Going back to school?

[*blackrose]

I'm finishing up my BS degree this fall, while working full time. Only three classes left (Biochemistry and two literature classes so I can get my English minor), so I'll be going to school for nine credit hours + working 40 hours a week. Should be fun. ^^ I don't anticipate any more stress than I already have. I'm already used to going to school for 10-12 hours a day (classes are spread out, but it SUCKS killing time on campus), and then work 15-20 hours a week on top of that, which means I don't get any real time off. So starting in August I'll likely have three twelve hour days (work and school) and two eight hour days, but I get WEEKENDS. Whoohoo!

[GipsyQueen]

Originally Posted by Cheza

I have an architecture degree, and I originally graduated with it in 2006. This January I quit my job and I'm now back in school in pre-med, basically taking all of the math and science that I didn't have from my first degree. I'm 27 right now, which at my university means I'm the age of most of my TAs or older, and well older than the general population.

It was tough, being out of school for so long. It took me a while to get into the swing of things and back into an academic routine. It's also stressful for me because I basically can't afford to get less than an A in any class, so I'm beating the crap out of myself. I'm not working; I quit my job entirely. But I do volunteer several times a week at a local animal shelter working with dogs with behavioral issues, and at a hospital downtown in the ER.

The thing I think that hits home the most is when I was working, I got used to being able to come home and shut off my brain essentially. Even if I was working overtime, which I did a lot, I could drive home, turn on the computer/tv and veg out. Now, if I have school til 6:15 and I don't get home til 7:00, I have homework to do on top of all the rest of my regular household responsibilities. I can't sit down and space out. I forgot how annoying it is to not have any real time for myself because all of it is dedicated to school.

It's definitely worth it if that's something you really want to do, but the older you get and the more responsibilities you have, and the more you get used to having free time to go along with your paycheque, the tougher it can be to readjust. I love being a student, I'm excited about applying to med school next spring, and I'm so glad I took the chance on myself and quit the dead end job, there are just some nights where all I want to do is scream at the top of my lungs and burn all of my books in a fire.

Good luck in your decision, it's a tough one but I think if you do head back you will find it very rewarding.

Ha, I started off working towards pre-med, now I'm well into a degree in Architecture.

[drmom777]

I went back several times. I finished my undergrad in 1987, medical school ten years later, in 1997, and a year and a half ago went back to a residency training program and am a year and a half into my four year program. In two and a half years I'll be a board eligible psychiatrist and can finally get that big girl job--at the age of 51!!!!

I am sorry about the interruptions, but not about getting those kids brought up and taking care of Molly.

And I have never been sorry for a second about going back. I love my job. I love being a doctor. Go for what you want and love, every time.

[Laurelin]

My problem is I don't really love much of anything that is a paying job, lol. I like my job now and I'd like to do engineering but I don't love it. It's interesting though. I would want to do geology or geophysics but you need a masters to get hired in those and so I'd need to do both masters and undergrad. Plus geology still requires a semester long field camp that does not sound fun to me.

I'm a little bit nervous now because most the classes I'd need for an engineering degree from OU in the field I want look like they're offered during the day. I HOPE there's a way to do some of them online or at a different school.

I need 72 hours max to get the degree I want. Sounds like a lot right now.

[GlassOnion]

On the other hand, the Sooner you start the Sooner you get done.

[Laurelin]

Originally Posted by GlassOnion

On the other hand, the Sooner you start the Sooner you get done.

lol pun!

I HATE OU with a passion. Even more than t.u. But they're the only school around here that offers what I want.

[Saeleofu]

I finished my psychology degree, mucked around for a year trying to find something that I could use said degree for, then went back for Zoo Science. I just received news today that I have two semesters left and then I'm done

Anyway, the second degree is WAY easier than the first. All you have to do is take whatever classes you still need. Even if you change schools you shouldn't have to take any of the basic crap schools make you take. I changed schools and even though they have a ton of classes new students need to take that I haven't taken, they're not making me take them. So yay lol.

I really was NOT looking forward to a second bachelor's. But it's something I really, REALLY like, so that helps. It also makes my future look a lot more bright, with a degree that has a specific purpose. I should have done it when I first got out of high school, but I didn't, so I'm doing it now. That said, I have more opportunities doing it now that I would have had then. I get to volunteer and get credit for it - something that my advisor told me today he has never let anyone do before and probably won't let anyone do again, but it's EXACTLY what I need, so he's making a huge exception for me. That wouldn't have been the case 6 years ago.

The biggest problem I ran into is financial aid. There is a cap for undergrad federal loans, and if you already have a degree all you get is loans and whatever the school decides to give you in scholarships. I'm very lucky that my school does offer scholarships to people working on a second degree, or it wouldn't work.