How and why should I go back to school?

May 31, 2019 2:35 PM

My employer offers a tuition reimbursement program which would cover a couple of college courses per year fully. I'm not sure whether to use this as a way to finish my degree, or to enroll in a few targeted, career-focused courses or certificate programs. Further complications inside.

I never finished college due to a combination of ADHD and major family dysfunction/shenanigans at an inopportune time. Ummm, also possibly because I fucking hate what I was studying - computer science.

Cut to 15 years later.

(1) I have a pretty great career as a technical writer. I love what I do because I am good at this work, it pays well, and I never have to write any code ever yayyy.

(2) I have also gotten an ADHD diagnosis, been prescribed meds, and gained the superpower of being able to focus! And hit deadlines! Jazzhands!! I might actually be successful at school if I went back this time.

(3) Plus I've sort of grown into myself, and have developed real interests which I would love to formally study if I can afford to.


Now I might be able to afford to, because my employer offers tuition reimbursement to the tune of $4000 a year. That's pretty neat. I want to use it. But HOW should I use it?

Option A: I ought to finish my freakin degree. It would take forever to finish, though, and it would mean a couple of years' worth of studying something I hate, but I think I can put on my big girl underwear for the sake of future dreams? If I finished my degree, I could probably get paid more and that would enable me to afford a master's (....... and maybe moooore...?) in the area of study I love (which my employer won't cover because it's outside of my field of work). Folks, I dream of school. I dreeeaaaaam of academia. I was born to wander campuses and read textbooks and write theseseses, I mean, I basically do all that as a hobby on my own right now, and I always imagine what it might be like to do it with peers and under the guidance of advisors.

Option B: I ought to take a few courses to targetedly, strategically advance my career in a higher-paying direction to land me a job with the State - shorter work hours, pension, amazing benefits, etc! It would mean giving up the notion of ever going to college to study the things I love (because starting a bachelor's over again at my age isn't appealing to me), and giving up romantic dreams of an academic life without ever having tried. But I would have more time to work at my craft and do my own independent learning, and perhaps even strategize that into a side gig so as to connect with professionals in the field and get what I really want in a different way.

What should I do??

posted by MiraK to Education (14 answers total)

Are you sure option B is available to you? I used tuition reimbursement to partially pay for my masters and a requirement was that I be in a degree-seeking program related to my job and that I be progressing towards graduation in a set time period. My current job (different company, different state) offers tuition reimbursement with the same restrictions. I'm not sure how common that is, but before you decide on option B, make sure it's a real option. It seems like that's the one you're really more interested in.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 2:42 PM on May 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

You may not be able to finish your degree. It's my understanding that credits expire after a certain number of years unless "locked in" with a degree. You'd probably have to repeat the courses you have taken after 15 years. (sorry!)
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 3:11 PM on May 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Are you sure your degree would take forever to finish? I don't know where you're located, but I was able to finally finish my degree thanks to a degree completion program offered by one of the local universities. They gave me credit for almost all of my past college work and had programs designed for adult learners who needed a college degree but didn't really care what that degree was in. For example, my degree is in interdisciplinary studies, sort of a choose-your-own-adventure kind of degree. So a degree may be closer than you think.

If I finished my degree, I could probably get paid more
I am also a technical writer. So far the difference in salary pre-degree and post-degree is close to $30,000 a year. Another thing to consider - most of the places that hire technical writers expect the four year degree at a minimum. I was job hunting just after I finished my degree (three years ago) and every recruiter said that without the degree I would have never even made it into their search filters.

and that would enable me to afford a master's
I just this semester started an MS in Tech Comm Management degree program, and I can afford to do that out of my own pocket because of the salary boost from the having the BS degree.

Go for the degree, and look around you to see if any of the universities near you have a degree completion program.

On preview: It's my understanding that credits expire after a certain number of years unless "locked in" with a degree. You'd probably have to repeat the courses you have taken after 15 years. (sorry!)

