Totally OT--returning to college in midlife

[Svhadden]

I'll jump on the bandwagon. Congrats on taking the leap. It's such a great accomplishment and something you do for yourself.

I just graduated with my bachelors in communication this spring and I'm 39. Had gotten my associates out of high school but then life happened, work, marriage, a kid, etc

We didn't really qualify for any assistance other ham a few small scholarships. So most of my tuition Iis in the form of student loans. But I still consider myself lucky because I just had two yrs of tuition instead of four. And I pretty quickly transitioned to a role that requires a degree and my salary increase went up by about 12k a year! So college was definitely a good decision for me.

Congratulations to you! It is a great accomplishment .

So you were able to get your bachelors in two years? Because my husbands previous degree is 20 yrs old, he's going in academically as a freshmen, which stinks lol. We are hoping he can CLEP a few courses.

 

[SarahKate]

I started in August 2010 and was finished by December 2012 and graduated this past May. I had my associates degree and even some credits beyond that and was able to transfer in as a junior. I really fully expected to have to go one more semester but I did a portfolio to get credit for prior learning and my advisor even helped me somehow claim additional credits for some of my community college hours. The latter of which I never imagined would happened because it seemed like I was double dipping. So I got done in 5 semesters and did one summer class. It was stressful but such a great experience and I am so glad I went for it.

 

[AuroraSheasMom]

OP, I am living proof that it can be done. I just graduated in April with a Middle Grades Education degree at the age of 35. I started college at 30. I have 2 DD's (14 and 10) that both play softball and basketball, one that does track, a DH who works out of town Sunday night through Thursday afternoon and who also goes out of town for weeks at a time when a hurricane, ice storm or other natural disaster occurs. It was never easy, and often seemed impossible-especially afyer we suffered a house fire that completely destroyed our home in the middle of summer semester. Needless to say, it requires discipline, dedication and a strong support system to make it work-all of which it sounds like your DH has.

I can't help much with the financial aspect, as I did have to take out loans (and foolishly didn't seek out grants or scholarships) but if he takes his core at a community or local college, you can save a decent amount of money. Have your DH see if there are any core classes he can test out of. He will get credit on his transcript but won't have to actually take the course. (Here its called a CLEP test and I wish someone had told me about it. I could have tested out of quite a few English and computer courses). Buy textbooks used, and once he knows the professor for the class, email him or her and see if he can use the next oldest edition (2011 instead of 2013 edition). The difference in using an older edition can be $100+ per book. Maybe that will help a little

Good luck to your DH. It will be tough but if he hangs in there, it can be done. Besides the money aspect, there really is a tremendous sense of accomplishment that you feel when you get that degree. I believe that I, as an older student, perhaps appreciated it more than a younger student with less responsibilities and family commitments.

 

[kiddisney]

hi - thanks - i didn't brush up on too much that much in advance - was a little nervous that i wouldn't remember a lot of stuff - but now there's a lot of help on-line and with google it was so much easier to get backup than when i first in college - and being older you take it in stride more - having worked before he'll know how to get the most out of each hour - we're used to starting and stopping so he'll get the maximum out of study time - but i would say that there will be times when he'll need to have a good couple of hours - i did a lot of work after the kids went to bed - but rather than be exhausting it was kind of energizing - and in taking it in stride - i was happy to average out my grades - rather than looking for a's all the time - i just wanted a b average - but it was rewarding - so he should be fine - he has experience in completing work so changing careers will just like a new project - though a multi-year project

 

[cobright]

Just looking for counsel and/or encouragement

So, big changes for our family. We've given it a great deal of thought, and in the spring, my husband will be returning to college for another degree at the, ahem, mature age of 41.

Wow, story of my mid-life. I went back to finish my education (after a 15 year break) because working as a heavy machine repair tech (mostly in desert countries with newly installed democracies) is a rough gig to maintain.

It's a culture shock but it can be done. I finished my MA in international relations (global commerce and trade negotiation) in 2011 and have been earning a modest living pursuing my dream (teaching, writing, some technical writing, lot of consulting). It helps that my wife is one of those insanely employable people.

I would caution your husband to speak frankly with admissions about engineering. It's not the same game he passed up the first time around. So much engineering is outsourced these days...

