Non aviation topic going back to college

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I'm mid 40's and my employer is making me go back to college to earn a degree. Two year and then 4 year degree. Well they are not making me but strongly suggest I do and they will finance it.

I have been in IT for 20 years and make good money as a IT director. I have several IT certifications but no college degree. Lets just say I'm a college drop out. I have a wife and 3 kids.

I'm not sure if I have the stamina to do all the work to earn a degree. Well maybe I do because I just worked 31 hours last weekend on a data center build out.

I would like to hear from people that has returned to college later in life.
What made you decide to return? How was it being a older student?

I'm trying to earn the degree mostly online.

Thanks.
 
My wife went back for a Nursing degree in her 40s, after already having a degree in Accounting. She did everything she could online, but obviously there were some in classroom things and clinical that couldn't be done, but she found being an older student wasn't a big deal.

Me, I went back to school in my mid-20s, after a little hiccup the first time around. I was still the old guy, but it didn't bother me too much. This was back when online courses weren't very plentiful, so much of my experience was on campus.

I've been in IT now for 11 years and wish I could hang it up and just fly. Not out of the realm of possibilities....
 
I earned a Bachelors degree by going to night school while on active duty in the Navy. After I retired from 20+ years in aviation maintenance, the only job I could find was turning wrenches at a repair depot. Then, after 9/11, I got laid off from that.

So, at the age of 43, I went back to school full time to get an AAS degree in radiologic technology. My first paying job as a RadTech was during my 2nd year of the program. I was making more than I'd made as a Navy Chief Petty Officer, and way more than I'd made working on passenger jets.

I'm not gonna lie and tell you I absolutely love my job. I don't! But, it put 2 kids through college and allowed me and my wife to put some money aside. Now, I'm just about ready to go back to aviation. But, on my terms.
 
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My take on college education:

"A" students teach and "B" students end up working for "C" students.
 
If anything, school is easier now in some ways because you understand whats needed and why. Expect to be above average in anything where social skill counts, including team work. You know that delivery trumps about everything else. Your presentation skills and depth of thinking are naturally better.

Now it will be tough too because you know the real world. Some teacher will have a pet peeve about calculating percentage of earned revenue on a fixed bid project and you'll have to do it their quirky way even though nobody in the real world does.

It's work. You're not going to school part time, you're going over time. Theres no way around that except to put your nose to the grindstone and work. You know that, but does your boss? Its scary because you will have to give up extra hours at work. Delegate the after hours stuff and keep involved. Thats another skill to have.

A last bonus - school might be recruiting time. You will get to know people pretty well and you can drop offers to talk after graduation. You'll improve your own skill at working with younger people...thats an edge for you.
 
I'm trying to do this mostly online. Tying to avoid attending teacher lead classroom environment. I'm to a point I don't have to work all those after hours in my career. I need to delegate more. For me I think this is the best time in my life to do this. My kids are older but still live at home so they mostly take care of themselves. My work will pay for college and that is a good thing.
 
If they're paying for it and you can do it online, then go for it. If it has to be a traditional program (read: sitting in classrooms), then personally, I'd find a new job.

I earned one of my degrees mainly "non-traditionally," as they called it back then before there were online programs, at Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey. I basically read a lot of books, wrote a lot of papers, and took a lot of proctored exams. It was a lot less excruciating than listening to windbags drone on ad nauseam, but it did require a lot more self-discipline.

I'm currently pondering pursuing a doctorate in religion, philosophy, or something else along those lines, but I will only do it if I can find a program that I can complete non-traditionally, with little (or preferably no) classroom attendance. I find the prospect of suffering through traditional college classes again about as enjoyable as undergoing dental work without anesthesia.

Rich
 
Lot of the state colleges are offer online only degrees. That is the way of the future I believe unless your 18yr trying to hook up with another young student.
 
Kiddo's Driver said:
CLEP out of everything you can. Skip the BS classes and get to the core degree stuff.
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DSST tests are well-accepted, too. Although geared mainly toward service members and veterans, I'm pretty sure that anyone can take them.

Thomas Edison State College also has their own tests, called TECEPs, in addition to accepting most other ACE-approved tests. They also offer credit for certain military and civilian in-service courses, as well as most FAA certificates.

