Back to school at 26, too late?
 

Guys, I been working all my life and I haven't really made time for university

what do you think? I am already pulling in 55K a year in my office job as

a senior examiner; however I still don't have my degree.

I know it's a big risk for me to quit the job and head back to school and start

all over again. By the time I am out of school I am already 31, 32!

I need advice!

Is it possible for you to take a part-time degree/night school? One of my highschool teachers finished her Master's at night school. Depending on the type of degree, you can do it part-time and finish it in 3-4 years, like an MBA.

it's never too late to go back to school.

this job of yours. seems like, its more like "Experience over Education."

Short answer to your questions is NO 26 is not late at all.

Education is a investment in your future and yourself. Keep in mind it is not the be all and end all, but it does come in handy. Lot of people do fairly well for themselves without a post secondary eduction. However, most of those individuals tend to remain in the same field of work for most of their life.

It is for you to decide if you going to remain in the field you are in for the rest of your life or do something else. Sometimes circumstances change and you have to change your line of work. In a situation like that, if it comes down to you and another candiate with similar experience but difference in education, you can imagine who the job goes to.

Also you can do a degree or diploma part time. Do keep in mind limited eduction may also limit your pay grade down the road, as the market gets more and more competative everyday. This was the number one reason why most of the mature students came back to school. Those mature students also used to get the better grades because of the life experience, responsiblities and time managment they had learnt over the years compared to someone fresh out of high school.

+1...they're whooping fresh high school grads' asses in terms of time management.

26 is definately not too late at all.

Dude. My parents are nearly 50, and they started going to school again to get a higher education. For interest and self accomplishment.

Its never too late.

Agreed with the 2nd poster. If you have spare time, take school part-time so you can maintain your job and get an education at the same time. As well, this allows you to still live your life comfortably (economically).

senior examiner as in claims adjuster?

Definitely will NOT quit your job.
take the part-time/night school route

you can be fucking 45 and go back to school

you'll just be laughed at. (but who gives a fuck if your'e FORTY FIVE)

don't quit your job.

i ran into a couple of managers who would promote my coworkers over me every time, so i decided to tough it up and head back to school full time at 24. I'm still mooching hard off of the parents so working part time isn't a big deal, but you can definitely do part time classes and still work full time no problem. If you like the place you work, approach your boss about it, stick with part time classes, and see if your company will cover some of the costs.

when i first started BCIT, there was a 60 year old in the graduating class. In my class there was a 45 year old taking the same program.

Its never to late to better yourself, and have a sense of self accomplishment doing it.

Like others have said, 26 is definately not too old. I too would not quit your current job. SFU now offers a "NOW" program that is geared towards full-time day workers. I not 100% sure on this, but I believe some schools will allow students into their MBA program without an undergraduate degree, especially if you have a professional designation coupled with good work experience.

DO NOT QUIT YOUR JOB

thats the biggest thing
do part time classes

There are like several late 20 year olds and a couple like 30/40-somethings in first year engineering at ubc

Depends. Do you love or hate your current job? If going back to school means you will get a chance to pursue something you really love then it's a no brainer.

question related to this topic, how might someone whom only has a high school education get into a part-time degree at sfu or ubc?

^ if it's undergrad..why the hell not?
they might tell him to go night school to update some courses or something cause he's been outta high school for >5 years

Excuse my previous post, it wasn't referring to the OP. I'm sorta in the same boat, and would like to see how I can get into a degree.

Look at the program requirements, go to college and take the courses required. Then apply to university. Game. Set. Match.

I'm older than the OP, just finished my second semester of university. I wasn't into academics at all in high school, but I later decided that I wanted a degree. I went to Kwantlen, had to upgrade my math, physics and chemistry, then I got into university with a scholarship. It can be done.

Edit: or you can apply to university as a mature student. Do some research on the school's websites.

why dont' you just take part time school and work full time? or do full time for both of them (3 courses + full time work). its probably better that way since ur getting paid pretty well! ive made that choice personally too! im turning 24 tho. didn't finish school and heading back now, but dont' want to risk giving up a good job neither. so doing the two together!

its hard at first, but u kinda gotta do what you gotta do! its probably better that way (assuming you don't have a family or kids yet) cause later on when u do have kids, the chances of u going back to school is gonna be pretty darn low! good luck!

Its never too late but it may be a waste of resources.

A college degree does not make you more marketable nor guarantee a higher paycheck. If there's an area of focus you want to acquire from a post-secondary education, keep in mind that if you could learn 90+% on your own for a fraction of the cost. (Iam in SFU and almost everything I learn is from textbooks that anyone can buy). And from my experience, a post-secondary education can actually make some students ''dumber'' lol.

My usual response to people who ask me if my formal education was worth it is that all the millionaires that I personally know did not go to college and the people I know with the most formal education (Masters) don't make a lot of money (under six figures). The point is that college degrees is a piss-poor indictor of a persons future prospects. Altogether, I would still recommend people to get a college education because it can be a very rewarding experience.

Oh lets not forget, college is girl heaven! :D

if anything i think this is the right time to get back into it.

if you can keep your job and do a night/part time schooling then that would be awesome. also since you've been working for all of these years, you've probaby made enough money (i would assume) that can help you pay for your tuition while students fresh out of HS are probably on loans and all of that. you've already established some sort of financial stability so this is a great burden off of your shoulders.

good luck!


but since you've been banned i guess you won't be able to read this!

At this point in the world stage I would not be leaving a job right now. go back to school fulltime if/when you get layed off.