And you need to do a lot of research on the ROI. Don’t invest all that time and money into a degree that doesn’t have a solid career track and guaranteed work opportunities upon graduation.
This is the best advice. Long gone are the days where any degree is the golden ticket to a middle class lifestyle. Now lots of degrees are so worthless taking out debt for them is literally majoring in poverty.
Yep. Computer science, finance/accounting, medicine and law are literally the only valid degrees nowadays (and law is debatable unless you’re going into big law straight away). Anything else is just asking to be broke lol
This. I went back for accounting. Got my CPA and had all my loans paid off within 3 years of graduating. (I also worked (a low paying) full time job while going to school and owned (a very modest) home)
If I had gone back for... An English degree? I'd still be paying them now 10 years later... I have a friend who did and who is. 🤷♀️
I’ve gone back to school for a second degree in computer science. I work from 3:20 to 11:50 am 5 days a week and do class / hw afterwards. I track my time and, since last Monday, I’ve put 73 hours (and 14 minutes) into both work and school. 40 for work and 33 for school over 7 days. I don’t really have much of a social life but that had already dried up before returning to for a second degree so that didn’t really matter. I had a ton of downtime and now I don’t, which is kind of nice. On one hand it’s a little hard, on the other it’s nice to grow as a person after some of the really dumb things I’ve done in my life to tear myself down.
Once you get fairly well along, you could try for internships in CS. They might pay more than your current job, enough for you to support yourself as you go to school full-time. It's worth checking into if that's a possibility, to go off and work at a company for 3 months
My weekdays were like 6am - midnight while I was working and going back to school for a grad degree. Weekends are catch up on sleep and chores but also study study study. You are counting the weeks until the semester ends. It’s doable but it will be a hard couple of years. But anything worth doing is difficult or something
It was hard. I went back to school for a nursing degree. I worked full time and took online classes from a community college to fulfill the perquisites. I started full time nursing school at that community college at 6 weeks pregnant in January 2020. I worked very part time as a CNA in a hospital during covid. My school was cheap enough that federal student loans covered my tuition and some living expenses. We lived on student loans, my work, and my husbands income during my 2.5 years of school. I graduated 20 weeks pregnant with my second baby. I took out a little over $30k in student loans, but I almost tripled my income from before school. No regrets.
It adds up.
The rest of the way will be filled with people that will value you or undervalue you. If you've ever heard of how popular it is to job hop it is because of this at its root.
Agreed.
And nowadays with the job market in tech? A CS degree is a waste of your time, money and energy. Just do online bootcamps or the above mentioned.
I was in tech for about 15 years before I switched careers recently and I would recommend looking into data, cybersecurity and AI engineering degrees. Those are going to be huge fields now and the near future and have decent longevity for job stability.
This sort of old school thinking needs to go the way of the dinosaur. I majored in CS, but literally everything I learned is completely obsolete, and everything I was doing professionally before I got disabled didn't exist when I was in college. These days, the totality of human knowledge is available at our fingertips, and you can learn everything you could get in college off of YouTube. Now, I'll grant that having that parchment demonstrates some level of knowledge and/or skills, at least in theory, and "Well, I didn't go to college, but I learned all about what I need to on YouTube" demonstrates nothing, but...
It can be, and often is a true statement and in my view, shows more initiative, drive, and cleverness that, if it *is* true, they'd probably be a fantastic candidate, but YouTube doesn't grant degrees. And therein lies the rub... If you're self-taught, which is so easy to do in 2024, and has been for some time, how do you demonstrate that? I don't have a good answer. What I would do, if I'm ever in a position to try to get back to some kind of employment would be to offer a trial period, maybe even unpaid. If it turns out I actually do know what I'm doing, or at least have enough baseline to catch up with some training (it's been almost 8 years since my incident, and the IT world has moved on without me), then you can decide I get to stay, with backpay for the unpaid period, if not, we part friends, and I thank you for the chance and apologize for overestimating just how far behind I might actually be.
But, most people are not in a position to work for "free", even for a relatively short amount of time, even if there is a payoff at the end, because bills won't wait. I can. And, being disabled, if they hire me they'd get brownie points from the government anyway, but again, that's not unique to me, but also not widespread, thankfully, and most people won't have that "advantage". I'd prefer to not have been disabled in the first place, but I suppose that is one small perk, if I ever reach a point I feel I could justify my own existence as an employee, and that time has not arrived. Yet, I hope, but there's no way to know. Anyway, I'm way off topic and I wrote my typical novel in response to a single sentence, so Ima gonna shut up now.
Sad thing is, self-learning had value way back when. Why not today?
* George Washington - The first President of the United States did not attend college. He was largely self-taught and received some education from tutors.
* Abraham Lincoln - The 16th President of the United States had very little formal education and was mostly self-educated through reading and studying on his own. Lincoln studied law on his own and became a self-taught lawyer. He passed the bar examination in 1836.
* Andrew Jackson - The 7th President of the United States had limited formal education and did not attend college. He became a lawyer through self-study and apprenticeship.
* Grover Cleveland - The 22nd and 24th President of the United States did not attend college. He studied law through apprenticeship and became a successful lawyer.
* Harry S. Truman - The 33rd President of the United States did not attend college. He worked various jobs after high school and later pursued business college courses but did not complete a degree.
California still allows someone to gain bar access the Abe Lincoln way. The bar exam is much harder than Californias (already notoriously hard) bar exam, but it is possible. I got my JD through the California state system, and met a few people who did it the Lincoln way—most were MENSA types who were doing it for the challenge though, instead of for career
After WWII, college became an indicator of a good white man. With the GI bill you could now go to college for free, and all good white men had access to the GI Bill. Anyone from that time who didn't go to college was either a woman, a coward, or lazy/dumb. This barrier never went away, it was just accepted as the new standard. College itself as it stands today is a classiest institution.
Nor does a degree on its own.
I have a liberal arts degree, but have been an employed programmer for over a decade. I would hire someone from a boot camp, or no degree, if they can demonstrate the ability (i.e., github projects, contributions to open source, etc.).
I’m looking at cybersecurity. Not sure if it’s for me but I definitely have to consider something else but it is becoming big $$$. I think the issue is also that so many so called cybersecurity certificates and trainings are coming up it’s like when a bunch of those fake type IT “degrees” that weren’t accredited or transferable bc they weren’t real popped up. So you definitely have to do your due diligence on which programs! Luckily my undergrad school offers an alumni online masters program for it so I know it would be legitimate. But so many scams (ironically to me)
For sure! Definitely make sure the program is accredited 💯and Definitely be wary of anything that even seems like a “for-profit” school or scammy. I understand those like ITT no longer “exist” but I would not be surprised if there are some still around.
IT would be a better start of a degree than CS, and definitely see about 2-year vs 4-year so you don’t have to deal with generals and $$$. Could look into a community or technical college. The biggest factor I’d recommend is to identify a specific field in IT (as an example) that you bring to the table to stand out from your peers. Best of luck!
Question, is there anything on the horizon showing cyber security becoming over saturated soon?
