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College or not?
Seeing as this website is geared towards 20 somethings I was wondering how many people are in college and aren't in college.
I personally did a semester and had to take a break due to financial problems and have been away for almost 3 years. I don't know what it will be like if and when I do go back and it sort of makes me nervous. I was looking at classes and I still don't know what I want to go to school for. Has anyone taken a really long hiatus and gone back? How long did it take you to declare a major?
I don't want to feel like the oldest person in there when I decide to go back. :)
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I have done a lot of thinking and I know that I'm going to go back to my local community college for the spring semester. Don't know what major yet but I'm only going to take one or two classes to start off and get back into the rhythm. Thanks everyone for your amazing advice it really helped to make me realize that I really need to go to school!
I personally did a semester and had to take a break due to financial problems and have been away for almost 3 years. I don't know what it will be like if and when I do go back and it sort of makes me nervous. I was looking at classes and I still don't know what I want to go to school for. Has anyone taken a really long hiatus and gone back? How long did it take you to declare a major?
I don't want to feel like the oldest person in there when I decide to go back. :)
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I have done a lot of thinking and I know that I'm going to go back to my local community college for the spring semester. Don't know what major yet but I'm only going to take one or two classes to start off and get back into the rhythm. Thanks everyone for your amazing advice it really helped to make me realize that I really need to go to school!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by It's All About MiE on -
I graduated in 2007 at the age of 26. I traveled and played for 3 years after HS but when I decided to do school I got serious quick. I graduation with a BA in 3 1/2 years.
Also, you won't be the oldest by far. My mom graduates in December at the ripe age of 54.
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Permalink Reply by Heather on -
That's enlightening. :)
My problem is I was never a great student to begin with. I'm smart but I have severe ADD and it's so hard for me to apply myself so I'm afraid getting back into "the groove" will be extremely difficult. I know I will definitely have to push myself because I'll be working full time too.
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Permalink Reply by It's All About MiE on
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Find something you LOVE! I am the same way and I got a degree in Graphic Design. I took 5 classes at a time and each class was 4 hours once a week. The only classes I struggled through were the general educations. 4 hours of math is pure pain. I graduated with a 3.8 GPA. If you want it bad enough you will do fantastic!
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Permalink Reply by Writing to Reach You on -
I didn't take a hiatus, but I didn't declare a major until near the end of my junior year and didn't really know for sure what I wanted to do until I got to grad school. Even still, I might change my mind. I always felt very burdened by the expense of school and I wanted to finish in four years, but it's still a great place to explore your options. I discovered a lot of interests there.
And, like the poster above said, you definitely will not be the oldest person there! There might be reasons you decide not to go back, but that should be one of them.
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Permalink Reply by Heather on
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I have some financial issues so if I were to go back I feel like I need to pick a major right of the bat because I can't waste my time or money. I don't even think I could get a student loan with my credit so I have to take a couple classes at a time. It's a huge pain in the butt.
My mind is so indecisive it's ridiculous. It's all between the most different ideas too. I could do psychology, design, or child care... or should I just do cosmetology school because it's something I love to do? So many decisions and I just feel overwhelmed.
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Permalink Reply by Writing to Reach You on
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I understand. I dealt with a lot of uncertainty. Now that I finally know what I want to do, I'm working full time while going to grad school full time. Sometimes, though, you just have to jump in if you want to find a direction.
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Permalink Reply by Maggie Fife on -
I also went a semester and had to take a break because of money. I have been out for over a year. I am planning on going back after my husband finishes in a year and a half. It has turned out well because I have really had time to think about what I want to do with my life and what I want my major to be.
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Permalink Reply by Heather on
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My main problem is figuring out where the money will come from. I work full time and if I cut back on work I can't pay my bills let alone for college classes. I can't even get financial aid right now because my GPA was too low when I left. I think I'm just going to start off slow with 1 or 2 classes and maybe gradually work my way back up to being a full time student. I just don't want to be one of those people who's stuck in college forever.
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Permalink Reply by David Stehle on -
I went to college straight after high school - no hiatus. I had an athletic scholarship, in addition my parents helped out with financial aid and I had to sign for a student loan. I worked for a dot.com company after I graduated, then started my own company. Now I find myself going back to school for my masters.
So my undergrad is from Penn State University and I'm currently finishing up my masters from Carnegie Mellon University.
I'm glad I worked inbetween undergrad and grad school to save up money because college is quite pricey, especially CMU's tuition!
If I could give you just a little piece of advice, no matter what you major in, a 4-year degree will never be a waste! Most employers want you to at least have Bachelors (in anything). Just being able to stick to something, work hard and come out on the other side says a lot about your work ethic and that is one thing employers look for – can you stick with something and work hard.
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Permalink Reply by It's All About MiE on
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You are so right! You could have a degree in underwater basket weaving and they wouldn't care. No one can ever take it away from you either.
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Permalink Reply by David Stehle on
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Now that I'm in a position where I'm actually hiring people, I can tell you from an employer's perspective that the field you earned your degree in isn't nearly as important as the fact that you just earned a degree, period.
For example, right now I'm looking to hire another software engineer. But if his/her degree isn't in that field, but yet he/she has experience in engineering and can do the job, I'll probably be willing to overlook that small detail on the diploma.
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