Rich
 
I went back to grad school in my 40s. It was surprisingly easier than undergrad, apparently because I had adapted to stress and deadlines. And had matured through the years.

Working full time during the day as a Manufacturing Engineer at a medical device manufacturer, going to school in the evening. Spent an hour or two on homework a couple of evenings a week, more time on Sundays. It's amazing how a thumb drive lets you carry those assignments to work and squeeze in a little more there.

When I finally graduated, it felt strange to be walking around the plant and only have 5 or 6 things to work on . . .

You should be head and shoulders above most of your classmates, but will probably have other working adults in your Assoc. classes. You've learned organization and how to apply what you know. This is just another opportunity to do so on a large scale. Fortunately my engineering classes didn't require much writing, but did I make presentations! Fortunately I live by Excel at work, and had many people to ask questions about PowerPoint at work; now I'm pretty proficient with it, too.

If you are an IT Director at a company of any size, you won't have any problems. Many schools now even give credit for "life experience" and what you've learned and done at work. This, combined with whatever classes you took back in the day, should greatly shorten your educational path. See if you can skip the AA and go straight into the BA/BS program, with lots of credit from earlier plus "life experience" credit. Look up "Regents Program," the name some places for taking old college credit and life experience as most requirements for a college degree.
 
Learning is for life.

A college degree doesn't guarantee that person is smart, but it sure opens doors.

But having that slip of paper opened up plenty of opportunities for me.

I just should have taken them instead of flying for a living....:lol::lol::lol:
 
I just realized I started this thread unregistered oh well.
I don't think I'm ready to jump into university classes yet. Get my feet wet at a jr college and go from there.
 
Ok then, you can go out and play with your friends for a little while, but its a school night so be home early to study....
 
Any decent company will encourage you and reward you when you make it. Most of who I worked with did well and they all had a degree. My boss graduated from Perdue when he was twenty one, ( engineering) ran the division when he was thirty three. If you are good in math and can speak English well, your future should be bright. The young people I know today who have good educations are in their early to mid twentys , solid degrees in math, computers and engineering. All are doing very well. If your not lead dog, the scenery always the same.
 
RJM62 said:
If they're paying for it and you can do it online, then go for it. If it has to be a traditional program (read: sitting in classrooms), then personally, I'd find a new job.

I earned one of my degrees mainly "non-traditionally," as they called it back then before there were online programs, at Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, New Jersey. I basically read a lot of books, wrote a lot of papers, and took a lot of proctored exams. It was a lot less excruciating than listening to windbags drone on ad nauseam, but it did require a lot more self-discipline.

I'm currently pondering pursuing a doctorate in religion, philosophy, or something else along those lines, but I will only do it if I can find a program that I can complete non-traditionally, with little (or preferably no) classroom attendance. I find the prospect of suffering through traditional college classes again about as enjoyable as undergoing dental work without anesthesia.

Rich
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Speaking as a PhD, learning to deal with windbags is part of the practical requirement for the degree. When I went through it, most departments had a residency (time in the department) requirement.
 
I could just jump ship and leave the company I have been employed for 13 years and work for a company who care less about a degree. I don't want to leave this company I'm my own boss and run a IT department. The hours are great with occasional after hours work. The higher I climb the corp ladder with this company the more a degree comes important. That is the trend here.
 
evapilotaz said:
I could just jump ship and leave the company I have been employed for 13 years and work for a company who care less about a degree. I don't want to leave this company I'm my own boss and run a IT department. The hours are great with occasional after hours work. The higher I climb the corp ladder with this company the more a degree comes important. That is the trend here.
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That's also why I went back. Plus the company paid for it.:D
 
My mom went back and got her Master's in Special Education when she was around 45 while working a full time job and taking care of us. It's doable but be prepared to put a lot of effort into it.
 
Clark1961 said:
Speaking as a PhD, learning to deal with windbags is part of the practical requirement for the degree. When I went through it, most departments had a residency (time in the department) requirement.
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Yeah, that's what I'm finding. It may be a deal-killer considering that I need another degree like I need a hole in the head.

