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Anybody here gotten a degree in there 30's? If I continue to go to college I will be in my 30's. It's sometimes hard to stick with it because I see so many people I went to high school with already getting there masters and I'm still suck on an associates in progress.
I know I'll be better off than not having one at all but I always wish I could have been that guy that got his degree at 22-23 and ended up being some big shot by the time I'm 28 at some big company. I know that's a far fetched dream and I'm not mad I am not in that position. But knowing I'll be 33 or 34 just before I get my bachelors is sometimes hard to deal with.
The one thing that has helped me realize it's okay is that for my generation I'll probably be working till I'm almost 70. So one way to think about it is that if I get my degree at 35, I would have graduated college over 35 years ago when I retire.
I finished my degree in my 30's and I'm very happy that I did; I was on my way to finishing college around the age of 22-23, but immaturity and stupidity hindered me. Over the next decade I tried to go back, I went to community college, University of Phoenix (glad I didn't go for long, but that's another post), and then I finally decided that I was going to stop procrastinating and finish. I work in the IT industry and I didn't need the degree to advance my current job, but I knew that I may want to get into management, and of course it doesn't hurt to have more cards stacked in your favor.
I finished with a Bachelors Degree in Computer Information Systems, and I'll probably start a Masters Program for Information Assurance (Computer Security). Don't let your past dictate your future, simply obtaining a degree is useless until you apply it.
I look at my degree this way, I already had an established career in IT and as bad as it may sound, I didn't learn anything new about computers/networking, etc that I didn't already know, but I knew that I wouldn't learn too much about technology going in, I just wanted my degree because:
1. I knew overall it would help since I had experience.
2. I may want to be an IT manager or Director in the future, and it's pretty much a requirement for those roles.
3. I was a poor student in government school, but I felt that I could turn it around and achieve something.
To sum it up, don't feel bad that you started later in life, just run a little faster than the people who got an early start, and watch them in your rear view mirror.
Look into accelerated programs and taking classes during the summer. You can finish a 4 year degree in two years if you bust your buns. Stop wasting your time about yesterdays. You can only take on today and plan for tomorrow. How many 20-somethings have gone through developmental changes and totally hate the major they went to school for? It seems like a lot to me. And it really rears that ugly head in the 30s groupset.
I plan on going to school my whole life. Education should always be continued.
You'll be in your 30s when you finish? Oh my GOD how is it possible for people to even live that long?! Don't forget your walker, grandpa.
I didn't even start college until my early 30s. I'm getting my associate's after this semester, then I head straight off in pursuit of that bachelor's. Trust me, 30 is not that old. I am truly amazed sometimes at how this country became so consumed by this culture of youth-oriented fanaticism.
Don't worry, like you said you'll be better off than if you hadn't gotten that degree, keep your face buried in the books and you'll go far in life.
AS in the 30's
BS in the 40's
working on the MS in the 50's
who knows? PHD in the 60's?
The only thing you cannot stop is getting older so why not do it with a degree, it is a great feeling when you reach your goal. Good luck!
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I didn't even start college until my early 30s. I'm getting my associate's after this semester, then I head straight off in pursuit of that bachelor's. Trust me, 30 is not that old. I am truly amazed sometimes at how this country became so consumed by this culture of youth-oriented fanaticism.
