My military enlistment ended early in 2011 and I enrolled in a local community college for the spring semester to pursue an engineering. Everything started off fine. I was focused on school and had a clear roadmap to earning my bachelors. The first setback came during the fall 2011 semester when I enrolled in math and science courses. I saw it as an opportunity to get ahead of schedule and put me closer to graduation. I fell behind and wasn’t able to recover, so I had to retake a couple of the courses the following spring and summer semesters.
My wife accepted a new job opportunity in another state and we relocated that summer. Unexpectedly, many of the courses (math/science) I had completed were not accepted by the new CC. Trying to balance work/life/school became a major problem. The long and short of it is that I finally received my associates degree in electrical engineering in the fall of 2016. Taking care of the family became my priority and school was put on the back burner. It’s now 2018 and I’d like to finish my bachelors as it would open up better employment opportunities.
One of the biggest problems I’ve encountered so far is finding a school to accept my coursework. At many of the colleges I would essentially be a second or third semester student. I can’t stand the thought of it. It’s infuriating that colleges will not accept lower-level coursework because the credit hours don’t match even though the course curriculum is identical. I’m pretty sure that Calculus 1 hasn’t changed for quite some time now. That’s just one example. The whole experience has destroyed my curiosity and desire to learn.
Unfortunately, I’m not sure it’s in my best interest to pursue an engineering major. My choice of colleges that offer an engineering program are limited since I have a family and moving across the country isn’t an option. My background is Information Technology and I don’t have any work experience as an engineer. Experience seems to be a MUST in order to land a job—and even that’s not always enough. Given that, I’m really not sure what I should do. My main concern is that I will lack a marketable skill set with a strong knowledge of advanced subject matter. I don’t think many companies are desperate for a recent graduate in mid-30’s with no experience.
I don’t want to ramble, so hopefully this paints a clear enough picture of my situation. Any advice would really be helpful.