Rich
 
RJM62 said:
Yeah, that's what I'm finding. It may be a deal-killer considering that I need another degree like I need a hole in the head.

Rich
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There is that fact that the degree is not required. The brain stimulation is another topic altogether and one I do pursue.
 
Enjoy your good fortune. There are a lot of people who would love to have an employer pay their way (mine did and it was a blessing to walk away with a degree and no debt), and if yours is doing it, you probably both deserve it, and in their mind are capable of succeeding. College truly isn't that hard. Real life, which you already have lived for many years, is much harder. Study hard, pick your professors brains, ask questions, and you will be fine.
 
Remember, the people you meet and the contacts you make may very well be more valuable in the long run than the sheepskin. Faculty, pedantic windbags aforementioned notwithstanding, can be very helpful, especially when you reach graduate school.
Enjoy.
 
wilkersk said:
I earned a Bachelors degree by going to night school while on active duty in the Navy. After I retired from 20+ years in aviation maintenance, the only job I could find was turning wrenches at a repair depot. Then, after 9/11, I got laid off from that.

So, at the age of 43, I went back to school full time to get an AAS degree in radiologic technology. My first paying job as a RadTech was during my 2nd year of the program. I was making more than I'd made as a Navy Chief Petty Officer, and way more than I'd made working on passenger jets.

I'm not gonna lie and tell you I absolutely love my job. I don't! But, it put 2 kids through college and allowed me and my wife to put some money aside. Now, I'm just about ready to go back to aviation. But, on my terms.
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Nursing was never meant to be my dream job. It was my fallback after I realized I'd be working 80 hour weeks to be a broke paramedic. Its been good to me, and I've moved up through the clinical ranks. Its nice to be able to work to live, rather than live to work.
 
Doggtyred said:
C students flunk out of the clinical masters program I went through. Its A, B and F.
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Yeah,that's true. This C student got into grad school many years later, and was disappointed to receive no recognition for my 4.0 in grad school. Grad students are expected to perform well.

The number of grad students is only a fraction of the number of undergrad students. Most of my managers have not had graduate degrees, although one was working on his MBA (with lots of help).
 
I went back to school in my 40s to study IT after thinking I had enough of aviation maintenance. I got an associates degree with a GPA of 4.0. Though I did well in my courses for my aviation degree many years earlier, I did not get a 4.0. Either IT is pretty easy in comparison or college itself is just easier the second time around.

Anyway, about the time I was finishing my IT AS degree, I started getting promotions at work so I decided to stay with aviation. I'm still glad I did it though.
 
To take to core general education requirements I have to take placement test for English and Math. Blaa im going to do poorly in the tests I'm afraid. In IT I haven't done much math or writting since High school.
 
evapilotaz said:
To take to core general education requirements I have to take placement test for English and Math. Blaa im going to do poorly in the tests I'm afraid. In IT I haven't done much math or writting since High school.
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Just having gotten out of college a year ago, I might be able to offer a little advice. If at all possible, do the core classes at a community college and transfer them over (make sure that they are equivalent and compatible with your academic advisor). I did it to save money, but the quality expectations where I took mine (Barstow Community College, Barstow CA) was almost laughable.

English/speech/micro/macroeconomics/etc I had no trouble with whatsoever. The teacher for economics asked if he could keep my midterm paper as an example for future students :eek:

The final exam for that economics class was personalized with names of students. The extra credit question asked about taxes and was given out the class before. The woman who had her name in the question brought in all kinds of actual tax paperwork and income information to solve the problem :mad2:

Take the math more seriously and brush up on it, I took the first placement test just going into it seeing what I would place and I got a bunch wrong - after spending a day or two reading up on basic algebra and trig and geometry, the girl at the testing desk told me that I scored "really, really high" with a surprised look on her face. I only needed college algebra and aviation statistics for my degree.

YMMV!
 
I too am an IT Director and my company paid for my expenses, 100%. I had my undergraduate already, so 1 month shy of my 50th bday and 29 years after last attending formal schooling I earned my MBA.

I found I learned a little more slowly than the others, most of whom were 20+ years my junior, but it was a great experience. Everything is digital which meant I never stepped foot on campus but I did attend classes one night each week near my office. I preferred the in-person approach.

