Your future career interest didn’t require any type of degree after doing some research on it?
Maybe. What is your career interest?
Depends. If going to college would benefit me in my career interest substantially, then of course.
It is much harder to go later if you change your mind.
For those of us who are old (AKA parents), I think most of us would say “yes!” in a heartbeat. But IMHO, college in today’s world seems to be different with a few “new” factors.
First, the cost has skyrocketed and is out of control. Most don’t have someone to pay tuition for them or even if their parents are paying, it isn’t easy and means some level of debt. From what I am hearing from students the college experience seems to be more stressful and less fun that it was back in the day. I could be wrong but this seems to be a general thread I am hearing from 20 somethings.
I strongly believe in being educated for the sake of becoming an interesting, well rounded, thoughtful, and enlightened individual. That can happen in other ways but college is one direct route. I do believe the world and career routes are changing. We have had too many people going to college who either didn’t require degrees for what they intended to do, or never should have gone in the first place. College is a fabulous personal and intellectual growth experience but at today’s cost? Maybe not such a good idea if one can have a fulfilling and successful career without it.
Yes, I would do a college degree. I couldn’t have predicted where it would end up taking me 36 years ago, but I know that I wouldn’t be in the position I am now without it. Ifor you dig in and let opportunities open your mind you can’t predict where it will take you.
Not if it required going into debt.
Agree with @Mandalorian , only if it didn’t create a financial hardship or debt. There are many jobs/careers out there that do not require college and there are just as many kids that aren’t college material (and not necessary in the aptitude way). I would, however, encourage everyone to continue learning throughout their life…a class each semester at the community college or adult education learning something fun. If you can get a job with a company that has tuition reimbursement, this is a no-brainer. Keep your management and computer skills up to date, learn a new language, broaden your arts experience.
It is harder to go later because you acquire obligations you then have to pay for as you get older. Children are #1 – but things house mortgages and expenses, car payments, etc. are others. Often when you are 18, your parents will lend a hand with school and/or living expenses. Once you are an adult, not so much. It becomes hard to give up both any income you have and time to go to college as you get older.
You may get better financial aid after you are 24, but few schools meet need anyway. And there is a cost to putting your career development on hold for 6 years between 18 and 24 – you give up years of hopefully higher earnings with the degree.
One possibility is target an AA degree at a community college. Take some general business classes – it builds skills you could use to run your own company it work for someone else. Build math, computer, writing, and critical thinking skills – you won’t be sorry no matter where you end up career-wise.
I have a night degree (MBA). It would have been almost impossible once I had kids to work and complete it. Even with a job, I could only take 1-2 classes a semester. It took a long time. You sound like someone who would have benefited from a gap year, or even two. But that is not what the OP is talking about.
Depends on your situation…
Degree not required, but potentially useful, or degree not useful, for the career direction?
How much cost and debt would going to college involve? What costs, if any, are there to entering the field without a degree?
How likely is it that you will change career to one where a degree will be useful?
It’s only harder to go later, as people said above, IF you have obligations like children and family of your own. If you do not have those things, then in may ways it’s easier to go to college later. 1) you’re more mature; 2) you are not distracted by the undergrad partying.
- Many top schools have programs for students who start later. These are called "nontraditional" students. Sometimes the financial aid is better for these students and sometimes it's worse. Some schools offer special scholarships and fellowships for nontrads. Others use the non-trad track as a money-maker for the school.
Here are some schools with nontrad tracks–
Columbia (after 6 months out of school–website says at least a year, but in reality they take students earlier–FA is not good.)
UPenn–about 1 year out and you’re a non-trad
Sarah Lawrence–even with a few classes under your belt, SL has a liberal definition of first-year freshman, which overlaps with others’ nontrad definition.
MIT
Reed
Yale
Many of the women’s schools offer special FA for nontrads–Agnes Scott, Bryn Mawr, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, etc.
And so on.
Most likely no. At least in CS/engineering, employers would rather hire a new grad than someone who graduated five years ago, and spent the past five years working in a non-technical role.
If you don’t need it for your career, then you could always apply to programs based on cost, and try to just go to school for something random you’re interested in. Some employers simply care that you have BS or BA or BSBA written on your resume even if it’s an irrelevant field.
Depends. If it was in a vocational field - like plumbing, carpentry, mechanic, etc. - then no. It’s unlikely I would ever need a BA to do that.
If my interest was in a field where a BA might help me advance down the line, or that may edge towards requiring one later - then yes. You don’t need a BA to work in IT, but if you want to move into IT management or related areas then you’d need one.
The other thing is that a BA does give you more flexibility…so even if you want to be a plumber now, in 7 years maybe you want to do something else. It is indeed easier to go when you’re younger.