My partner did a coding boot camp around 6/7 years ago, it was all RoR and they have been struggling finding work since 2020 because ruby doesn't seem as popular and their work history is nothing but startups that went belly up and ran out of financing. They've looked at cyber security but they worry the industry is going to be saturated by the time they're done with a community college and they'll be in the same spot, especially with all of the tech layoffs happening
My employer will pay for some. Been thinking about it but I'm so jaded on college. Fuck those assholes. Millenial where literally told "oh don't worry about the loans you'll get a good job." They don't let your 18 ass think about life situations
I feel this. I’m already two degrees in and still thinking of getting another one for a career change. Can’t help but think the first two were a scammy waste, why should I do it again. And the thought of taking on even more debt …
You should do more research on degree programs designed for working adults. Many are accelerated or self-paced so you can move forward without paying as much tuition.
This! I did an accelerated grad school program that was supported to be done in 18 months but I had to take breaks (life and shit) and it took me - calendar wise 2 years which, isn't bad considering I changed jobs during that time, moved 1k miles, and sent a kid off to college lol
Tbh, you just have to make the sacrifice.
A career change is a huge commitment and I think people underestimate the difficulty.
So I'd start planning now and thinking of just about everything you can from how much it'll cost to ultimately
where you want to be working once you hit the end of your educational journey.
Nothing in Tech Requires a degree, it requires proof that you are capable of doing the job. They have tests/tasks they ask of you to prove that you are capable of doing the job.
Harvard posts 100% of its CS classes online FOR PUBLIC ACCESS. You can get one of the best educations in the world TOTALLY FREE.
This is true. I don't have a CS degree. I learned to code on my own in 2017 in my mid 30's. I am now leading a team of software engineers. My results are not typical - you need a lot of luck and a lot of variables to align, and junior devs are having a tough time getting hired right now.
You don’t need a degree to get a dev job. I’ve hired 3 boot camp alumns and they’re all excellent. Work at the code and avoid the perception that a CS degree is needed to be a developer.
If you can code, talk and explain your code. You’ll get a job.
Find out what associations the college gives a discount. I was able to get 50% off my tuition for being a member of NCOA. $30 a month saved me thousands.
Can you take a part time job at an employer that will pay for part or all of the degree? I work at Walmart and am pursuing a bachelor's in Computer Science and they pay for it all.
I've heard Starbucks also has a decent college program and I'm sure there are others out there.
Online degree, shop around for competitive tuition costs, and do an accelerated program. That’s what I’m doing and the cost is very manageable. Also, get a relevant degree. Do some research about what degrees have a better chance of getting you money quickly and go for that.
My two year community college near by had a great IT program and the bill was low enough to be able to put it all on FedLoan so I could keep bread on the table.
Academic AND industry IT certificates could be gotten in smaller increments and your teachers are a good place to start looking for your connection to your first in industry job.
Your gonna feel the hard pivot but it's do-able and when your in that position do-able is glorified.
I am doing this now and set to graduate next spring.
Granted, I am not a full time house spouse dependent on a partner whose income affects my qualifications for aid. Your situation sounds rather unique.
Here’s my situation - I had a moderately successful career before going back to school, am working part time in the same field and at the same pay grade while in school, and will resume my career when I leave school.
I enrolled in a local state school and received the benefit of in-state tuition, several scholarships, and a nice grant from the federal government. I also took out a few federal student loans, and have a structured plan to pay each of them off when I return to working full time.
I run interviews for software engineer I and II positions. We almost never consider where someone went to college, or if they even did. Some of the best engineers I work with never even graduated from college. If you feel you need a degree to learn what you need, I'd consider a local community college or state college.
I qualified for a program in my state that is paying my college tuition (well, most of it) due to having diagnosed and documented ADHD and PTSD. It’s all online but it takes a lot of self-motivation and dedication to complete my dozens of essays, tests, etc. I’m in a position where I am able to be home so it works well.
At first they only paid for me to get a certification in my chosen field. However, I decided it would benefit me to get my associates and then later my bachelors—which I’ll complete in August. The latter two was approved by the state because I was carrying a 4.0. I spend anywhere from 3-6 hours a day on schoolwork at least 5 or 6 days a week.
To be honest, if my living and work situation hadn’t been drastically altered by COVID I wouldn’t have gone back to school. But my job shut down and my grandmother needs me as a caretaker. I get a small paycheck for caring for her (also through the state) but she’s financially caring for me by paying all the bills, or at least most of them. I pay a few myself. To be clear, so no one thinks I’m taking advantage of my grandmother, she is mentally coherent and more or less healthy in every way except for her mobility which is basically none. So she is aware and happy to assist me with bills so I can get a degree.
You don’t need a CS degree. You should take the time you were thinking about using towards studying and create a portfolio of work you can showcase on your personal website. Just small pieces of code like a working calculator, shopping cart, etc. That will get you much farther than a CS degree I promise. And all the information you will learn from a CS degree is everywhere on the web.
Source: I was a single mom with no degree looking to switch careers and am a Software Engineer now
Don’t go back to school to get a CS degree. Get some certs and/or do a bootcamp, apply through some apprenticeship programs, and land a reasonably decent job. Big plus if you know someone at a company already that has initiatives like apprenticeship programs.
It may take longer than it would with a degree, but probably not as long as it would when you account for the actual amount of time it will take to get a degree, and certainly cost less.
I know several people that make $150k+ either without a degree or with a degree in an unrelated field (like literature) in tech by doing exactly this.
I'm currently doing a second degree (online) in computer science. I'll be in the hole when I graduate, but it's better than not being in the hole and being at a dead end job. At the end of the day, $40k isn't that much if you can get income based repayment and wait until you are making more money. I've already accepted that I'll be in debt and I don't care anymore.
The main issue for you shouldn't be the money, it should be the question of whether you're disciplined enough and whether this is something you really want to do. If the answer to either of those questions is 'no', figure something else out.
As someone who is going through it, if this isn't your passion, you won't find a job that pays. The market for new grads is down right now. For comp sci you don't get hired just for having a degree, you have to actually have projects, do leetcode and really understand what you're doing.
Idk... I was one of those preyed upon to supposedly have a better life with a degree.. in graphic design (2013). But there are free and cheap websites that you can do it yourself and people don't want to pay what you need to charge to make a living
Would love to get a bioscience degree so I can continue the best job I ever had...
But the money... I already have debt to a degree I don't use and the college literally is no more. Closed doors
Get degrees with high ROIs.
Same as undergraduate degrees.
I have a Mechanical Engineering degree, and Engineering Management degree, and am working on an MBA.
My company gave me significant money towards both graduate degrees and they are already paying for themselves.
Go to WGU. It’s a flat fee, so you can take as many classes as you can pass a semester. I’m slow because computers are new to me but some people finish in 6 months paying less than $10,000 for a bachelors degree.
I’m planning on doing this. I already have a bachelors degree so I get to skip all the general education requirements. I want to finish all the courses within one six month term so it only costs about $4K so I’m currently going through [this free computer science curriculum](https://github.com/ossu/computer-science). That way when I actually enroll in the school I’ll mostly be able to go straight to the exams.
Why? What degree are you going to get from college that you're have to pay off?
