Thinking about returning to school

Parent Cafe
1

Looking for a little CC advice…for myself. I’m 51, my youngest is in college.

I have had a successful run being self employed for 20 years, working at home as a web developer. That allowed me to be there for my kids as needed. It’s still OK but I’ve reached the point where I feel like I’m in a rut.

I went to college way back when but I never finished (got married had kids, etc). If I’d continued where I was I’d have a year left, I suspect it might take more now.

I need to either add more skills, finish college so I can work for someone else (with benefits and retirement and stuff), or switch careers entirely, either to a more secure position or one that will allow me to travel.

What I love about my job: flexible to travel and make my own schedule, low employment costs (no commute, etc)
What I do not love: income unpredictable, no health or retirement benefits, not much room to grow with current skillset

I’m sort of torn between finishing my degree just to finish it and doing something more immediately practical. My major was sociology so if I want to do something like CS I’d probably lose a lot of the credits I have.

In looking at options I’ve ID’ed some…

-The Harvard extension school, which would be a regular BA mostly online (they are willing to look at my transcript and tell me what they’d accept but their max is 64 credits so half of the 128 credit program. I have a place to stay in Boston for the on-campus part and the cost is about $22K to do the 2 years).

-Local CC offers adult education/certification in things like IT security, programming. This is an area I know somewhat well, though I am mostly self taught in web dev because I started doing this when the web got pictures, basically - there were no classes. Cost is about $9K and time is 1-2 years. No BA though.

-State U for…something (same issue with continuing degree I started or doing something more…practical). Cost is similar to the Harvard thing though and for all but a couple of majors requires a commute into the city, or a lot of online coursework.

What else should I be considering here? Anyone done something similar?

2

How exciting!

Online school? I have no idea if there is a good one out there, but that’s an idea not mentioned.

I am playing with the idea of a masters at a local U right now. It would let me go back to work and reinvent myself if I so choose. And if not, I am having fun taking classes while I decide.

Don’t know what to tell you about what to study. How much would you really learn in CS after so many years working in it? How many of your old credits will transfer? If not many, you’d be starting over anyway. What would you pick if you were starting out now?

3

What does your heart lean toward?

I like the sound of the Harvard extension school but truthfully don’t know much about it.

What would you do with your life/career if money were no object?

4

I have no recommendations as to what program would work best for you… But here is a thought. As my husband used to say, if you wait another year thinking whether that degree is worth it, at the end of the year you will be a year older and still have no degree. :slight_smile: Go for it.

5

My immediate thought after reading your post was whether you could expand your current business.

Is there a natural add-on when one offers web development?

6

Thanks all. I really appreciate the thoughts, advice, probing questions.

One clarification.

I don’t work in CS. I develop web sites so I do some basic programming and database stuff, HTML, CSS, worked in Cold Fusion for along time which is basically database-web integration. I can dabble in Javascript and PHP. I am NOT a computer scientist. I could be, with a lot of additional coursework, but currently am not. I like the logic of programming, I was never much of a math person though.

Things that sound appealing to me are project management (been doing that on a micro level forever), data analysis, maybe even more intense programming. A combo of working remotely and in an office would be ideal, actually. It’s kinda lonely here all alone without the kids so it would be nice to work with people. But also nice to be able to take time off or work elsewhere at times. I may be dreaming a bit there but that’s the ideal.

My major in college was sociology, BTW. I am pretty sure that would be the fastest finish since I have so many credits in that already, but I am not sure it would advance my career except to add the BA credential.

Maybe there is some kind of career aptitude test for adults online somewhere? Like high school kids take…

7

@OHMomof2, I am much older than you are (I’m almost 69 and graduated from college in 1971), and after losing both pieces of bread of the generation sandwich–my dad and stepmother died and my only child went away to college–I looked for interesting volunteer work. After some time as a volunteer crisis counselor for the Crisis Text Line, I decided to apply to MSW programs. I start school at the end of August. Different story from yours, but just wanted to encourage you! Figure out the best path and go for it! Not that you need any validation! Good for you.

8

How about finishing some sort of a BA or BSc and then getting a certificate (PMP) in project management? The latter can be done online. Here in my neck of the woods, UW offers a good online course.

https://www.pce.uw.edu/certificates/project-management

9

What is your goal? Finish the BA because it will make you feel good? Earn a lot more $$$ as retirement looms? Find a more fulfilling, challenging way to spend your days? Work in an office with people to socialize with? Help the world by doing something good?

Etc.

10

You rock, @oldmom4896 !

11

^ Probably mostly these:

“Earn a lot more $$$ as retirement looms? Find a more fulfilling, challenging way to spend your days?”

I just made an appointment with the local tech school re: IS/IT for next week. That program is a certificate and costs about $10K.

Also not sure how i’ll pay for this given that I’m paying for a kid in college right now and generally don’t have much to spare in my normal life, but I can probably figure it out with local scholarships, loans and a payment plan. Ugh I sound like the kids in the FA forum :smiley:

12

@OHMomof2 I sent you a PM

13

If potential jobs are not specific about college major but are credential seeking, then a BA/BS in anything could help, so the quick completion of your BA/BS in sociology would make sense for those jobs. However, if potential jobs tend to look at college major and/or course work, that may favor some other option with major and/or course work in those areas.

Another possibility is both – finish the BA/BS in sociology quickly, but keep open the option of course work or second BA/BS in some other subject that is specifically applicable.

14

^^Good point. Take a look at the ads for positions that you think would fit your criteria and see what the job requirements are. Then go from there.

15

If you want a BS in CS, most schools will want a lot of major specific courses and a structured sequence of courses. Even with all the general ed requirements out of the way, that might take three years. When do you hope to retire? Run the numbers and look at program specific requirements, but you could be 54 by the time you graduate. It may be difficult to have a profitable ROI, given the cost of tuition and opportunity costs. From a purely financial perspective, it might make the most sense to try to get a job without returning to school if at all possible.

16

Western Governors University has online bachelors in a variety of subjects. It is accredited and apparently gives credit for courses previously taken. There are many stories online of people earning their degrees in 6 months (due to previous classes, CLEP tests, etc.) If you just want the degree, its worth checking out.

17

good suggestion @HMom16 – WGU has programs in IT and business that may be interest. It is a competency based education program- meaning that you earn credit for demonstrating what you know not how much time you sit in a classroom. The materials and expectations are fairly rigorous- but you move through the courses at your pace- so if it something you are familiar with you can complete that quickly, and spend more time in courses where you may have less experience. Faculty are available by phone, video, and email and typically have PhDs in their area. You also have a student mentor that will meet briefly with you each week to help you set goals and stay on pace.

18

UMUC (through UMD) has cybersecurity programs that may dovetail nicely with your skill set.

19

You sound like a shoe in for a hacker school. But they are intense, expensive, and you may not get the job you want anyways. Something to consider, though,

20

I’m in the same boat. You should come join me because it’s lots of fun.

I approached it by deciding what I wanted to do with my time. What I want is to work in a particular branch of computer science, so that gave me my major. The next step was analyzing resources. I discovered that our local CC’s have good programs and the credits transfer to our 4-year SUNYs. It’s a plus that the 2-year program is completely online so I can fit it in around my work schedule. So that’s where I am now. My gen eds from other schools transferred so all I have to do are math and CS courses.

Do you have any state schools within commuting distance? If so, start there. If not, see if your state system offers distance learning. The degrees from online SUNY programs look exactly the same as the degrees from on campus programs, so employers won’t know which program a student did. Maybe your state has something similar.