Perhaps It’s Time To Reconsider Undergraduate Degree Programs
When you graduated from high school nine years ago you’d had enough of formal education. You really just wanted to get a job somewhere and move on with your life and so that is what you did. You relished it too, early on, that first real job, and the apartment you were able to afford with it. It didn’t take long however before you started to feel as though you were outgrowing the job. You might have left after a few years but then you got a promotion, and along with it a good raise which helped with the eventual car payments and the security deposit on the bigger place that you and your fiance moved into.
Now, nine years in, you are unhappy and wishing that you hadn’t been so swift to settle for a pay check. You could possibly get another job of course but your practical experience would likely only land you in another job similar to the one you have now. Your partner has suggested that you return to school part time and earn a degree. You’re unsure though. Undergraduate degree programs cost a lot of money.
Here, perhaps, are a few of the questions you might want to ask yourself before you commit to a particular course of action.
• Why do I wish to go to university now, after all these years?
It is a pretty simple question but it’s well worth asking nonetheless. Your answer might shed a little light on the questions to follow. If you find that you really cannot answer this one, conceivably you should give some thought to if you want to attend at all.
• Who am I actually doing this for?
You know your mother would still be thrilled to see you get a degree after all these years. Your older brother too for that matter. Your wife suggested it only because she understands just how unhappy you are at work, but you suspect she would be rightfully proud of you if you went back to school. The the big question is, do you really feel it is something you want to pursue for your own reasons?
• What is it that I most want to do with my life?
It is essential to express this, if only to yourself, prior to contemplating undergraduate degree programs. It’s not a simple question sometimes. Don’t disregard or disqualify any response you may have to this question. If this query has you stumped perhaps what you ought to ask yourself is “What’s most fundamental to me?”
• Just how am I going to afford it?
If you do not currently have money set aside you will in all probability be forced to think about some kind of financial assistance. Make an effort to balance how much money you will be called upon to borrow versus the probability of finding work with your future degree, a realistic salary expectancy for that job, and your desire to work that career in the first place. If you cannot adequately balance at least most of those considerations in your own mind, possibly you need to rethink that course of action.
• When am I expected to attend class and study?
You do not enjoy the same broad availability you had years ago. You’ve got responsibilities that you cannot simply walk away from. You will need to attend part time. Perhaps you can get your work schedule adjusted slightly. There are always night courses not to mention online courses to think about. You could conceivably devote weekends to course work if it was something you were dedicated to. Thankfully there are lots of mature students in similar situations and the undergrad programs offered at many campuses feature incredibly flexible timetables to accommodate working schedules.
If you’re considering going back to school as a mature student your chances of success and fulfillment will be better if you have clarity of purpose on your side. Take the time to make the right choices for the right reasons. Find the undergraduate degree that will take you in the direction you most want to travel. For more information go online and perform Google searches for “undergraduate degree programs” or ‘bachelor degree programs” near you.