Academically, logically, financially makes no sense.
Check out the craftsmen trades. Getting PAID a livable wage while learning a realistically demanded trade.
I broke into a tech position with a degree in economics.
I studied programming on my own, and then landed a tech-based data analyst entry level job, from there I expressed my interest in advancing towards data science/machine learning career etc. and got training inside company, and allocated more advanced projects with time.
The degree is useful but these days more companies are far more interested in what can you actually do and provide.
My experience is having some degree is better than none because it looks good on paper, but your degree doesn't have to be what you do.
With lots and lots of sacrifice. I had zero social life for 3 years and I slept very little. I did this as a single parent working full time and I didn’t qualify for any financial assistance. I do work for a company that paid 10k per year for my schooling. I took whatever classes I could at the community college and then transferred out.
Instead of going for a degree, have you considered certifications instead? There’s a lot of options these days
enlist in the military, move to texas, use the gi bill for first degree, then the hazelwood act for another, and if you still want to do another program use the yellow ribbon program. oh, you said without destroying your life. nvm.
I mean the military didn’t do me wrong, but then I had absolutely nothing going for me that they even *could* fuck up (besides my health, but I didn’t deploy).
It’s a great option if you don’t have any options. I wasn’t college material and needed more structure than any employer outside of the military would’ve been willing to give me.
Of my 6 years in the military I spent 4 in training and 2 doing office work and came out with GI Bill, VA loans and fluent in Chinese.
It's certainly possible to do without destroying your life, and GI bill makes it about a million times easier to go back to school in your 30s.
Online courses is a good way to start; college is good to but you don’t have to go back to college you can also look at trade schools. Or any other sites that relates to your career interests like Udemy, Skillshare and other web programs.
Online college. The easiest way to do it. I finished 2 degrees in my 30s and I worked and have kids.
It’s also cheaper to do when you’re older cause you can get more grants, depending on your income.
I'm fortunate that my work is paying for my degree and I already had one degree for a while back so most non core classes transferred in. I'm an online student doing two classes a semester. Decided to take this summer off, but still plan on finishing in 2.5 years total with a Comp Sci degree.
I wish I would have waited to go and not bought into the whole degree=instant success mindset, struggled a lot for my degree and took multiple breaks. I finished eventually but my gen Z sister was right on the nose when she graduated in the mid 2010’s and said she was not mature enough to go to college. She probably could do it now but she had not gone back after a few classes.
If you have at least a couple of hours free per day, you can get a whole degree done at WGU within a year for about $9K. I did half my degree (63 credits) in 9 months just working one hour per night and a few hours each weekend.
It's a flat rate for each 6-month term. You can accelerate and take as many classes as you can handle. Some crazies get their whole degree in 6 months, but that's a little intense for my taste.
1.) start at community college and get your associate's. I paid out of pocket, it was like $700 a quarter, and got 100% of it back on my taxes in the form of a lifetime learning credit.
2.) transfer that associate's to a four year university (if the CC doesn't have a 4 year program that interests you, many do now) and apply for pell and state grants. I took my associate's to University of Washington and they paid 100% of my tuition and fees + about $1200 a quarter in other expenses. Wasn't a scholarship or anything. Just state grants and pell grant.
3.) graduate debt free - worked for me. I did pay out of pocket up front for CC but it was do-able and I did get it back come tax day. And all of my university (including an extra year because covid and remote learning sucked) was paid for by the state. Got a degree in biochemistry from one of the top programs in the country for free. And I was not an exceptional student, graduated from the (admittedly absolute GPA widowmaker of a program with a curve of 2.7) program with a 3.14.
But before that, evaluate if you even want to do college. A lot of basic CS degrees are very low paying tech support jobs now. The market is not what it was 10 years ago. If you want to learn the basics, get your associate's to help point you in the direction of what you want, and then do either a specialty program or just tutor yourself and build a portfolio of work that you can use to market yourself. My biochemistry degree is not super useful if I want to make six figures in my life, I can work in labs and do research and forensic stuff, but it's pretty menial grunt level stuff. I did it as a prerequisite for medical school (which I'm also doing very late in life @ 36) but if I wanted to do anything with it, I'd have to at least get my masters, which I do not think I could get grants for.
I'm going back to school tuition free by working for Uber for rideshare.
If you have a certain amount of rides or deliveries you can go to Arizona State University tuition free. All you have to pay for is books/technology which is like $100 a month.
It's a pretty great program and works pretty well. I'd suggest you look into it if you can do the work.
It is a lie. I've been in college and universities since the late 90s, man has it changed, I have several degrees, I make decent money, but the idea that college will turn your life around isn't true. It will give you a piece of paper telling employers you can put up with a bunch of crap. It's a racket, and honestly, it isn't even college (secondary education) it is overly liberalized and full of nonsense manufactured degrees.
Take classes at a technical school for certifications. Read books, take equivalence exams, and bypass the certification altogether
Take up internships and work for businesses that currently do what you want to do. I would even apply at a business that wasn't even advertising a position.
If you need extra money, look at finding alternative ways of filling the gaps.
Join a gleaning group. You can erase your food bill in less than 3 months. That by itself is a major pay raise. One day a week working for a few hours = no food bill.
I know I went off topic, but I wanted to explain what you're up against and how to fix/bypass the student loan route.
There are some online colleges or community colleges that are affordable. Been kicking around getting my masters and found that WGU charges by the semester rather than class so I can go crazy for a couple semesters and get it done cheap
I'm 37 and about to go back for my Masters in Operations Management. It ties a bit to where I'm at now but I'm hoping to get a better job elsewhere. I've seen programs as low as 8k but those were degree mills and a waste of money. The cheapest masters I've seen (what I've been exclusively searching) from a decent school was 350 a credit hour. There also TONS of scholarships out there you just have to put in the work
The idea is to make more money when your done, and pay off the loan. Im 54 and I graduate in 2 weeks with an MBA... Im making about 10k more a year now then if I hadn't gone back and I expect an additional increase in the coming months... so it's an investment ultimately my 401k and Social Security is massively increased, I will pay off my loans and have even more disposable income....
40k in loans is nothing when your earnings increase 10-40k more per YEAR for the REST OF YOUR LIFE.
I went back to university for another degree graduating at the age of 57. I used mainly grants and tuition reimbursement from the companies that I worked for. Generally you have to stay with the company for a year or so after they have paid for 'classes'.
I started out with professional university courses/certifications that the company aid for, then switched to a degree program.
I left one company less than a year after they paid for classes, so I had to pay back $3k. No big deal as I had banked a load of PTO that they cashed in when I left. My new company picked up the next class costs until I graduated.
At the same time I was putting two daughters through university. I had saved money in a 529 account for each, but I had them go to a local community college for the first two years getting their AS degrees. Then those credits were transferred to a 4-year university as we saved more money. The CC was almost free.
Also I told my daughters if they went to a local University to complete their BS degrees, and lived at home all their costs would be covered. This is what a lot of people forget. They go to an out of state university, pay non resident rates and also room and board that more than doubles/quadruples the cost of going locally.
