Going Back to School? (2009)

[Darth Phantom]

I've been wanting to go to college since I was 17, I signed up for the local Junior College before I was even out of High School, I wanted to get my History major and a minor in Political Science as I wanted to become an Archeologist since I can remember (maybe I saw Indiana Jones one to many times, lol) However, before I could start my family and I moved out of state. It seems that this has become a pattern in my life, I almost start college and then I move for one reason or another. Well, I'm 27 now and I've been looking back on my life a lot recently and where I want it to go in the future. I regret not going to college or not fighting harder for it, because I've had a thousand dead end jobs and not one career, the closest I've was installing custom home theater systems for my uncle for 6 years, which is also the longest I've ever held one job, but with the economy drying up he understandably had to let me go. So now I'm 27 working at another dead end, part time job just to make ends meet, if it was not for my girlfriend I would be homeless. I'm sick and tired of this job circle and its time for me to break it.

Yesturday I went to Heald and spoke with a lady in administrations, originally I went in to see about becoming a radiologist, I have heard that they are in demand and pay very well, though it does take time to become one, which I'm fine with. The lady went on to explain that Heald does not offer a "Radiology" course, that only two colleges in area do, but they have a 5 year waiting list. She suggested that I go to Heald (Obviously) and take a 24 month course to become a medical assistant and that from there I could network my way into radiology, she said she has seen it done, though its obviously not always the case.

But while I was there we began to talk about computer science and network security and that techs were also in high demand and paid better quicker, not to mention it would only take me 18 months as opposed to 24 months. So I called my friend who is in a similar field and he said that the field is very watered down. So I'm kind of at a lose for what I should do, she did mention medical billing and coding and that they make amazing money, but you sit in front of a computer all day.

I still want to go back to school, I'm just not exaclty sure what for at this point.

[Tear]

That's a tough dilemma. Schools a touchy subject for me because I found it to be a tremendous waste of time and money. (I went for art though. So..little different field then medicine:lol)

What are you fighting with exactly right now? The fact that what you wanted to go to school for is booked for 5 years? Or that the jobs that interest you don't pay as well? Personally when it comes to a career, money is a key variable in the equation but it takes a back seat to the question of, 'Do I love what I do?'

I would rather have a job I love, that pays less then a Job I hate, but make more money at. Because personally nothings worse then wasting money to learn a job your going to end up hating.

[Dasquian Belargic]

My current job contract is fixed-term for 12 months, and whether or not I get to become permanent depends largely on the state of unemployment in the UK. If thinks stay the way they are, or get worse, I will be in a job - but if the economic 'climate' (as it's always called) gets better, I will be out of a job. Crazy, no?

Anyway, if it does turn out that I lose this job, I want to go back to university and do a Masters. I'm not sure what in, though it would hopefully be a subject with a little more career scope than my Bachelors. Before I got this job, I had been looking into pharmacy vacancies since they seem quite frequent and often offer on the job training for further qualifications. The main draw was of course that you didn't need specialised experience to get into the job in the first place, which seems to be the main hurdle for so many occupations.

[Darth Turbogeek]

But while I was there we began to talk about computer science and network security and that techs were also in high demand and paid better quicker, not to mention it would only take me 18 months as opposed to 24 months. So I called my friend who is in a similar field and he said that the field is very watered down. So I'm kind of at a lose for what I should do, she did mention medical billing and coding and that they make amazing money, but you sit in front of a computer all day.

I still want to go back to school, I'm just not exaclty sure what for at this point.

a) If you aint sure, then dont go.

b) The best techs in security and networks are not found from schools. They are self taught because they are passionate about the subejct and enjoy the challenge. If you are doing it for money, then you wont succeed. Unless of course you are on $100+ per hour (5K a week is rather motivating) or more which kinda isnt availible unless you have a lot of experience that overrides schools in the first place. It s a catch 22 - yes we desperatly need good sys admins but good sys admins are built by experience, not schools and without experience you are unlikely to get a decent place and thence people leave cause the job is soul crushing .....

The days of a graduate grabbing big cash out of school is over. My advice is find something you actually like and do that - if you have to school, remember schools are shit and you are going to learn most of what you like to do on your own (READ LOTS!). But if you like doing it, you will and you know what? You will be good at it and enjoy it.

And if you have 21 years and a big track record in an industry, then you can basically write your own pay rates and then it kinda gets fun again.

[Khendon Sevon]

b) The best techs in security and networks are not found from schools. They are self taught because they are passionate about the subejct and enjoy the challenge. If you are doing it for money, then you wont succeed. Unless of course you are on $100+ per hour (5K a week is rather motivating) or more which kinda isnt availible unless you have a lot of experience that overrides schools in the first place. It s a catch 22 - yes we desperatly need good sys admins but good sys admins are built by experience, not schools and without experience you are unlikely to get a decent place and thence people leave cause the job is soul crushing .....


