Oct
24
Making the decision to go back to school as an adult is difficult. There are a lot of uncertainties and — I won’t lie — it won’t be a walk in the park. My husband is finishing up his bachelor’s degree right now, and there are times when he gets quite frustrated with his lack of spare time.
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!
Comments
Leave a Reply