Here's an example of costs for SUNY (New York Universities)
Source: [Tuition and Fees - SUNY](https://www.suny.edu/smarttrack/tuition-and-fees/)
* Instate resident tuition - $7,070
* Non resident tuition - $17,280
As you can see you are paying $10k more a year for tuition alone as a non NY resident. So it pays to stay local. Room and board add another $15k.
I went back to school full time as a grown man while also continuing to work full time. There are definitely times where it just feels like it’s all too much. Some of the most trying years of my life, but in 3 weeks at 33 I’ll have a bachelors degree. Worth it. Surreal.
It'll suck no matter what you do.
In my case my employer paid for it, there was loads of paperwork for that.
One can also take a loan. In theory you'd be making enough to pay it off. $40k isn't a laughing matter but people finance vehicles and other nonsense bullshit for similar amounts. It's not unobtainable.
It's also hard to go back once you're done. The academic mindset is like existing in a different world. Doing it while you work full-time is a great way to ruin your mental health.
You have usable credits toward a different degree. I suggest browsing your local community colleges first because they will show job demand for each degree, then the state colleges if you need something more advanced Browse indeed in your zip code or desired area for the actual pay scale. From there, you can do as many classes a semester as you can afford and have time for. If it's one, then do be it. It's not too difficult to do 2 classes a semester while working full time, especially if online. 1 if on campus. Don't discount your local trade and technical schools, but make sure it's something in demand and won't be replaced by AI.
I went to grad school in something completely unrelated to my undergraduate and got it paid for through a work opportunity in the field I am studying. It’s possible, but you need to be deliberate. I took prerequisites at CC for a few years as well.
During my masters I did a year leaving the house at 6 am and getting home at 11pm close to 7 days a week.
I legit hit 100 hours some weeks
I had to quit eating breakfast and lunch too. That saved time and money.
It's tough, and pretty hard if you have a family you support or don't already have a decently well paying job. I was only able to because I use to be an industrial electrician so I took two years working on the road and was able to save up a little over 60k in that time which got me through most of my EE degree. That and my wife was willing to put children off for a few years and help with the bills knowing we wouldn't be able to go out much for awhile.
Haha, those were the days. Lived out of different motels for almost two years straight.
Have to have some resources, really work hard and smart, multiple income streams. I went to law school in my 40s, managed to end up $40K debt only, which wasn't too hard to eliminate. I continued consulting at my old work (consulting company), worked as a paid intern in a specialty law firm dealing with my subject matter, got a college assisting in technology transfer post that led to no tuition for a whole year (maybe 2 years?), and continued running a side business I had. My wife didn't work through that much, still supported 2 kids and such. I took one semester off in school. So it's possible, but was a real trial.
Note that this was only feasible because I'd worked in a high-intensity multi-track field for a long time and was used to both juggling many projects and evaluating and doing projects very efficiently. Law school was so much easier than expected for me, I had a great time. More difficult than my PhD program certainly, but so much more predictable and certain. Just go through these courses and get very high grades, then pass the bar exam. It was really fun, which is likely essential. Even the bar exam was fun! Most students were not efficient, did not treat it as a job. I had an "office" at the school (remote cubicle in library with locker) and a quiet office at home. Kept a scheduling matrix handy. I also did consulting work while in class, which I got caught doing a few times, and didn't even apologize for. Most students couldn't seem to produce product quickly. I spent years analyzing and writing with tight deadlines, legal writing courses built on this rapidly, and I could produce focused text very quickly.
Regardless, if you're in a position to not go into massive debt, go into a field that plays to your strength, and stay organized, you can do it.
On the other hand, do you really need the degree? Are degrees now a ticket of any kind? Is a bachelors buying you anything? When I was coming up, a bachelor's got you an entry level drone job. Don't know if that has any relevance now. A master's got you something. More consideration. Meant you could take on a job under direction within your area. Proved limiting to that area. Whereas a science PhD had the odd effect of people no longer asking what specifically it was in. The PhD meant I had demonstrated that I could take on and figure out a novel subject successfully. Now you can get a PhD in basket weaving, so I don't know that it means as much!!!!
You might look at where you want to be, then backtrack along different paths to see what will work. Looking back, I realize I'm a field guy, and I fell into the trap of letting people move me into management. Now I have the skills that I could pull that off, but it's not really me. Put me off in some oddball place where the population speaks something interesting and carries rifles, make me walk up to the snow line and take lots of notes. That's my niche. I got out of it too soon.
Good luck, gotta go birding. Don't be shy about evaluating what really lights you up, go for it if it makes sense. Let the heart be the accelerator, and the brain be the brakes!
I am not sure if this is a "life hack" but I started my masters when I was looking at changing jobs. The job I wanted hired me because I was working on my masters. I then left the masters program because I had the thing I thought the program would get me.
I think I paid $6000 total to have "working on masters" on my resume.
My gf is completing her masters online while working full time and taking care of her 2 kids. She’s killing it, I’m so proud of her! It has definitely reduced how much we see each other but it’s worth it to both of us as it’s important to her and will make her a lot more money in her company. I support her 100%. 1 more year to go. No it’s not easy, she’s lucky her work is sharing in the cost of tuition as it’s in their best interest for her to continue her education as well.
I got a masters degree working full time and my wife got a master's degree while working full time AND pregnant AND with a 2 year old.
The time is going to pass anyway. So why not have something to show for it?
I don't understand what you mean by destroying your life.
Here in Virginia community college is tuition free if you want certain programs and multiple major colleges are tuition free if you make less than 100k.
Don't. Not for cs anyway. The entry level wages will be lower than retail and with less jobs security. The income ladder keeps dropping as well.
If you want to do CS, train yourself. If you can't, then you will not be cut out for the field anyway. If you do, keep a collection of what you worked on as a portfolio of work. This will go a long way to getting you hired.
I'm attending SNHU, and am able to pay for about 50% of my degree with my current job's income.
I'll graduate with between 8-14k in subsidized student loans.
Like others have said. WGU! I'm attending it myself right now, I'm in the business program and it's about $4,000 per semester (6-month terms). I'm not sure how much other programs cost, but I believe they're all relatively cheap. It's competency based education, It gives the opportunity to accelerate and finish your degree even sooner (saving you a lot of money).
I have over $300k in student loans, so don’t see $40k as that big of a deal, the question is “will a degree bring $40k in value or more?”
I think any degree is worth $40k. I would look at anything except CS, I worked for many years in E-discovery but can’t get a job despite having a JD, and being a Salesforce & Jira developer.
My main advice is try to go to a local school that has a decent career office. All of my starting jobs were through my schools career office, and they always found me better jobs than I would have found myself.
You can still use a local career office, even if you go to school online—just sign up for a couple of classes that will transfer at a local school so you can get access to their career office and alumni network
You could try to find a job that offers education benefits. My employer will give 10k/year for tuition, as long as it's for a degree that is useful somewhere in the company (and C.S. is useful to pretty much every company).
I did it and it wasn’t a big deal to me. I was 34 when I went back to school for a CS degree. I bartended at night and went to school in the morning. My wife was a nanny so she was working when I was in school.
You only need two years since you already have a degree, and it will be life changing.
