He Wants To Pursue A Career That Doesnt Require A College Education
If your child wants to be a doctor or lawyer, a college education is necessary. But what if your child wants to become a plumber, an electrician, a hairdresser, or a musician?
None of these careers absolutely require a college education. Some will net your child good money without college. The others, like becoming a musician, are fairly low paying jobs. If your child takes out loans to pay for a music degree, will he be able to afford to work in the music field while paying off the loans?
When your child has strong ideas about what he wants to do with his life, make sure he actually needs that college degree before paying for it.
Be A Good Partner While Thriving In School
Compared with the traditional teenagers, far more middle-aged or older students are married. Being in college over 40 or 50 while balancing a marriage can be difficult, as Milligan knows firsthand.
“My wife sometimes has felt like I’m ignoring her or not taking care of my responsibilities as a husband and father,” says Milligan, who’s now 48 and went back to college after doing physical labor for 30 years and getting injured.
But it doesn’t have to be impossible, according to Griffith, who also went back to school as an older student while married.
“If you have a passive-aggressive mate, it’s going to be really hard to do this,” Griffith says. “They may give you guilt trips every time you go to school or work on a paper. You have to make sure your spouse really understands that this is important for you and in the long run makes you a better person and you need their support. It’s hard to do if you don’t have that.”
Be sure to keep communication lines open and strong, and keep your partner in the loop about when you may need extra support or anticipate being more occupied with your studies than usual. Regularly share your academic wins, too highlighting that personal success might help your significant other understand how important this educational journey is to you, whether you’re starting or completing a degree or taking this as a necessary step to change careers.
I Stood Out In Class In A Good Way
As we get older, we like to think we still “look and feel like we are 20.” Being around actual twenty-somethings all day blows that illusion to pieces.
As an older student, you need to let go of the fear of not fitting in and embrace your life experience as an asset you bring to class discussions and group projects. Speak up, ask questions, make comments after all, the point of college is not merely to learn from books and professors, but to learn from each other.
One student asked me if there was Google when I first went to college, to which I responded that there wasn’t even an internet. Rather than feeling like an ancient relic from the Stone Age, I felt respected for my perspective.
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Plan Around Work And School Commitments
You can continue to work while going to school, if you approach it with a positive, but realistic, mindset. This can be an especially appealing aspect of earning a degree online, as the flexibility of these programs is often ideal for working adults. You might consider looking for schools in your area that allow part-time enrollment in degree programs or distance-learning.
If you do choose to take the working route, according to the University of Illinois at Chicago, you’re going to want to:
- Get organized with a calendar or planner
- Figure out how to deal with stress in a healthy way
- Make the most of campus resources that can help you
- Let loved ones know when you need privacy to study
And if you’re planning to change careers, working while you’re taking classes may also help you ease your transition.
Youll Have A Stronger Sense Of Purpose
It is not uncommon for college students to change their major multiple times when they are in college. This can cause them to have to take longer in college than is normal and to have to pay more because of it.
Since you will have some more experience now youll likely be able to choose your major much more easily and stick with it. This should help you to get through college a lot more quickly and it will help you to plan the sequence of classes that you will take a lot more easily.
It will also be more likely that you will understand why you want to get the degree and the value that it will bring to you. This should help you to motivate yourself to study and to study more efficiently which should help you to do better academically.
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But Older Students Have Fewer Years Left To Work As A Doctor
Many people would assume that medical schools are hesitant to accept applicants in their 30s, 40s, and 50s because those people will have less time to practice as a physician.
But there are different variables to consider with this issue:
- Burnout is one of the most common issues for physicians, and it cuts a lot of careers short regardless of age.
- Prior work experience in healthcare helps you because it shows that you can handle the environment and that you are way ahead of the curve with what you know going in. Many older med students are coming in with some of this prior experience.
Is It Ever Too Late To Go To College
Its never too late to go to college ! In fact it is the perfect time to go to college! You have the maturity to know exactly what you want, the responsibility to study without blaming the whole world for a tough assignment or a bad teacher, and the financial means to cover your costs without going into debt!
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Are You Too Old For Graduate School
School is for the young! Or at least its easy to believe that it is. K-12 consumed your childhood and teenage years. College likely cradled you into your 20s. If youre in your 30s or beyond, you may feel that the time for school, particularly grad school, has passed. But we have great news for youit hasnt. Youre never too old for school, especially graduate school. In fact, on average, graduate students are 33 years old. 1 in 5 is older than 40. As long as you want to go and are confident in the degree youll earn will advance your career, grad school is a good choice. Regardless of your age.
