{"id":2020,"date":"2014-04-21T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2014-04-21T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/?p=2020"},"modified":"2018-04-08T09:16:47","modified_gmt":"2018-04-08T16:16:47","slug":"going-back-to-school-at-30","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/going-back-to-school-at-30\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Going Back to School at 30 the Right Decision For You?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you considering going back to school, yet you are concerned that you may be (gasp!) too old<\/i>?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.\u201d \u2013 C.S. Lewis<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Well the good news is that you\u2019re definitely not<\/i> too old to go back to school\u2014if a 71-year-old can do it, then so can you<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In fact, according to the National Center for Education Statistics<\/a>, in the 2012-13 school year, 40.5% of enrolled students were 25 to 39 years old<\/b>, which is not a far cry from the 46% in the \u201ctraditional\u201d 18-to-24 age group. And 12% of students enrolled during the school year were over 40.<\/p>\n

So the question really isn\u2019t am I too old?<\/i><\/p>\n

The right question to be asking is whether or not this is going back to school at 30 or older a good decision for you. Going back to school at 30, 40, or even 50 years old is a major life decision that needs to be carefully considered.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it\u2014you\u2019re not 18 anymore, and you\u2019ve already made quite a few major decisions from which you can never, ever return. From each of these choices, you\u2019ve experienced successes and failures and piled on a whole ton of responsibilities while you were at it.<\/p>\n

You may have had kids (and grandkids!), gotten married (and divorced and married again!), bought a house (or two or three), moved across the world and back (or not), and walked down more than a couple of different career paths.<\/p>\n

And here you are on the brink of another big, life-changing, and pretty much irreversible decision.<\/p>\n

Should you go back to school?<\/p>\n

This is part one of a two-part series that will help you answer this question.<\/p>\n

In this post, we’ll discuss four important questions to ask yourself when deciding whether going back to school is the right decision for you. I also interview a 30-something student and ask her for her best advice.<\/p>\n

So, Is Going Back to School at 30 Your Best Option?<\/h2>\n

The number one, most important consideration you need to address before signing up for a college program is: should you go back to school? <\/i>I mean, are you 100% completely certain that this is the right next step for you?<\/p>\n

Without a shred of doubt?<\/p>\n

The answer is based entirely on your unique situation and life goals. With that in mind, I’ve come up with four critical questions to ask yourself to help you decide whether going back to school is really your best option.<\/p>\n

1. Can you get the credentials you\u2019re seeking through an alternative means?<\/b><\/p>\n

Are you looking to make yourself more promotable in your current industry? If so, is stepping away (or limiting the hours) from your paying job for two or more years really necessary?<\/p>\n

Or, would you be better off taking a certification course to help enhance your existing skill set?<\/i><\/p>\n

Not all education comes in the form of a university degree. If you are already working in a gainful occupation, sometimes adding a couple of certifications to your name will help make you more sought-after in your career.<\/p>\n

Certifications take less time and are a lot less costly than going back to school.<\/p>\n

A certification may give you more bang for your buck than a college degree will! (Tweet this<\/a>)<\/b><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The U.S. Department of Labor offers a handy certification finder<\/a> to help you find out more about different certifications you can get in various industries. If you are already working in fields such as real estate, nursing, or IT, for example, then certifications may be the better choice for you.<\/p>\n