How can i go back to school if i work second shift? (skills, degrees)

[daboywonder2002]

i work 11:30- 8. i dont know how im gonna be able to take classes and still get to work. i could probably take one class from 9 to 10. i cant do 8 because i have to put son on the school bus. and most evening classes start around 5pm.

[molochai2580]

There are always online courses. Is there a reason you would need an hour and a half to get from school to work? Couldn't you go to school from 8:30 (depending when your son gets on the bus) until 11?

[skeet09]

I love online courses because of the time factor. Must have good time management and initiative skills to be successful in online classes. Even community colleges have them. As an undergrad, I took:
- Biology
- Community Health
- Art Appreciation
- Various Computer classes
- History
- Government
- Economics
and many more others I probably can't remember.
Some campuses have Saturday mornings half day. I'm taking an accounting class right now and really enjoy it. What bothered me about returning to school was the shuttling back and forth from work to school and sitting there for x amount of hours. I like being able to go home after work, eating a home cooked meal, then hop on the computer to do homework. Interaction with peers is good too, we have a message board and we ask class questions in there.

[daboywonder2002]

yes but dont online courses have limited majors. like only business or computer courses. what if someone wanted to do healthcare? plus online courses are more expensive.

[skeet09]

Originally Posted by daboywonder2002

yes but dont online courses have limited majors.Sometimes. like only business or computer courses. what if someone wanted to do healthcare?

If you need your basics, you can do them online. Some healthcare is online such as health informatics. Then when you get into the meat of the healthcare major and requires clinicals, some folks have to pursue full time because it devotes full time energy. It totally depends on the program.

plus online courses are more expensive.

Online classes through the community college are the same price as a regular class. You may pay a small fee for distance learning or something like it ($50, more or less depending on the school).

[daboywonder2002]

well i did 3 years before at my old school. of course this was over 10 years ago so im not even sure my credits are still good. i just hope they dont make me start over. because im not sure i can go through a full 4 years of college again.

[Pitt Chick]

Some school will only take credits earned in the last 5 years.


You say you work 11:30- 8 and that you work second shift.

In my area, second shift is 3pm - 11pm or 4pm - midnight.
Are your hours during the day or during the night?

[Statz2k10]

You might want to wait until you got a better schedule. I don't see a point on going to school unless you can take 2 or more courses a semester. It will just take too long.

Not trying to be debbie downer just throwing some realistic advice at ya.

[kodaka]

There are a huge variety of online programs. You aren't limited to just business and computers. Actually about the only limit would be art classes, and there are even some schools manage to get around it. Many state schools have turned what were formerly their 'extension' programs into online degrees. As they are state-run public schools, they generally have strong reputations for turning out quality graduates. A smattering of the degrees you could pursue online through a state university are:

Community and Economic Development
Art Education
Nursing
Psychology
Hospitality Management
Labor Relations
Economics
Anthropology
Horticulture
Natural Resource Management
Film
Sociology
History
Clinical Research Management
Family and Human Development
Biomedical Engineering
Fashion Merchandising
Statistics
Dietetics
Organizational Psychology

Do keep in mind that online programs are not correspondence schools. That is, they are not self-paced. You will have deadlines. Respectable online programs mimic 'real' universities. For example at a brick-and-mortar campus, a typical English Comp course has three lectures and a paper due every week. In an online course, you'll have....three lectures and a paper to be completed every week. A reputable program will not allow you to put of everything until the weekend and cram everything into two days. You'll have mid-week assignments and participation requirements. Online programs are a great option for people like you, whose schedule doesn't allow for attending class at predetermined times. But it should never be construed as easier.

Best of luck to you.

[golfgal]

Realistically you probably can't. Maybe if you can find someone to take your child in the morning (does the school have before school care?) you could maybe take a class then but keep in mind the class you want/need might not be offered then either.