If he has a head for numbers have him take a new look at accounting. It's what my wife is in and it's not the same boring job it used to be. Computers handle the boring parts and she spends her days designing international compliance processes and tracking down fraud and comes home with battle stories to tell. And they are wicked in demand.

Or not, give it a go whatever way it takes to get there.

 

[Svhadden]

I started in August 2010 and was finished by December 2012 and graduated this past May. I had my associates degree and even some credits beyond that and was able to transfer in as a junior. I really fully expected to have to go one more semester but I did a portfolio to get credit for prior learning and my advisor even helped me somehow claim additional credits for some of my community college hours. The latter of which I never imagined would happened because it seemed like I was double dipping. So I got done in 5 semesters and did one summer class. It was stressful but such a great experience and I am so glad I went for it.

Thanks for that info! Yeah, I was hoping he wouldn't have to start over at the absolute beginning, so we'll see...

OP, I am living proof that it can be done. I just graduated in April with a Middle Grades Education degree at the age of 35. I started college at 30. I have 2 DD's (14 and 10) that both play softball and basketball, one that does track, a DH who works out of town Sunday night through Thursday afternoon and who also goes out of town for weeks at a time when a hurricane, ice storm or other natural disaster occurs. It was never easy, and often seemed impossible-especially afyer we suffered a house fire that completely destroyed our home in the middle of summer semester. Needless to say, it requires discipline, dedication and a strong support system to make it work-all of which it sounds like your DH has.

I can't help much with the financial aspect, as I did have to take out loans (and foolishly didn't seek out grants or scholarships) but if he takes his core at a community or local college, you can save a decent amount of money. Have your DH see if there are any core classes he can test out of. He will get credit on his transcript but won't have to actually take the course. (Here its called a CLEP test and I wish someone had told me about it. I could have tested out of quite a few English and computer courses). Buy textbooks used, and once he knows the professor for the class, email him or her and see if he can use the next oldest edition (2011 instead of 2013 edition). The difference in using an older edition can be $100+ per book. Maybe that will help a little

Good luck to your DH. It will be tough but if he hangs in there, it can be done. Besides the money aspect, there really is a tremendous sense of accomplishment that you feel when you get that degree. I believe that I, as an older student, perhaps appreciated it more than a younger student with less responsibilities and family commitments.

Thanks so much for the inspiration! Wow, you must have really been committed in order to make that work . And I totally agree with you about being an older student. I think he'll be more dedicated at this point because he does have some life experience.

hi - thanks - i didn't brush up on too much that much in advance - was a little nervous that i wouldn't remember a lot of stuff - but now there's a lot of help on-line and with google it was so much easier to get backup than when i first in college - and being older you take it in stride more - having worked before he'll know how to get the most out of each hour - we're used to starting and stopping so he'll get the maximum out of study time - but i would say that there will be times when he'll need to have a good couple of hours - i did a lot of work after the kids went to bed - but rather than be exhausting it was kind of energizing - and in taking it in stride - i was happy to average out my grades - rather than looking for a's all the time - i just wanted a b average - but it was rewarding - so he should be fine - he has experience in completing work so changing careers will just like a new project - though a multi-year project

He's going to be brushing up on maths, but I think he'll be fine. He's quite good in maths/science, so it will def be an adjustment but I believe he'll do what he has to do.

Wow, story of my mid-life. I went back to finish my education (after a 15 year break) because working as a heavy machine repair tech (mostly in desert countries with newly installed democracies) is a rough gig to maintain.

It's a culture shock but it can be done. I finished my MA in international relations (global commerce and trade negotiation) in 2011 and have been earning a modest living pursuing my dream (teaching, writing, some technical writing, lot of consulting). It helps that my wife is one of those insanely employable people.

I would caution your husband to speak frankly with admissions about engineering. It's not the same game he passed up the first time around. So much engineering is outsourced these days...

If he has a head for numbers have him take a new look at accounting. It's what my wife is in and it's not the same boring job it used to be. Computers handle the boring parts and she spends her days designing international compliance processes and tracking down fraud and comes home with battle stories to tell. And they are wicked in demand.

Or not, give it a go whatever way it takes to get there.

Thanks for your advice . "Insanely employable" made me LOL. Yes, I'm sure that helped!

We do have a few friends in engineering who have been able to give my DH practical advice, and we do live in an area where engineers are in high demand. One friend has been with a particular company for 30 yrs so he's seen how the profession has evolved and has been able to give us great practical guidance.