This was not my experience. I left college in 1984 and returned in 2012, and the only courses I had to repeat were ones I failed. So check on this before assuming that all is lost.
posted by ralan at 3:15 PM on May 31, 2019 [9 favorites]

I don't think there is any uniform policy about "expiration" of credits amongst U.S. universities. I do think, however, that you can't know how feasible Option A even is without getting a good idea of what you could transfer in and what additional requirements you would have to fulfill. (I'm assuming you're not in a position to go back to the exact same institution.) Also, even with the ADHD drugs you are unlikely to be able to go to school more than about quarter-time while holding down a full-time job; I'm not sure what level of attendance you're using as the basis for a two-year estimate.

(Also, I don't want to rain on your parade, but you might want to read some of the many Mefi threads about grad school before deciding that it's what you want, because the way you describe it departs somewhat from the reality...)
posted by praemunire at 3:17 PM on May 31, 2019 [4 favorites]

I'd look into option A.1 where you finish a degree but not necessarily the CompSci degree you started, if you hate it so much. If the credits are still around, a lot of stuff from the first couple of years of one degree can often be applied to the first couple of years of a degree in a field you find more relevant. You could have all of the math and science credits needed for a degree somewhere in the humanities, for example, and have to do a few more courses than you would need for CompSci but they'd be courses more in your interests.

And regarding B, in my experience with governments, being able to tick the box labelled Degree is a thing more than having taken some courses that have relevant information, unless perhaps those courses are part of A Certification.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 3:29 PM on May 31, 2019 [2 favorites]

If you're looking at paying out of pocket to go to grad school because you love the subject, take a long, hard look at whether you're really okay with paying that much for a hobby. Advisors guide you some, yes, but they are busy, overcommitted professionals with pretty broad leeway to treat their grad students pretty badly if they want to. I enjoyed my Master's work. I also didn't pay for it myself and do it after 40 hours a week at another job (I had a stipend).

There's a pretty big gap between your "romantic dream of academic life" and not being interested in getting a bachelor's in something you like. Why are you okay with a couple years of studying something you hate for a BS but not maybe a little longer doing something you long to do? Especially since you say you want the BS to get to (multiple years of) grad school in longed-for-thing? You can do independent studies as an undergrad. You can read textbooks and have peers.
posted by momus_window at 3:31 PM on May 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

You may not be able to finish your degree. It's my understanding that credits expire after a certain number of years unless "locked in" with a degree. You'd probably have to repeat the courses you have taken after 15 years. (sorry!)

This is very much not the policy at the institution where I work.

I think you should look into option C, which is finishing a degree in something you don't hate. There are a fair number of programs set up for working adults who have substantial credits and want to finish their bachelors. You should see if any of the institutions around you have anything like that. (Don't go to a for-profit institution. You're looking for a public or private non-profit college or university that offers a degree-completion program.) You could also look into transferring into a traditional major that you liked better. It may be that you'll have a lot of general education requirements completed, and you could just focus on the major, which might not take that long.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 3:34 PM on May 31, 2019 [9 favorites]

Seconding ArbitraryAndCapricious; many of your credits could likely be put towards the completion of a different degree. I think it's also very much worth thinking long-term here. YMMV of course but I've lived the academic life you speak of and while there are definitely lovely things about it, there are also aspects ranging from frustrating to hellish (especially if you do a PhD). Beyond that though, what do you think you would you like to do long term? What types of jobs do you envision obtaining with the Degree You Love, and how attainable are they? Are there other factors that might influence your long term plans like choice of place to live, a partner/kids, etc? Would you be happy long term in your current career with better benefits, hours, and so on?
posted by DTMFA at 4:25 PM on May 31, 2019

My advice was based on the assumption that OP actually had a good bit less than 2 years to go, since she anticipates finishing in two years while working full-time. That may make it less easy to switch/"waste" more credits that might not be applicable in a new program. That's the only reason I didn't suggest it.
posted by praemunire at 4:40 PM on May 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

I don't know how old you are, but I flunked out of college not once but twice for reasons not unlike the issues you mentioned. I went back at age 31 while working in the field I was studying (I had been working in it for three years prior), and I graduated at age 34.

Many years later I ended up working for company with an exceptionally generous tuition benefit for grad school, and I got a master's at age 50. It was true that you only could be reimbursed for a degree or certificate program -- no courses here and there regardless of work relevance. Definitely check into that. The master's was related to my job.

