Should You Consider Becoming A Nontraditional Student?
Deciding if going back to school is right for you.
The idea of heading back to school might absolutely terrify you. At one time, it might have even been impossible to imagine doing. But if you are like many, what once seemed impossible now might seem critical to your future success. It is becoming exceedingly more common to see people heading back to college under the label of “nontraditional student.”
Many jobs now require you to have a degree in order to advance beyond a certain point. Additionally, even with the benefit of many years of experience, it can be difficult without a degree to even get an interview if you find yourself out of work and looking for a job. If you add in people who are not sure what they want to do until later in life, it can be disconcerting to realize that your newly discovered calling requires an advanced degree. This can be very frustrating if you did not envision college as the next stage of your life but don’t worry, college isn’t what it used to be!
With internet access comes a new wave of possibilities for “nontraditional students.” We will address that further in later posts. For now, let’s talk about why you might need to consider making college a part of your immediate future.
Higher Income
It is always ideal to do what you want and have it pay very well. That is why many people choose to go back to school to try to match their passion with a better paycheck. This isn’t a given. Not all college degree holders earn more than those without. In fact, there are a ton of trade jobs that make great livings and do really important work. Lineworkers, welders, pipefitters and plumbers don’t necessarily need any kind of degree to do what they do. That said, the average degree holder makes around a million dollars more over their lifetime than someone without a degree. So the chances are that a degree would improve your income, if not immediately, then over the long term.
It is important to know how a degree will impact your income because they don’t come cheap. If you will only see a negligible pay increase with the addition of a degree it may not be worth the time and cost to pursue. If you find yourself in a field where you have hit your ceiling because of your lack of a degree, it may be that the only way to move up and be compensated better is to get some sort of degree.
Following a Dream
You may have no problem with the income you get from your current job. Maybe it is simply everything else about your job you’d like to change. If that’s the case, chances are that a degree might make sense depending on the field you hope to enter. You might have a degree, but after spending a few years in your field, you decide that you aren’t as interested in continuing there as your 18-year-old self. Or perhaps you’ve decided to start your own business but don’t feel prepared without a bit more business knowledge. There is more to life than money and pursuing a job that is more rewarding in other ways is definitely a reason to consider school.
A great resource to help give you direction about which career path to take is the Princeton Review Career Quiz. It asks 24 simple questions and helps to point you toward fields that fit you well and in which you are predisposed to succeed. Any aptitude test will give you a better view of what sort of career makes a good fit for you and by extension, what you should consider studying.
Commit
The most important thing is that once you decide to go back to school, you go all in. As a nontraditional student, you will face barriers that most students don’t have to deal with during their time in school. Your schedule will likely be more hectic and your commitments outside of school more inflexible. You have to set goals, as well as put together your support system so that when things get difficult you can succeed. It might cost your time and may involve your family making sacrifices as well. That is why it is important to have conversations with them about your reasons for doing it. When you’ve done all that, you will be ready to start that next journey!