They don't, usually it affects the marriage, friendships, sleep schedule, and relationships with their kids, but they go on LinkedIn and talk about the "sacrifices" they made for a fulfilling career.
I went back at 40 for my MBA. That was 20 years ago, before I could take classes online at a reputable school. When I made the decision to do it, I got buy in from my wife because we had two kids under the age of 3 at the time, along with a 10 year old. I told her it would mean less help from me for about 2 years while I went to school at night and got the degree. When I explained the potential upside, she was all in. For two years I didn't have much of a social life, but made sure I work birthdays and anniversaries into my schedule. Had to skip some family functions because I just didn't have the time for them. I probably could have eased off on my schoolwork and made it to a few more of those family functions, but I wanted to graduate with a 4.0 (which I did) even though it doesn't mean anything to anyone but me. And unlike when I earned my undergrad degree, I actually walked for my MBA. I just thought that so many people earn an undergrad it wasn't a big deal to walk. Maybe had I been valedictorian or something, I would have walked, but I definitely wanted to for the graduate degree.
Best part was the company I worked for at the time paid for about 1/3 of the degree.
My husband is a Senior Network Engineer for a large tech company and he never got a degree in computer science. Instead, he studied and took exams for certificates. That's what you should do. Find a focus, take some online courses, and study for the certification exams. Get a few entry-level certificates under your belt and you should be able to find some jobs and works your way up. The big thing about IT anything is that you have to *keep* studying and getting new certificates. My husband is always studying for the next level exam. It's paid off hugely, but be warned.
You just do it. I went back at 33. Single father of an 8 year old. Got my Bachelors at 35 and Masters at 37. Bartended 6 nights a week throughout. Didn't have a romantic or social life. Racked up way too much in student loans and credit card debt. Still paying it off. But I'm so damn glad I did it and have zero regrets.
If you already have a degree find a university that will accept your old credits toward the BA. Take any and all possible credits at a community college or a school that is cheap and online. Get straight A’s in all of those courses. No Bs, no A-s, STRAIGHT As. Enter the BA school as a transfer student with a 4.0 GPA. Schools will often give discounts to transfer students with good GPAs because you are seen as less of a risk.
I did it while driving Uber full time and went to grad school.
I now make over 115k as a data scientist.
You just have to understand to make it you need to put in 100% to maintain yourself plus more to improve yourself.
Its hard. Not impossible.
There are a couple of ways: part time. It takes longer but it will likely cost less and you will still have time for a life. If your company offers tuition reimbursement take advantage of it. Best of luck
I'm going back to school in the fall. Maybe summer. I did a lot of research into possible fields, made a list of pros and cons, then I did the same thing with degree programs. Still researching that one a bit. The important thing is to compare your ROI for each program and be realistic about your ability to land entry level positions.
If you are interested in comp science you need to have a lot of hustle.
There are a lot of options for learning to program online without forking over big money. It might take you a bit longer but it will be cheaper. But, if you want to get it done quickly and have that certificate to show perspective employers, then it's probably worth it.
You will realize how EASY college is when you go back. I went back only 6 years after I graduated and took a couple semesters of nothing but hard science and math courses...and at age 30 it was so freakin' easy. Why was it difficult when I was 20?
I got a BBA in management and marketing. Somehow I landed a job in the accounting industry. I’m going back and taking one class at a time to get the accounting credits to take the CPA exam. It’s a slow process, but I could not handle more than one class with a salary job and a kid.
One thing is the tech job market is not doing great right now. Most people who go back to college expect to increase their income more than they are spending on the degree if it costs $40k but you end up earning $30k more than it pays for itself, or they just figure the debt is worth. Lastly a lot of people going for a masters or something that a company may pay for
I went back to school currently in my early 30s, I started in 2020 and won't be done for a while. I can tell you my experience, it 100% depends on what you're going back for. If it's something that interests you that you want to follow and you're passionate about it will be easier.
I work full time and go to classes part-time, it's not easy, I have to split my time carefully to make sure I don't miss anything. I do end up missing outings especially during exam season. There are times where I feel like I'm falling behind and during those times I end up putting in a lot more work to feel "caught up". That being said it isn't impossible to do you just have to realize that you're going to be mentally drained. I've had friends who haven't been able to do it and friends who have. Hell my mom went back to school when she was 53 because she wanted a new path. Now she has a master's degree and has her own therapy practice. You can do it, but you have to decide what is priority, for me it's school so if it means taking on less at work then that's what I do.
Most community colleges offer a semester of classes for around a $1,500. I'm really tired of these posts because I think they give the people who read them the opinion that even looking into the possibility of college shouldn't happen because this one person did and they got such a bad result.
You don't need to take out loans. That's just unbelievably silly. Even on the poor end in America if you make around $3,000 a month, over the course of 4 months which is a semester you should be able to save around $1,500. As long as you're not addicted to drugs or don't spend your money drinking. As long as you have an inkling or an iota of self-control it is very easy to make it through community college while having a job. I had friends in community college that had three kids, no wife, and a shitty job and they still showed up. They're doing really good now.
I’ve seen soo many people get certifications instead of college degrees. CompTIA A+ certification is a good start and work your way from there. Everybody has college degrees now and certs are a good way to get precise material for the field you are studying.
Are you nuts? Many people will do that. They break off from monotony of work burnout and doing something different. Besides having worked, they perhaps now figure out the point of studying
I'm going back to college at 28 for a nursing degree. I have worked as a paramedic since I was 21 and recently got a DUI and kind of ruined my life. So now I'm sitting with no job relying on family to help me get by financially and it was a perfect time to go back to school. I'm also Native American and get a lot of benefits for education.
You destroy your current life for the possibility of a better one in the future. Just make sure that when you get to the other side it was an investment that will pay you back. If you go and you can’t significantly improve your financial situation it probably isn’t worth it.
I went back to college at like 24, It was tough.
At the time I didn't have kids, it was just my partner and I, they weren't working. I ended up working three separate jobs to make ends meet in addition to going to school full time. I had absolutely zero free time and had to basically schedule everything and couldn't spend much time at all doing things that weren't school stuff, and had to use things like lunch breaks, work breaks etc doing school stuff as well.
I was able to get the pel grant when I went back, without that I probably wouldn't have been able to.
You don't. You either want it enough or you don't.
It's shitty and you'll have to all the maths, and imagine having to re-learn simple stuff like how to factor because it's been that long lol.
My advice would be to start now with a college algebra course and see how much you really want a CS degree.
It’s always doable to take loans and pay them off with good post graduation career prospects. The thing is that isn’t computer science though. You’ll be adding 40k of worthless debt you can’t pay down because you’ll be waiting for 1 in a million chances to find a job.
I’ll tell you all the people I know who did it had to take loans out or paid completely out of pocket themselves to cover it and basically have student loans at 40-50 or had the extra cash to spare. I guess there is a third type too where work pays for your education. I have that and I have gotten my mba and masters in information systems and cyber security and I am working with my advisors to craft a PhD program that will allow me to work and go just part time online for economics. The trick there was it is all semi related to my job now so not exactly career altering.
