30 Something Student

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I know it is so weird to do all of the work just to get into school and then 2 semesters later quit but I have to do what I have to do.

The main reason for my departure from the land of higher education is the impact it is having on my family and I. Having to put in the extra time in the form of a couple nights a week was wearing me out. When I did have time to spend with my wife and kids I was grumpy and tired so the time was not the best.

Another reason that got me to this point was evaluating the ROI (Return On Investment). It was looking as though I was going to invest 3 years of my life and and $40-$50K on this education. That is a pretty significant investment for anyone. The question I had to ask myself was this - what am I going to get out of? Well I already am in the career that I want to be - Product Management - and I have a fall back of Web Design and Development. I am covered pretty well so this was looking to not be the wisest investment of my time and money.

In my current position I have room to grow and develop and really learn the ropes of being a Product Manager. I believe that if I take the time and effort that I was going to put into school and put it into my job then I am going to get more of a return then if I was in school. There is a lot to learn at my present job and if I am on top of my game I can excel here.

The final reason that I quit school was that I dreaded it, hated it in fact. I do not know what it was but I really did not like to go. Every time it was time for class I could find a million reasons not to go. If I actually made it to class I would be there thinking of all the things that I could be doing if I were not in class. That is sad especially because I was paying to sit there! I know that this is sort of a maturity issue but when it comes down to it this is a me issue. This is just the way that I am and I have to deal with me and utilize me the best I can for the best results.

Final Thoughts

I looked at school as an investment, tried it out, weighed the cost of the investment verses the return, and made what I believe is a good investing decision. There are many factors that need to be considered when going back to school - your current occupation, family, and financial situation. You then need to prioritize those things and make your decisions based on the results.

I think college is something that you should really strive for right out of school. I am going to push my kids to do that. When you are young and do not have any work experience school is the thing that can get you in the door to the career that you want. When you are older experience in a particular field usually trumps school alone or is considered an equivalent. The current position that I am in required a Bachelors degree and preferred a Masters degree but I had 8 years experience in the field so my experience was considered equal to a degree.

The only time that I think getting your degree when you are older may make sense is if you aren’t really in a “career” at the time (doing whatever jobs) and you want to establish a career.

Now I am off to pay the couple of student loans that I have acquired in my little experiment.

Technorati: Quitting School, College, University, DeVry, University of Pheonix