Hey all. I agree, Mal. I took out a small student loan before I earned that scholarship (only about 2000 bucks) on the advice of my stepfather. Stupidest thing I ever did. Years later, probably through the darn IRS, the student loan people found me and started the harassing phone calls. I usually asked each person who called me asking me for the now nearly 10thou $ (wow, did that interest accumulate!) if they had a student loan, and you know what? Most of those poor blokes were working off their overdue student loans by working the call boards to harass others who had not paid back the student loans when the jobs didn't appear once the mortar board was thrown into the air. I also observed people I respected in history who got to the heights without having had a university degree and asked myself again and again why it was (and we're only talking the 1980s now!) that people couldn't make friends, influence people and even get rich without having gone through the process of getting a BA (which basically was how any state university supported itself, making students take a variety of classes they were not going to need, with the excuse of having a well-rounded education while actually keeping departments economically alive), then grad-school then the PhD or the Doctorate or the MFA or whatever. Who really needs six years of university to not work as an actor or director? How did I manage to get work in Broadway theatre without having that piece of paper? Don't get me wrong, university is a fine idea, it should just be better managed, should even be free, there's nothing more important than investing in the education of the youth, we'll all need dentists and doctors when we're older people, when the dentists and doctors that currently practice decide to retire. We can spend sooooo much money on "defense" but we can't foot the bill for kids, young adults, even "seniors" like ourselves with a desire to improve ourselves through education? The hoops that must be jumped through are all too often made of extended hands trying to get money (though the professors themselves may have a vocation, but where else are they going to share their knowledge-- people want a certificate that says they've accumulated that knowledge, so it's not enough to simply tutor people in their homes to satisfy their intellectual needs). I, myself, would get education out of the system, out of the institution, would put it back into the hands of experience and hard work and an honest desire to share and learn. But I'm always dreaming like that. peace, revel.
Colleges and universities are far more expensive than they need to be, especially give the fact that so many people are barely able to live long enough to repay their student loans, or to find work in their field of study. Some of t his, of course, is the fault of the student who decides to major in library science of women's studies, knowing that the opportunities are limited. I wouldn't mind going back to get a degree, just to have one, but there's no way to justify the expense.
I had the opportunity to go back to school and I took it. One of the jobs I worked for back in the dot com era offered stock options with the employment. You received so many each anniversary. About 7 years in the company decided they wanted to move to North Carolina, I did not so I cashed in my options and went back to school . I don't regret it and it was hard because I went to school full time and raised a child as a single parent. Whether the degree helped me or not is a different story, my earnings seem to have flat lined for awhile. If I was able I would return and take more classes. I have that option as an alumni, I can sit in on any course I want as long as I have the approval of the professor. There are so many things that I would love to learn more about. If I want my masters though I have to enroll and at this point I see no value in that sort of investment career wise.
In Virginia, after you're 55, it's all free. I sometimes use the Internet at a community college where the computer center is across the hall from the art class; drawing and painting would be fun. Also in that part of the building is the CGNA recertification class; when I got CMT certification I was thinking "I'll never have to work as a CGNA again," but friends are getting older and insurance will pay for friends to sit with them if those friends are currently CGNA, so I might. Meanwhile I just enjoy telling the kids I'm not old enough to be a freshman yet. (I was a college freshman, the first time around, before most of their parents met!)
You'd love the community college from which I sometimes post! There's an electrician's helper course going on right now, open to any age or gender as long as you can do the work; two years ago the newspaper wrote up one of my school friends (a fellow Future Homemaker of America) adding this valuable homemaking skill to her list. And even for young people, it's free. (I Twittered that I'd sign up if anybody in my neighborhood wanted a paying passenger. Nobody did.)
I would most definitely go back to school. I recently have not due to my economic situation. I have found that without the right resources such attempts of going back to school are futile. With expenses like books or paid online courses, going back to school is more of a goal than a reality. Although in the future when money is not a problem, learning the many courses offered can be very profitable in terms of career or entrepreneur opportunities.
High School bored me pretty much and I was able to graduate with little study. I attempted college a number of times but wound up dropping all the classes except the ones that presented a challenge. I do study on my own, but have no intention of ever going back to formal education.