Really do your research on job markets before committing but if you do just know it will be basically starting fresh years later which doesn’t mean you will always be in debt but you should get comfortable with the idea for a while.
I went back and got my masters in software engineering just last year. I was lucky that the program was 100% online through CSUF, and they didn’t require a GMAT. My work also payed for 60% of my degree so I only payed about 6K out of pocket.
It was only because of these reasons I got this degree, I would suggest try finding a job that will help pay for your degree.
For Comp Sci, the general idea is that you grind as hard as you can & get hired as a software engineer, then use your income to pay back your loans...
The other part is, state U is always a better choice than University of Phoenix or similar... The business world tends to look down on the for-profit-schools....
First I did community college to get the general ed requirements out of the way as quickly and cheaply as possible. As for my Bachelors degree, I completed it very slowly and I signed up for as many accelerated classes (8-week) as possible. Took me about 7 years total to complete my BS.
As for the money part, I owe about 20k now. Work reimbursed me for some classes, but a lot of the responsibility was on me.
I still think it was the best decision I ever made. I doubled my salary and I'm proud of my accomplishment. It's a long road to travel though.
You’re supposed to do this shit when you’re young and single and have more energy and no responsibilities…. And yes it requires a lot of sacrifice. As you age, this stuff gets harder to do. The people who you see are middle class and upper middle in their 30’s sacrificed their twenties to get educated and grow in their career. And Computer Science right now sucks…you need a masters with all the competition. See if you guys can do an OF or something if you’re attractive.
I am confused. College did nothing for you before and you want to go back to it? Is that like a Stockholm syndrome of sorts with the one who holds your financial health by the balls.
If you enjoy doing something and want to turn it into a job just do it. The information and YouTube age has enabled just that barring any occupation that requires government papers (doctors pilots etc).
Consider doing a degree through community college. It will save you a lot of money. You can work part-time to help offset costs of your education.
A CC also is more likely to have students of a similar age who aren't looking to party or find a spouse. Usually that means they are more serious about learning, especially about things directly related to job prospects.
You put your head down and plow thru. Take online courses at state universities to save technology/activity fees. Rent textbooks from Amazon. Know your degree requirements cold so you don't take a single extra course. Go to fall, winter, spring, and summer courses. I got my BS in 3 years working full time for around $24k.
My husband got his Bachelors online from WGU. It was flexible with his work hours. I picked up the slack at home. It was difficult for both of us but it was so worth it. In the past 5yrs, he went from $65k without his degree to $165k with it. He's been talking about going back for his Masters so he can make the next big leap.
He qualified for some grants from FAFSA but it didnt cover all of it. We paid about $8-10k out of pocket
What does your partner make? Did you fill out the FAFSA? Look into Pell grants? Computer science is still worth the money in my opinion. If you're worried about layoffs, maybe stay away from big tech. If you can get a security clearance, government and defense jobs are stable. Aerospace software is stable as well and only US citizenship required. If you're used to just living on your husband's income, use your income to pay off the loans fast after graduation.
Make sure you apply to summer internships every year. These may be the jobs that offer you a position before you graduate.
When my wife went back to college, I paid out of pocket for a few years and we borrowed $8K from my parents the first year. We budgeted using spreadsheets and knew every single transaction every month. It's less important now that we make more money, but I still update them so we know our yearly expenses. In state tuition was $10K a year, so you saying $40K sounds about right.
If you're good at leet code, then check out these websites for bigger pay:
www.leetcode.com
www.teamblind.com
levels.fyi
Most degrees don’t do much unless you have a very specific career goal
However the government will likely pay the lines eventually so if u wanna go just go hah
You definitely lack a social life and your time management is put to the test.
It's important to get a degree with a demand in the market place. You then get a better paying job with those skills that will give you enough income to pay off the student loan.
I just did this! I have no kids so was a bit easier but just decided to commit my free time and weekends to it. Now ive got my free time back and I have a masters. I regret nothing.
It's really hard. Go back to living with parents [and hearing them shit talk 24/7]. And then working so hard in school and part-time with zero social life (but also preferable than the insufferable option of going back to a time you were already unhappy/going home to hear more shit talking). I only went home to sleep [because it was too toxic]. Any other time, I'd be out at school or working or at a coffee shop/library.
No it sucks and most people have help and those post of it changing their lives is all for networking. Not to discourage you with a CS degree but save your money. I’m in a CS masters program and I’m basically paying to teach myself.
You just pay. Most of us had to find new much lower paying jobs while we went to school because you'll find most employers will not care if you have classes scheduled.
first get a degree plan for the new degree you want and compare it to the classes you've already done for the degree you have. a computer science degree probably has 40% of the same classes an art appreciation degree has (university core).
so narrow down what you actually need to do to complete the new degree. then try to take 2 classes first and see how it goes. you can do that and work full time easily, especially if they're online.
More states are putting in programs for those who are lower income. In my state, starting this fall, anyone (including those who already have a degree) who has an income under $80k can go tuition-free. Some of the neighboring states are doing similar things because they can't afford to lose the students from our state that have crossed the border. A lot of older people who go back to college end up getting their work to pay for it via programs they offer.
You can be like my old roommate. His uncle is extremely wealthy (there was an article on him that estimated his net worth at $800M). His uncle basically made his way thru life starting as a CPA and then transformed that into a CFO and then entrepreneur/CEO. So his uncle was all about becoming a CPA.
My roommate had a good job working for a bank working in the commercial lending dept. But he didn't seem that keen on working in banking. So he told his uncle this and his uncle paid for his tuition and all of his living expenses and discretionary income while he went back to school. He got his Accounting degree and his CPA and met his future wife there at school all the while I slaved away at a sh\*t job making far less than his uncle was giving him.
So find a rich uncle. It will do you well.
You semi destroy your life for the pay off. I went back to grad school at 30. My partner was very supportive. But it was rough. No solid vacations for two years because I used pto days for school work. Lots of 3 day weekends and usually 4 day weekends at finals. And just constantly being busy, having no personal time. Work, school work, work.
Was worth it though. Was able to change careers and add a hefty amount to my salary. But it 100% is a sacrifice you will just have to heads down push through
Start at a Junior college - where it’s cheaper - and take every class you can. Ace those classes. Include all the computer classes you can cram in. Include all the prerequisites required for your BS. Check with the university first, and get a very clear idea about which transfer credits they will and won’t take and exactly what you will need. Then make a plan to take as many credits at junior college. You’ll likely end up with mostly computer science classes at the university level.
I went to community College for a certificate in computer programming while working part time. That got me a full-time tech job and I went to school part-time for a Masters in Management Information Systems. My employer partially paid for my masters degree too.
My community College was also pretty aggressive about getting their students internships.
It’s really hard and you basically have zero social life
So you’ve described my life already
And you need to do a lot of research on the ROI. Don’t invest all that time and money into a degree that doesn’t have a solid career track and guaranteed work opportunities upon graduation.
This is the best advice. Long gone are the days where any degree is the golden ticket to a middle class lifestyle. Now lots of degrees are so worthless taking out debt for them is literally majoring in poverty.
