All of your friends got their college degrees a few years ago and you’re now wondering if you should go back to college?
The average college student is 26.4 years old. Depending on your age, that number can be encouraging or disheartening.
Ask yourself the following questions and reflect on them to know if you should go back to college as an adult.
Is it too late?
The average age of retirement keeps rising and differs from country to country and state to state. Although the current numbers differ based on gender, and as those are still expected to rise, let’s take an average number of 65 years old for simplicity’s sake.
Let’s look at how many years of work you still have ahead of you depending on your age:
If you look at how long you still have to work before you retire, the investment in education to pursue a career you love and thrive in is worth it.
So what if you’re 40 and only now realise your calling in life? You still have at least 25 years of work left, might as well spend them fulfilling your purpose.
I am the first one to limit myself and my opportunities, often saying “it’s too late” or “I’m too old”. But the truth is that no matter how old you are, it’s never too late. Especially when it comes to fighting for a career you love VS staying in one you loathe.
Having 20, 30 or 40 years left of work can be scary but you can also see it as an opportunity to exercise your passion for many years to come.
Your future career and positions don’t have to be dreadful, they can mean a new adventure and a way to find yourself like you never have before.
Do I have time?
You need to figure out the amount of time you want to dedicate to your studies.
Do you want to enrol full-time or part-time?
Are you going to study on campus or online?
Are you going for a degree or a shorter course?
Once you have defined the format you want to pursue, seek to know how much time students usually spend studying per week.
Do they work 2 hours every day? Do they usually have a more laid back schedule but need more time before exams to review their notes?
Understanding the volume of work you’re expected to deliver will help decide if it can fit in your lifestyle.
Be honest with yourself and have a hard look at how you spend your free time.
It’s too easy to shrug it off saying “I don’t have time”, while spending 3 hours on Netflix every day.
Many people have done what you want to do, and so can you.
It’s probably not going to be easy, otherwise everyone would do it, but it’s definitely possible if you want it hard enough.
Do your research, assess your time management and try to be flexible with your plans.
Can I afford it?
This will greatly depend on your situation.
Are you planning to work full-time whilst studying on the side?
Are you going to study full-time whilst working on the side?
You could also save money for a time to be able to study comfortably.
Make sure to search for grants that could be available to support your education costs as well.
Try to think outside the box. I’m not an expert on the different university degrees and formats but online courses open up a lot of options.
European schools tend to be cheaper or have scholarships, so might be worth a look.
I am interested in getting a law degree, and universities in France are very affordable, so the online course I’ll follow will cost me 670€ yearly (with a proper official degree at the end).
The YouTuber Sarah Nourse got her master’s degree entirely online from a Swedish university. It was completely free even though she’s American because she got a scholarship that covered all the tuition fees (and from what she said, it didn’t look hard to qualify for it).
Also check out Dr. Tererai Trent’s story, it’s truly inspiring. If she could go through all that she went through and end up with a doctorate, you can go back to college.
Do your research, learn from others’ experiences and be creative.
Is it worth it?
As with any other question on this list, only you can answer if the career of your dream is worth going back to college for.
Maybe you’re called to do greater things with your work or maybe you need to find satisfaction in your career as you spend so much time on it.
I read a story about a Chinese farmer who studied the law for 16 years so he’d be able to take a big company to court after they polluted his soil and killed his crops.
He studied by himself for 16 years! Talk about commitment.
But his “why”, his reason to keep going, was so strong that it got him through and he won the first instance of the case.
Define your “why” and figure out if going back to college will help you fulfil your purpose.
The best thing you can do is to believe in yourself. Dream big! And then figure out a way to get there.
Going back to college could be a way to achieve your objectives. Do what’s right for you, not what you think others want of you.
