more companies make having a Bachelor's degree a requirement. Bachelor's degree is the new high school diploma. With more and more companies using database searches for recruitment you may not get a chance to even show your portfolio if a college degree is not a part of your resume.
2.Learn new skills.
When you work you often don't have time to devote to learning new skills that aren't directly related to the task at hand. Yet, this can be personally and professionally rewarding. I learned video and even got a chance to show at a couple of festivals.
3.Get into teaching or management.
Bachelor's degree is a requirement for teaching and management positions, at least in big cities. Of course, there might be exceptions but those are few. A degree doesn't guarantee you'll become an art director but at least you'll be in the running.
4.Experience college life. Or not.
Your experience can vary depending on whether you live on campus or not, how much free time you have, and other personal factors. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.
5.Change career focus.
Maybe you worked in print for over ten years and you're getting bored with it. The grass looks so much greener over in the web design field. Although you can make the switch without a degree, the knowledge and experience from college certainly won't hurt. You'll have more credibility and confidence.
I've been being hounded by my family for years to go back to college and get some sort of degree, I've been thinking heavily about it lately and seeing your reasons above inspires me to want to walk back into the classroom. Fear is the biggest part - not being in that setting for over 20 years - will I fail? All those questions come to mind and make me not want to go! But I've decided to go for it! Thanks!
Michele,
Glad that my post could be of help. As for failing, I noticed that students over 30 do as good, if not better, than those that are just out of high school. I guess it's because of the real world experience, motivation and focus.
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I have done the whole shebang backwards.
I had a kid, got married, and now, 20 years later, I'm back in college - for the 3rd time.
Dropped out the first two times. Once because I was stupid and the second time because family life was too hectic. But now my daughter is older and I still have a life ahead to build a career.
And I'm doing better in college than I ever did before. Haven't had a grade below a C, have yet to drop a course and I find my motivation is different - it's mostly just to get it done, but it's also to show myslef that I can do this.
The example she used is spot on. I've been a secretary (PC term: administrative assistant) for the past 15 years and gained a lot of desktop publishing skills. I even ran my own desktop publishing from home designing business cards, flyers, invitations and such. And I thought if I ever want to work for myself, web design skills might not be a bad thing to had credentials in. So I'm in a two year school for web design and now I've only got one year to go and suddenly I'm very glad I went down this road.
Just do it. Don't let anything stop you or anyone naysay you. Fill out for every scholarship and grant you can and just go!