Ignore this rubbish. He's an old, cranky graybeard working IT who thinks nothing has changed in the past 9 years (though, he's also right about specific areas of the industry... I just hate his blanket statements that he always espouses about such a diverse subject).

As for the industry: If you're good, there are jobs. I had three offers to do software engineering (lower number that I can't disclose, 80k/year, and 130k/year), 6 months before I graduated. But--tooting my own horn--I'm also better than 80%+ of graduates.

The reason behind that would go hand-in-hand with the above advice. I'm passionate about what I do, and insanely interested in it. In fact, I just got offered a consulting job on the side by an unrelated company (meaning I can take it!).

And, I took the least paying job offer because it interested me more than the others. So, moral of the story: do what you love. Follow your bliss.

[Pierce Tondry]

What no one here has really mentioned so far is that there's more to this to consider than just how much you love your job or need money. Part of the reason people take jobs they hate is because those jobs have salaries and benefits which afford them the lifestyle they want outside of work. While yes, you may spend 8 hours a day working as a corporate bigwig with all the stress that entails, being able to do that job while teleworking from the beach with your pro volleyball playing girlfriend kinda mitigates that a little bit. (I'm exaggerating a little to make my point of course)

The real question is, how do you want to live your life? Are you the kind of person who will get enthusiastic about your job, or get enthusiastic about your hobbies? If it's the latter then you should go into college with the mindset of taking advantage of some very strong skill you have so that you can get one of those positions where you put in your time and are done at the end of the day. If it's the former, it's still worth going to college to learn what subjects you enjoy.

My own college path started in 1997 and ended in 2006, a 9 year span (including a two-year break). During that period I changed majors about four times. It wasn't until I started taking courses just to see what I enjoyed and was good at that I found things I liked doing enough to want to get a degree in them. If I had known in 97 what I knew in 03, I'd have done the same four-year stint everyone else had. Thing is, I didn't, and I wouldn't have known without taking the path that got me to where I was in 03.

A lot of people think of college as this thing to get through so you can get on the other side of it, but it's really not. Part of the purpose is to help you find a direction. It's an expensive journey, mind, but in some ways invaluable. If you are financially able to start taking courses in anything, I recommend it for the exposure to various fields of knowledge. Knowing what you hate is just as valuable as knowing what you love.

I could go on and on about this, but I think I've said enough for the moment. In summary:

1) College is about more than the job you end up with.
2) Going through it can help you find your direction.
3) The real question to answer is not what job you want, but how you want to live your life as a whole. Yes a job fits into that in a big way, but it's not the be-all end-all.

[Khendon Sevon]

The above is extremely sagacious advice. I fully endorse it :)

[Mu Satach]

I pretty much feel the same way as the two fellas directly above me. Though the grouch brings up a point - not every job needs a degree. I have a cousin who started out as an apprentice plumber and has worked his way up to a nice living.

But if you really want it, go for it.

Identify your wants and needs, then find several programs that fit your requirements then start hiking for it. Knowing that as your knowlege of your self and the path grows you may change it along the way.

Go and talk to academic & career counselors at a wide variety of schools around you. Browse all the different degrees they offer, you might stumble across something you didn't think about, then go talk to the departments about the kinds of jobs their graduates do. Most places have a career services dept. Also, find out what the school's over ridding mission is, their academic philosophy. A research institution will be focused on different things than a community college and that will be reflected in what classes you have to take get your degree in addition to the major courses.

Here are some links to some things that might help. They are from a <a href="http://www.sa.utah.edu/advise/major_SlideShow.pdf">Major Exploration document</a> one of the advisors I work with created for students who are trying to decide on a major.
http://www.mymajors.com/
http://career.missouri.edu/students/explore/thecareerinterestsgame.php
http://careerservices.rutgers.edu/PCCPinterests.html
http://www.myfuture.com/index.php
http://online.onetcenter.org/skills/


It will be difficult, there will be a ton of burracratic tape to wade through, and every school will be different and every department within the school will be different, sometimes it's like hacking your way through a jungle of garbage to find what your looking for. So you will always want to get as much information as possible, and cull through it because not everyone will know everything about a particular program, and things are always changing. You will want to find mentors, people who can help point you in the right direction along the way. I took the scenic route as well, got frustrated, quit for a while. Changed direction several times and without a doubt, it has been one of the hardest things I've done to date. But I don't regret it. I learned more about myself, how to deal with living and how to get large projects done collaborating with other people. The thin piece of paper on my wall means more to me than I ever thought it would. :)

[Darth Phantom]

Thanks guys, you gave me a lot to think about.