You are not too old at all, and there are scads of "working adult" degree programs now, many more than when I did my B.A. in such a program from 1989 to 1992. They are great for networking. You might find a school that enables portfolio submissions for earning some life-experience credits, as I did (including in business writing). Caveat: They are more work than taking the class! At least at my school they were.

I love the academic dream, too, and but after 11 years reading MeFi and more years reading higher ed press I wouldn't dream of trying to go in to the academy. Now, a hobby history or American studies master's would be my jam.

In this era, "everyone" has a bachelor's, and if you don't you risk missing out on opportunities, fair or unfair.
posted by jgirl at 5:51 PM on May 31, 2019 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Also adult with previously undiagnosed ADHD, who did terribly in college the first time around, took some courses about 10 years later, then returned to finish my bachelors, another 12 years after that.

First, my credits did transfer despite the time that had elapsed. Second, you should look closely at your employer’s policy. Mine offered tuition reimbursement for accredited courses for degree programs relevant to work. It would not have been applicable toward certifications. Yours may vary, but you should find out either way. But be advised that there is also a $2500 tax credit if you attend at least half-time, for up to 4 years. So that should make the deal a little sweeter.

Third, If you have your generals completed, there’s no reason you need to complete the same major you began. Pick a different major. You might have to take a couple of generals over again, but oh well.

And fourth, this is the point that convinced me: the next few years are going to go by regardless. Would you like a degree at the end of it, or not? It’s pretty much that simple.

I will say that being in the workplace, and having learned tons of good organizational habits in the interim, made it far easier for me to manage the workload despite ADHD (I got my formal diagnosis while I was in school, in fact). And the relevance of the degree program to my job really paid off in both work and school. I did really well and graduated with a 3.9 at age 42.

It’s never too late! Go for it.

I will second jgirl’s experience that, if the program you choose offers it, documenting your relevant experience in place of taking a class is still a rigorous exercise. And for that matter, my Bachelor completion program was very rigorous as well. I had the same quantity of reading, assignments, papers and presentations that I did in my previous college incarnation, but it was in 7 weeks per class instead of 15 weeks. But it was an incredibly rewarding experience all told, and I feel like I really vindicated my 20-year-old self by not just finishing, but doing really well.

As for my future educational aspirations, I don’t dream of academia, but I wouldn’t mind a graduate degree in my field of industry under the right conditions (I.e. someone else pays for it). I made a point to get good grades so that it would be easier to get into grad school, should I choose to do so.
posted by Autumnheart at 6:09 PM on May 31, 2019 [4 favorites]

So... you might be able to do A and B, get on the phone with your old or preferred college and talk to the person in admissions that handles returning students. Tell them what you shared here, you are far from unique. If you want to change your major, or finish a bachelors without losing yourself, and take courses you want, Interdisciplinary Studies can create a custom option. The advising office (not the departmental major adviser) is Really Really Good at finding the minimum number of courses to graduate-there are students who want to get into their career without the additional expense of a semester or a course, as well as parents who are footing the bill. Ask their career services office about internships (for credit) with the State department to see what can be networked.

Best wishes!
posted by childofTethys at 9:43 PM on May 31, 2019 [1 favorite]

I also did a degree completion program targeted at adult students and highly recommend that path. As others have stated, avoid for-profit colleges like the plague (U of Phoenix, Walden, DeVry, etc.), and see what the offerings are at the local colleges and universities in your area. I finished my degree at a local Jesuit college that I would never would have considered except my boss recommended I look into it, so don’t rule out any small local colleges around you. The cost was reasonable and they were very accommodating for adult learners with full time jobs.
posted by jeoc at 5:53 AM on June 1, 2019 [2 favorites]

If you want to wander campuses and read and write things for the sheer joy of learning, you should be taking undergraduate courses, not graduate ones. Undergraduate courses are about growing as a person; graduate courses are about preparing you for a specific, professional role. (Yes, even the graduate courses in the specific, unworldly, arcane thing that you love. Even those.)
posted by yarntheory at 9:11 AM on June 1, 2019 [3 favorites]