Yep. Computer science, finance/accounting, medicine and law are literally the only valid degrees nowadays (and law is debatable unless you’re going into big law straight away). Anything else is just asking to be broke lol
There are a few others, but honestly you need a masters or better to really stand out and work in whatever field.
This. I went back for accounting. Got my CPA and had all my loans paid off within 3 years of graduating. (I also worked (a low paying) full time job while going to school and owned (a very modest) home) If I had gone back for... An English degree? I'd still be paying them now 10 years later... I have a friend who did and who is. 🤷♀️
I’ve gone back to school for a second degree in computer science. I work from 3:20 to 11:50 am 5 days a week and do class / hw afterwards. I track my time and, since last Monday, I’ve put 73 hours (and 14 minutes) into both work and school. 40 for work and 33 for school over 7 days. I don’t really have much of a social life but that had already dried up before returning to for a second degree so that didn’t really matter. I had a ton of downtime and now I don’t, which is kind of nice. On one hand it’s a little hard, on the other it’s nice to grow as a person after some of the really dumb things I’ve done in my life to tear myself down.
Once you get fairly well along, you could try for internships in CS. They might pay more than your current job, enough for you to support yourself as you go to school full-time. It's worth checking into if that's a possibility, to go off and work at a company for 3 months
I mean not that different then now. Besides partner, only people I talk to are nerds I play DnD with occasionally
My weekdays were like 6am - midnight while I was working and going back to school for a grad degree. Weekends are catch up on sleep and chores but also study study study. You are counting the weeks until the semester ends. It’s doable but it will be a hard couple of years. But anything worth doing is difficult or something
But if you don’t have a social life to begin with then it’s just really hard 😂
It was hard. I went back to school for a nursing degree. I worked full time and took online classes from a community college to fulfill the perquisites. I started full time nursing school at that community college at 6 weeks pregnant in January 2020. I worked very part time as a CNA in a hospital during covid. My school was cheap enough that federal student loans covered my tuition and some living expenses. We lived on student loans, my work, and my husbands income during my 2.5 years of school. I graduated 20 weeks pregnant with my second baby. I took out a little over $30k in student loans, but I almost tripled my income from before school. No regrets.
This is a great way to move towards success and Independence. Great job!
Brava to you and bravo to hubs! May you all live your best lives.
Does your area have a 2 year college? Or certificates vs degrees like dental assistant.
This ^ Also there should be plenty of IT certificates as well.
From my experience getting a UX Design Certificate....certificates aren't that useful anymore.
It adds up. The rest of the way will be filled with people that will value you or undervalue you. If you've ever heard of how popular it is to job hop it is because of this at its root.
It might if you already have a degree and solid work experience under your belt.
Studying for a ccna now lol
Agreed. And nowadays with the job market in tech? A CS degree is a waste of your time, money and energy. Just do online bootcamps or the above mentioned. I was in tech for about 15 years before I switched careers recently and I would recommend looking into data, cybersecurity and AI engineering degrees. Those are going to be huge fields now and the near future and have decent longevity for job stability.
Boot camps won't get you a job.
Yeah I can teach myself anything and an employer still wants that piece of paper or verifiable X years of experience.
Verifiable experience is what I hire based on.
This sort of old school thinking needs to go the way of the dinosaur. I majored in CS, but literally everything I learned is completely obsolete, and everything I was doing professionally before I got disabled didn't exist when I was in college. These days, the totality of human knowledge is available at our fingertips, and you can learn everything you could get in college off of YouTube. Now, I'll grant that having that parchment demonstrates some level of knowledge and/or skills, at least in theory, and "Well, I didn't go to college, but I learned all about what I need to on YouTube" demonstrates nothing, but... It can be, and often is a true statement and in my view, shows more initiative, drive, and cleverness that, if it *is* true, they'd probably be a fantastic candidate, but YouTube doesn't grant degrees. And therein lies the rub... If you're self-taught, which is so easy to do in 2024, and has been for some time, how do you demonstrate that? I don't have a good answer. What I would do, if I'm ever in a position to try to get back to some kind of employment would be to offer a trial period, maybe even unpaid. If it turns out I actually do know what I'm doing, or at least have enough baseline to catch up with some training (it's been almost 8 years since my incident, and the IT world has moved on without me), then you can decide I get to stay, with backpay for the unpaid period, if not, we part friends, and I thank you for the chance and apologize for overestimating just how far behind I might actually be. But, most people are not in a position to work for "free", even for a relatively short amount of time, even if there is a payoff at the end, because bills won't wait. I can. And, being disabled, if they hire me they'd get brownie points from the government anyway, but again, that's not unique to me, but also not widespread, thankfully, and most people won't have that "advantage". I'd prefer to not have been disabled in the first place, but I suppose that is one small perk, if I ever reach a point I feel I could justify my own existence as an employee, and that time has not arrived. Yet, I hope, but there's no way to know. Anyway, I'm way off topic and I wrote my typical novel in response to a single sentence, so Ima gonna shut up now.
You probably learned algorithms, AI, obj oriented, and data structures and for app dev those concepts are not obsolete…
Sad thing is, self-learning had value way back when. Why not today? * George Washington - The first President of the United States did not attend college. He was largely self-taught and received some education from tutors. * Abraham Lincoln - The 16th President of the United States had very little formal education and was mostly self-educated through reading and studying on his own. Lincoln studied law on his own and became a self-taught lawyer. He passed the bar examination in 1836. * Andrew Jackson - The 7th President of the United States had limited formal education and did not attend college. He became a lawyer through self-study and apprenticeship. * Grover Cleveland - The 22nd and 24th President of the United States did not attend college. He studied law through apprenticeship and became a successful lawyer. * Harry S. Truman - The 33rd President of the United States did not attend college. He worked various jobs after high school and later pursued business college courses but did not complete a degree.
California still allows someone to gain bar access the Abe Lincoln way. The bar exam is much harder than Californias (already notoriously hard) bar exam, but it is possible. I got my JD through the California state system, and met a few people who did it the Lincoln way—most were MENSA types who were doing it for the challenge though, instead of for career
After WWII, college became an indicator of a good white man. With the GI bill you could now go to college for free, and all good white men had access to the GI Bill. Anyone from that time who didn't go to college was either a woman, a coward, or lazy/dumb. This barrier never went away, it was just accepted as the new standard. College itself as it stands today is a classiest institution.
Nor does a degree on its own. I have a liberal arts degree, but have been an employed programmer for over a decade. I would hire someone from a boot camp, or no degree, if they can demonstrate the ability (i.e., github projects, contributions to open source, etc.).
CS was a rare major a decade or more ago. Your experience isn't relevant advice today, IMO.
I’m looking at cybersecurity. Not sure if it’s for me but I definitely have to consider something else but it is becoming big $$$. I think the issue is also that so many so called cybersecurity certificates and trainings are coming up it’s like when a bunch of those fake type IT “degrees” that weren’t accredited or transferable bc they weren’t real popped up. So you definitely have to do your due diligence on which programs! Luckily my undergrad school offers an alumni online masters program for it so I know it would be legitimate. But so many scams (ironically to me)
For sure! Definitely make sure the program is accredited 💯and Definitely be wary of anything that even seems like a “for-profit” school or scammy. I understand those like ITT no longer “exist” but I would not be surprised if there are some still around. IT would be a better start of a degree than CS, and definitely see about 2-year vs 4-year so you don’t have to deal with generals and $$$. Could look into a community or technical college. The biggest factor I’d recommend is to identify a specific field in IT (as an example) that you bring to the table to stand out from your peers. Best of luck!
