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The loaded question! If you are going back to school to get your Bachelors because you hit a ceiling and want to be promotable in your current field of work, keep your job and go to school part-time. If you are changing careers, expect to go back to square one and start over. I would only go this route if your making under $35,000 and have little room for advancement. I have friends with high school diplomas in the right jobs (industry for example) that make $70-80,000 a year, I have friends with Bachelors degrees who work as child advocates who only make $35,000 after many years of investment. Also, if you're looking at jobs and it says min. requirement bachelors degree...prefer (fill in the blank) know that you are going to need experience or some other qualification to be even remotely competitive, especially in a big city. I wish I would have known this, because frankly I may have not gotten my degree as it seems all the jobs I apply to are looking for 5+ years experience and a MS or even higher degrees
Some stats for you,
Average worker with 10 + experience (Associates Degree) $48,000 a year
Average worker with 10 + years experience PLUS Bachelors $59,000 a year (thats only an increase of 10,000 a year multiply by the 25 years of full time work remaining in you = $250,000 over that 25 years - now subtract the increase in taxes you may pay to be in a higher income rack, student loans and time lost on education and take that all into account!)
If someone is going to pay for your education absolutely go even if you have to go part time!
Each area varies...these pay levels will be much less in say North Carolina vrs California. Look up local pay and know that Networking is AS IMPORTANT as experience and education. Good luck!
My experience (35 year old graduate or Bachelors degree x 2) Cumulative student loan Payments: $85,848.61
Total Interest Paid: $33,848.61 = $119, 697.22
Current pay (starting with a new Career) = $31,200 (Previous pay $39,000 a year with no degree but capped out at this. Potential to earn $47,00-57,000 after 5-10 years experience...so I realize I didn't benefit from getting a degree except as a personal goal and to set a good example for my children).
Overall that's a good post with defensible positions and solid logic. I'd add a couple of things. Vis a vis your third paragraph from the bottom about local pay metrics.......nominal local pay levels don't tell one much. A good way to develop a feel for all of this is to look at local buying power metrics usually stated at median income and then apply that to what one will make.
Examples from a few large population states.........
NY state nominal median income = $62,447....PPMI = $44,100 delta -29.4%, last in The US.
CA state nominal median income = $69,795....PPMI = $50,200 delta - 28.0%, 6th from last.
Florida state nominal median income = $53,691....PPMI = $53,400 delta - +0.5%, 8th from last.
Texas state nominal median income = $61,372.....PPMI = $64,500 delta - +5.1, 11 from the first.
*US Census Bureau and C2ER numbers from 2017 and 2018. A new set of numbers should be out around May 1.
To the people who think companies favour younger people have it completely mixed up. Sure, you can get the experience in one position while kissing ass but I hope you guys are aware you can live your life, and still find a job. Older people tend to actually get more respect so, depending on who your boss is, I think it ultimately depends on who YOU are as a person (and what you're capable of, etc.) I feel bad for you small minded preventative thinking people.
Also I have to add that the younger students have a tendency to give less ****s unless of course they are naturally academic (grew up in a straight family in which I guess in my case I didn't). The ones that really stood out in my degree program and not in a good way, were the ones that showed up late and high. Haha, at 28 guess I might be getting old. I partied my ass off and barely passed my two year program LOL now I need to make $ and save for a downpayment living on my own, while still taking school. That ****s expensive where I live (in Canada hahahaha).
It depends on the degree, the cost, the benefit, and the opportunity cost and probably other things.
Will it put you in a happier position (enjoy your job more)?
Command a higher salary?
Cost so much the salary will never break even?
Cost you time away from family?
Stress you out?
If it's purely for education, can you learn it on your own (even using YouTube)?
To the people who think companies favour younger people have it completely mixed up. Sure, you can get the experience in one position while kissing ass but I hope you guys are aware you can live your life, and still find a job. Older people tend to actually get more respect so, depending on who your boss is, I think it ultimately depends on who YOU are as a person (and what you're capable of, etc.) I feel bad for you small minded preventative thinking people.
There is a sweet spot and a tipping point, though...although it may be more pronounced for women, I can't say for sure. But I do know that as a woman in my early forties who has worked since my early twenties in a fairly decent selection of fields and subfields, there was an interesting trajectory. Early on in my career, I was the "young girl" on staff who at times lost out due to limited experience and seniority. This dissipated with age and time in job, to a degree. Then there was this rather finite window where I was apparently the "right age." Then, very quickly, I became "one of those older people" in comparison to the recent grads, etc.
That window of being whatever magical age that is the perfect combination of old enough to have garnered experience and respect, but still young enough to "learn new tricks" and not be perceived as set in ways and old-school was remarkably narrow.
I started my degree process when I dropped out high school way back in 1983. I wanted to go back, but ... I started at a community college at the age of 32 in 1997. In 2014 I finally earned my Associates Degree. In 2017 I earned my BSN at the age of 52 and passed the licensure test two months later. I finished and that counts for something, at least to me.
There is a sweet spot and a tipping point, though...although it may be more pronounced for women, I can't say for sure. But I do know that as a woman in my early forties who has worked since my early twenties in a fairly decent selection of fields and subfields, there was an interesting trajectory. Early on in my career, I was the "young girl" on staff who at times lost out due to limited experience and seniority. This dissipated with age and time in job, to a degree. Then there was this rather finite window where I was apparently the "right age." Then, very quickly, I became "one of those older people" in comparison to the recent grads, etc.
That window of being whatever magical age that is the perfect combination of old enough to have garnered experience and respect, but still young enough to "learn new tricks" and not be perceived as set in ways and old-school was remarkably narrow.
May I ask what you do for a living? Here are some articles I found on the old brain:
In my opinion, I think it is not good putting too much emphasis on those with the younger brain. I did read in a different article that it's best to accept your brain for what it is instead of trying to mimic the younger brain. So while the older brain may lack certain qualities such as short term memory, there are qualities in the older brain that can make it just as productive. I guess it all depends on your perspective. If that's really what you believe then that's really what it's going to be. But here in this forum, there are people finishing degrees at older ages, so there's that....
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What a pathetic way of thinking