In some areas I had a definite leg up on my cohorts, while in others they did, so it balanced out and those of us that gutted it out have some great memories, learning, and opportunities.

My firm rewarded my new knowledge and skills and I have a deeper appreciation for the higher-level decisions that business leaders need to consider; it allows you to participate in the discussion. That's rare in business these days, so by all means embrace your opportunity. Savor the AHA! moments you are about to experience, and never quit. When you are done you will have something no one can ever take from you, despite the inevitable detractors. Congratulations on enrolling!
 
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overdrive148 said:
Take the math more seriously and brush up on it, I took the first placement test just going into it seeing what I would place and I got a bunch wrong - after spending a day or two reading up on basic algebra and trig and geometry, the girl at the testing desk told me that I scored "really, really high" with a surprised look on her face. I only needed college algebra and aviation statistics for my degree. YMMV!
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Agreed, the math is what was most difficult. I learned a lot, but I also leaned heavily on my cohorts for help during the worst of it (math). By the same token, the writing was easy for me. Being assigned a 5 page paper was like taking a break. :yesnod:
 
overdrive148 said:
Just having gotten out of college a year ago, I might be able to offer a little advice. If at all possible, do the core classes at a community college and transfer them over (make sure that they are equivalent and compatible with your academic advisor). I did it to save money, but the quality expectations where I took mine (Barstow Community College, Barstow CA) was almost laughable.

English/speech/micro/macroeconomics/etc I had no trouble with whatsoever. The teacher for economics asked if he could keep my midterm paper as an example for future students :eek:

The final exam for that economics class was personalized with names of students. The extra credit question asked about taxes and was given out the class before. The woman who had her name in the question brought in all kinds of actual tax paperwork and income information to solve the problem :mad2:

Take the math more seriously and brush up on it, I took the first placement test just going into it seeing what I would place and I got a bunch wrong - after spending a day or two reading up on basic algebra and trig and geometry, the girl at the testing desk told me that I scored "really, really high" with a surprised look on her face. I only needed college algebra and aviation statistics for my degree.

YMMV!
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If I had a dime for every transfer student who got screwed by community colleges….

My experience on the other side of the fence is that older students are all over the map. They are much more mature and do know what it's all about. Some of them have too many outside distractions to balance. But the usual distraction for college students is hormones and that's not at the same level. Some others do very, very well; some of my best students were retreads going back to school to finish a degree after the dotcom bust.

I find the online thing impersonal and not very successful -- most of the students seem to drop out. A residential program has the advantage of focus. You don't have 20,000 things competing for your attention. It's gonna be hard to finish up that term paper when the network server goes TU and you have to pull an all-nighter.
 
I'm in a position now at my company I'm no longer pulling the all nighters fixing servers or whatever. I have been told by my boss that my job is to deligate everything and manage people not networks. This is a big career change for me. The recent 31hr weekend server buildout will be the last of the long hours for me.
 
I have this discussion during reviews quite often. Our company has an amazing tuition reimbursement program and will essentially pay for any approved degree earning program. Even with job titles the Director position in a company with 80 people is vastly different than our Director positions in a company with 16,000 employees.

I was a technical project manager type that went back to school at 29 for an MBA. Between that and a Project Manager cert it helped open up advancement that allowed me to get into positions that generally weren't typically given to someone in their 30s. So for me it was completely worth it going back to school.

If you just want the 'degree' then get it however, online at a 'for profit' school or through some other correspondence. If you actually want the education and a broader knowledge and working directly with other people then pick a more traditional program in an area of study you want.

Since you're already employed and seem to be wanting to do this for your employer than I would guess you could do an online program and be done with it. If you go through a graduate program I would warn you about getting an online MBA or Masters degree. Generally those are disregarded by larger companies... but that's a different debate.
 
The degree online and the degree in classroom is the same program. The credits will transfer to the state university when I pursue my BS. I would never attend those costly degree mill schools that are not state accredited. My company does look down on those. My CEO is a big promoter of ASU and I think she maybe on the Alumni board or something like that.
Today I actually went on campus to show proof of in state residency. I saw people my age at the admission office as new students. Next to me was some young adult with blue hair. Looked to be early 30s.
 
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