Older grad school applicants just need to keep a few things in mind.
What Careers Are Worth Going Back To School For
HealthcareRegistered Nurse. With a stable and constant projected growth and a median salary of $70,000 per year, nursing is a secure career choice worth returning to school for. Medical Administrative Assistant. Physical Therapist. Software Developer. Web Developer. Information Security Analyst. Accountant. Financial Analyst.More itemsFeb 3, 2021
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Take Advantage Of Student Support Services
Most colleges offer a suite of student support services designed to help learners thrive academically, socially, and professionally. You may be able to take advantage of resources like financial aid advisors, academic advisors, tutoring, technical support, and writing and career centers.
This support may prove especially important and helpful for learners juggling professional and family commitments with their college courses. These services are available for your use, so do your best to make the most of them.
Are There Colleges Offering Online Programs Only
Some colleges offer both traditional and online programs, while others offer online programs only. They are referred to as online-only colleges. Since they do not have physical campuses, all classes are held via the internet. Online-only colleges are not diploma mills because they are accredited.
Hybrid classes, which are a combination of online and face-to-face classes, come with benefits. For instance, they allow non-traditional students to feel what its like to have classes digitally and in the traditional fashion, too.
While they offer the best of both worlds, for some college students, hybrid classes can be more disadvantageous than advantageous.
For instance, since attending physical classes is required from time to time, hybrid classes may not be the best option for working adults or individuals with families due to their hectic everyday schedules.
The good news is that there are many online-only colleges in the country. As the name suggests, they are institutions for higher education offering nothing but online programs only.
So, in other words, these schools have no traditional programs and physical campuses either, which is why conducting hybrid classes isnt a possibility. Attending one of the various online-only colleges is a wonderful idea if stepping foot in a brick-and-mortar classroom is not an option.
Some people are wary of applying to online-only colleges for fear of ending up getting a worthless degree from a diploma mill.
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Recommended Online Degree Programs
Visit school sites for information on enrollment, tuition, and aid
You dont have to attend school full time to get a degree. About 50% of students attend college part-time. The wide variety of available degree programs and course formats makes it easy to earn a degree at your pace.
Plus, many employers have trouble finding highly skilled, experienced workers. With several decades in the workforce under your belt, you may have more luck than a younger college graduate if you want to use your degree to secure a job. Consider seeking a major that allows you to make the most of your existing skills while expanding your knowledge. The following degrees and majors are ideal for adults over 50.
Learning New Technology Is Hard But It Can Be Done
As a 50-year-old college student, I needed to adapt to new technology.
I had to become proficient in PowerPoint, Excel, Blackboard, and the various online tools required for communicating with professors and other students. I initially felt like a fish out of water, especially since most of today’s college students were raised on technology and find it so much easier to navigate.
I found there was an extra layer of difficulty as someone accustomed to working on Macs, not PCs: In one class, when the professor was speeding through statistical data entry, I was compelled to ask the nearest student, “What the heck is a right-click?”
On the positive side, once I mustered the nerve to ask for help, help was always there when I needed it from other students. It may take me a bit longer to put together a polished PowerPoint, but now I can do it.
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Financial Planning And Economics
A degree in financial planning or economics can help you harness your knowledge in this field and apply it to your own needs. You can also work for companies or individuals, helping to create a financial strategy for security and growth.
An economics degree will help you understand macroeconomic and microeconomic principles. Coursework will be focused on fiscal policy, supply and demand, taxation, interest rates, inflation and unemployment.
Some educational institutions offer financial planning degrees. These equip students with knowledge of markets and financial products as well as individual and family financial matters. Students will learn concepts that are relevant to personal income tax, estate planning and retirement planning. Theyll also gain communication skills, which are important when discussing potentially sensitive topics, such as bank account balances, with individuals.
Is It Too Late To Go To College
Home » Is it Too Late to Go to College?
Is it too late to go to college? Maybe its been years since you last went to school. You might think of college freshmen as 17-year-olds or 18-year-olds who are fresh out of high school.
In reality, though, schools are now seeing more adult learners across a wide range of ages, from 20 to as old as 98.
