So, I have a room in my house that is my study, and I have set aside one wall as a showcase of things that I have accomplished in my lifetime.  There you can find ribbons from track meets that I won as a kid (I was really good at long jump), some medals from the music festivals that I have won (I used to play the piano), and even a diploma frame or two from my college degree in computer science and the certificate I have in accounting.

To some, this wall seems like I am bragging, but for me, it is a motivator as I can see what I have accomplished in my short time here on the planet.  I guess the biggest question that is brought up when people do look at the wall is why there is a bunch of empty space on it.

My answer is simple – the empty space reminds me that there are many more accomplishments to come and the space on the wall is needed to accommodate them, which gives me the motivation each day to be something more than I was yesterday.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are thinking of going back to school:

• Time requirements – This is generally different for each person, depending on your subject of study.  For instance, someone who is looking at chef schools will expect a very different workload than someone who is considering law school or medical school.  That doesn’t mean that cooking schools are a piece of cake to get through, by any means, but your time expectations do need to change according to what you intend to study.
• Location – Most returning students are working adults who are already ensconced in their lives and careers.  As a result, relocating to attend college is typically not an option.  If the school you want to attend is some distance away, carefully consider whether you want to make that commute for the next several years before making your decision.
• Course availability – Again, the existence of a job and family responsibilities mean that you will need to consider your existing schedule, and whether you can work your classes around it.  There are some programs, such as online programs, that are designed to work with people in your situation, but not all schools or areas of study are going to offer anything like that.

There are a lot of things to think about before deciding to go back to school.  I’m not at all trying to discourage you — finishing or adding to your education as an adult is an incredibly satisfying thing to do.  I found that I appreciated it much more as an adult than I would have as a teen, fresh out of high school.  But there are definitely more obstacles for an adult than for a teen, and it is important to make an “educated” decision!

You own your own business. You aren’t obligated to continue getting an education. However, your business may benefit if you do. Here are some classes worth taking to improve your business:

• Technology classes. Maybe you need to look into Cisco training courses because Cisco training would be useful in your business. Maybe you just need to take a one-day class on how to use social media to improve your marketing efforts. Some level of technology applies to your business and you should keep learning all that you can about it.
• Green business classes. Learning how to go green is important for all businesses today. Customers care about this so take a class that ends with a certificate that you can hang in your place of business.
• Networking and public speaking classes. You can never know enough people if you’re in business today. You have to keep learning how to speak in public and how to network in your industry. Whether you’re attending formal classes or just mixers and community events, this is a skill to stay on top of.

These are the major types of classes that you should look into if you know that you could use some more education but you need to take any formal classes.

After a few years of building computers as a hobby, many people look into the opportunity to make a career out of their passion. There are a number of online degree programs that will allow you get the knowledge and theoretical experience needed to easily pass the certification tests.

Once you have a degree behind you and have the required extra training and certifications you can write your own ticket to getting the job of your dreams. Many large corporations now hire their own in house technicians that repair, maintain and build computer server systems that will provide their businesses with data access.

As long as you are not bothered working in corporate structures, you should have no problems finding plenty of good work. After just a few years, the opportunity to start your own business building, repairing and selling computers is right there for the taking. It all starts with the passion to learn, and the patience to go from where you are to where you could be.

If you are returning to school as an adult, for obvious reasons you will want to choose a college or a vocational school that welcomes adult students.  Many schools try to attract returning students with different enrollment requirements, flexible scheduling, and an adult-friendly student atmosphere.

For example, the college I attended to get my bachelor’s degree catered to adult students.  Placement testing and other enrollment requirements were reduced for students who were transferring credits or past a certain age.  There were also tons of classes offered evenings and weekends, at extended campus locations, or even online.

But most noticable of all was the atmosphere, which was conducive to helping adult students return to school because of how many adults were already enrolled.  The average student age was 28, demonstrating that the majority of students were not kids fresh out of high school, but mature adults going back to school and/or attending college part-time while they worked full-time jobs.  I also think it helped that there were no dorms at my school, and therefore no kids partying their degrees away.

This kind of atmosphere will be the most conducive to adult education.  It’s hard to focus on learning when your classmates don’t take it seriously.  Luckily, many schools are beginning to realize that there is a lot of potential for enrollment in the more mature age groups, and many community colleges, universities, and even vocational schools such as cooking schools and culinary arts schools are catering to older students.