I live in a hyper-educated community, where virtually everyone over the age of 25 has advanced degrees. I moved here in my mid 20s with just a Bachelor's degree, got burnt out on working in the non-profit world, and would probably have gone to grad school if I'd had some idea what I wanted to study, and how to fund it without racking up enormous debt. Now I am 50, and have worked some very interesting jobs, but it seems like education is like travel, to me, when I have the money I don't have the time, and vice-versa. Since my late 30s I've known that if/when i can swing it, I'd like to go to massage school, or get a degree in counseling psychology. Not holding my breath. It it costs a lot just to live here, and I don't ever want to go back to being as poor as I was during my undergrad studies, 30 years ago.
I admire all of you. You all have such a way with words that I am envious, and I do enjoy reading all the posts as well, although I don't post often. Then there is my spelling. I was the only child of a Hardshell Baptiist minister who couldn't believe God gave him a girl child. He didn't believe in educated women, so I was only allowed to go to school from the age of seven to ten. The school district made him send me to school. I finished five grades in those three years. At seven I saw my first library, and I thought it must be heaven. After that day, I wanted to grow up to be an old maiden librarian. My father also believed the only existence for a women was married, and raising children. He arranged my first marriage to a man in his late 40's when I was 13, and i became a mother at 14. Someone was kind enough to explain to me that slavery had been over since 1865. I met someone else and had my secound child at 16. Although my husband worked, I too needed to work so we could raise our total of five children. I became a grandmother at 32, and all of the sudden I felt old. My wonderful husband asked what was the one thing I had always wanted, but never recieved. I knew immediately what it was. I had always wanted an education. At 35, after we both quit smoking, and he quit drinking, I was able to go to our local junior college. There I took all the academics I needed to qualify for entry into the University of Houston. I continued to work, and I never took less than three courses a semester. I went for 19 years. I loved every moment of it. I never took a degree. I felt like a degree was a stopping point. In my third year, i became Phi Theat Kappa, and before seven years had passed, I became student of the year nationally for two years running. I studied English, Mathmatics, Philosophy, Phycology, Science,Horticulture, Pottery & Kilns, Business, Accounting, and many other subjects. So, i guess it gets down to what do you expect to get out of an education, as to what it is worth. My husband just passed away last December 30th., and i would love to fill my emptiness with more on campus experiences. But, of course it is way out of my budget now. Although, I am looking for a way to do some advanced studies in art. I am a self taught portrait artist, and I have been selling them for the past 15 years, but I think it would be interesting to study art.
@Ina I. D'Orazio - Your story is truly inspirational. I've always believed that the key to academic success isn't how clever one is but one's level of interest in what one is studying. If a person wants it badly enough, they will succeed. You've proved that it's true.
Thank you Michelle, I do love to learn different things. There is always something new to learn. I just wish that I was better at expressing myself. Many times I just set and read the many different opinions on this forum. You are all so well versed that I feel that I can not speak in a fashion to hold such intelligent peoples attention. So I hope it is alright to just let all of you be part of my continuing education .
I don't think I've ever stopped going to school. After undergraduate school I've alternated between work and advanced degrees sometimes part-time, sometimes full-time. Now with on-line learning so prevalent, I'm taking classes in programming and information technology. It may be a little strange, but I used to take professional entrance exams for fun and I'm still working on advanced certifications. Ha!
From what I've read so far, you express yourself very well. I often lack confidence in my ability to express what I want to say too, but I find that it's much easier to do it online than to talk to people face to face. Of course there's nothing wrong with just reading and not adding to the discussion and I do that sometimes too, but there are times when I feel the need to push myself just to prove that I can say something meaningful on a topic that is slightly outside of my comfort zone.
I am in the process of retiring. I left a full-time teaching position to substitute teach at a local school. Thirty-five years ago, I did not get a chance to take courses that would bring me pleasure. For example, I wanted to take art history courses but those time slots were always taught during my history, English or education courses. I also need to learn a new skills or a trade such as bookkeeping. Those are a few reasons I want to return to school. The only skill I have is elementary classroom teaching. I need other skills to earn money because I am tired of teaching. I wish to attend the local community college. It will cost less than the 4 year university.
Sometimes I have those days when I would want to go back to school, but hey it's never too late for education. You can educate yourself even when you're 80 or more, and I'm totally serious saying this. I have a friend that at the age of 65 years went for ICT because he was so into computers!