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Going to college can have a lifelong impactfrom increased career opportunities to personal growthand you can reap these benefits at any age.
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More Tips To Help You Go Back To School
We all know the distinction between positive and negative. Its like white and black, good and bad, and right and wrong. Therefore, the desire to live a good and positive life comes naturally to us.
A positive life is different from a specific goal or want. If you want a specific thing like money, a job or a person then you might have it, but its still something you cant always control.
But a positive life is something you can always take control of and change from within because you can live a positive life no matter where you are, who you are, or what you do.
This article takes you through the simple steps that will help you let go of negativity and start living the positive life you deserve.
College Degree After 50
Is attaining a college degree after 50 years of age worth the effort and expense?
There is a lot of conversation about whether higher education is worth the money.
Make sure and read the many comments on this post below. The comment portion of this post is longer than the original post.
This post was originally published in March of 2015 and was updated in February of 2020.
Robert Reich wrote a piece for Salon.com titled:
The Author writes:
This is the time of year when high school seniors apply to college, and when I get lots of mail about whether college is worth the cost.
The answer is unequivocal yes, but with one big qualification.
A college degree no longer guarantees a good job. The main reason it pays better than the job of someone without a degree is the latters wages are dropping.
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Establish A Clear Goal
A clear goal, or a powerful “why,” is key to success when entering college at age 25 or later. Why do you want this degree? What job do you aspire to?
College is rewarding for most learners, but the workload can prove challenging at times. When the work gets tough, you need a clear goal to fall back on for motivation a reason for why you’re investing so much time and money in college.
Going Back To School As A Bucket List Item
Maybe you got a great job after high school or couldnt afford to go to college directly after high school. Now, you have decided it is time to earn the degree you have always wanted to pursue. You may be at a crossroads in your current career, ready to take on a new challenge, or looking for more financial stability.
Earning a college degree can be a way to fulfill all of these dreams.
When you feel that the time has come to take the leap into higher education, be sure to look into degree options and their return on investment . Getting a college education can be a time-intensive and pricey proposition, and you will want to make sure the cost and the effort will pay you dividends in the future.
Or, if you simply want to augment your knowledge with a few skill-based courses, you are never too old to go to college to hone your expertise. Given how many of todays careers are rapidly evolving, it is to your creditand your companys benefitthat you take initiative in improving your skills to keep up with the economy of the future.
Additionally, you are never too old for college classes to expand your interest and your knowledge in an avocation. Several colleges and universities offer not-for-credit courses on an array of topicsfrom current events to genres of literature to music appreciation and more.
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What Is The Average Age Of A College Freshman
Originally Answered: What is the normal age for college freshmen in the U. S.? In the US, people often enter college right after graduating from high school. Therefore, the normal age for college freshmen is 18 years of age. However, it is increasingly common for people to begin college at an older age.
What Can Someone Over 50 Do With A Psychology Degree
A common job prospect for someone with a psychology degree is a therapist or counselor. But therapists typically have to graduate degrees and take licensure exams. There are many jobs for psychologists if you dont want to be a counselor or therapist.
In fact, psychology majors dont always work within the field. They may take jobs in human resources, business, education or marketing.
Substance abuse treatment centers often need workers to plan and implement programs, complete administrative duties and supervise the clients. This might be an ideal role for someone over 50. Local small businesses may need help conducting market research and focusing their promotional strategies. Knowledge of psychology allows you to develop persuasive techniques that achieve results.
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What Can Someone Over 50 Do With A Nursing Degree
A nursing degree can provide you with the education to become an RN. But it also augments your knowledge and skills for any healthcare profession. If you dont want to be a full-fledged RN, you could look for jobs as an LPN or home health aide.
A home health aide position offers flexibility and the benefits of working outside of an office. Its ideal for people over 50, who can combine their current confidence and experience with the acquisition of new skills.
LPN positions may be more structured. LPNs usually work in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and long-term care facilities. An LPN assists an RN or physician but cant practice without supervision. RNs have more responsibilities and job opportunities in management positions.
You generally dont need more than a high school diploma to become a home health aide. However, other positions for assistants or aides in the medical field require you to have a nursing degree. Even if an employer doesnt require a college degree, they might be more likely to hire older candidates, who have more life experience. In fact, the New York Times reports that people over the age of 55 are 41% more likely to be hired as a nursing aide than an individual between the ages of 30 and 49. A degree can help you stand out even more.