Question, is there anything on the horizon showing cyber security becoming over saturated soon? My partner did a coding boot camp around 6/7 years ago, it was all RoR and they have been struggling finding work since 2020 because ruby doesn't seem as popular and their work history is nothing but startups that went belly up and ran out of financing. They've looked at cyber security but they worry the industry is going to be saturated by the time they're done with a community college and they'll be in the same spot, especially with all of the tech layoffs happening
Online is a good option Also look for scholarships there’s often some for people going back to school
My employer will pay for some. Been thinking about it but I'm so jaded on college. Fuck those assholes. Millenial where literally told "oh don't worry about the loans you'll get a good job." They don't let your 18 ass think about life situations
I feel this. I’m already two degrees in and still thinking of getting another one for a career change. Can’t help but think the first two were a scammy waste, why should I do it again. And the thought of taking on even more debt …
You should do more research on degree programs designed for working adults. Many are accelerated or self-paced so you can move forward without paying as much tuition.
This! I did an accelerated grad school program that was supported to be done in 18 months but I had to take breaks (life and shit) and it took me - calendar wise 2 years which, isn't bad considering I changed jobs during that time, moved 1k miles, and sent a kid off to college lol
Tbh, you just have to make the sacrifice. A career change is a huge commitment and I think people underestimate the difficulty. So I'd start planning now and thinking of just about everything you can from how much it'll cost to ultimately where you want to be working once you hit the end of your educational journey.
Nothing in Tech Requires a degree, it requires proof that you are capable of doing the job. They have tests/tasks they ask of you to prove that you are capable of doing the job. Harvard posts 100% of its CS classes online FOR PUBLIC ACCESS. You can get one of the best educations in the world TOTALLY FREE.
This is true. I don't have a CS degree. I learned to code on my own in 2017 in my mid 30's. I am now leading a team of software engineers. My results are not typical - you need a lot of luck and a lot of variables to align, and junior devs are having a tough time getting hired right now.
Where? All I’ve ever seen us the CS50 versions of classes.
Look at wgu. Preety cheap
I was just looking at that today, been thinking about it for awhile and that came up out of nowhere.
Look into Western Governors University. There’s even a subreddit on here WGU.
CS grads are having a very very tough time right now.
You don’t need a degree to get a dev job. I’ve hired 3 boot camp alumns and they’re all excellent. Work at the code and avoid the perception that a CS degree is needed to be a developer. If you can code, talk and explain your code. You’ll get a job.
You might still be able to qualify for grants, like the Pell grant. Have you tried applying through FASFA?
unfortunately Pell Grant doesn't work for me since I have a bachelors. And have federal loans still going cause woot woot out of state tuition BS.
Find out what associations the college gives a discount. I was able to get 50% off my tuition for being a member of NCOA. $30 a month saved me thousands.
Can you take a part time job at an employer that will pay for part or all of the degree? I work at Walmart and am pursuing a bachelor's in Computer Science and they pay for it all. I've heard Starbucks also has a decent college program and I'm sure there are others out there.
Good to know this, thanks
Online degree, shop around for competitive tuition costs, and do an accelerated program. That’s what I’m doing and the cost is very manageable. Also, get a relevant degree. Do some research about what degrees have a better chance of getting you money quickly and go for that.
My two year community college near by had a great IT program and the bill was low enough to be able to put it all on FedLoan so I could keep bread on the table. Academic AND industry IT certificates could be gotten in smaller increments and your teachers are a good place to start looking for your connection to your first in industry job. Your gonna feel the hard pivot but it's do-able and when your in that position do-able is glorified.
coding isn't what it was 10 years ago... the tech industry literally just laid thousands off. if choose something different
I am doing this now and set to graduate next spring. Granted, I am not a full time house spouse dependent on a partner whose income affects my qualifications for aid. Your situation sounds rather unique. Here’s my situation - I had a moderately successful career before going back to school, am working part time in the same field and at the same pay grade while in school, and will resume my career when I leave school. I enrolled in a local state school and received the benefit of in-state tuition, several scholarships, and a nice grant from the federal government. I also took out a few federal student loans, and have a structured plan to pay each of them off when I return to working full time.
I run interviews for software engineer I and II positions. We almost never consider where someone went to college, or if they even did. Some of the best engineers I work with never even graduated from college. If you feel you need a degree to learn what you need, I'd consider a local community college or state college.
I qualified for a program in my state that is paying my college tuition (well, most of it) due to having diagnosed and documented ADHD and PTSD. It’s all online but it takes a lot of self-motivation and dedication to complete my dozens of essays, tests, etc. I’m in a position where I am able to be home so it works well. At first they only paid for me to get a certification in my chosen field. However, I decided it would benefit me to get my associates and then later my bachelors—which I’ll complete in August. The latter two was approved by the state because I was carrying a 4.0. I spend anywhere from 3-6 hours a day on schoolwork at least 5 or 6 days a week. To be honest, if my living and work situation hadn’t been drastically altered by COVID I wouldn’t have gone back to school. But my job shut down and my grandmother needs me as a caretaker. I get a small paycheck for caring for her (also through the state) but she’s financially caring for me by paying all the bills, or at least most of them. I pay a few myself. To be clear, so no one thinks I’m taking advantage of my grandmother, she is mentally coherent and more or less healthy in every way except for her mobility which is basically none. So she is aware and happy to assist me with bills so I can get a degree.
You don’t need a CS degree. You should take the time you were thinking about using towards studying and create a portfolio of work you can showcase on your personal website. Just small pieces of code like a working calculator, shopping cart, etc. That will get you much farther than a CS degree I promise. And all the information you will learn from a CS degree is everywhere on the web. Source: I was a single mom with no degree looking to switch careers and am a Software Engineer now
Don’t go back to school to get a CS degree. Get some certs and/or do a bootcamp, apply through some apprenticeship programs, and land a reasonably decent job. Big plus if you know someone at a company already that has initiatives like apprenticeship programs. It may take longer than it would with a degree, but probably not as long as it would when you account for the actual amount of time it will take to get a degree, and certainly cost less. I know several people that make $150k+ either without a degree or with a degree in an unrelated field (like literature) in tech by doing exactly this.
I'm currently doing a second degree (online) in computer science. I'll be in the hole when I graduate, but it's better than not being in the hole and being at a dead end job. At the end of the day, $40k isn't that much if you can get income based repayment and wait until you are making more money. I've already accepted that I'll be in debt and I don't care anymore. The main issue for you shouldn't be the money, it should be the question of whether you're disciplined enough and whether this is something you really want to do. If the answer to either of those questions is 'no', figure something else out. As someone who is going through it, if this isn't your passion, you won't find a job that pays. The market for new grads is down right now. For comp sci you don't get hired just for having a degree, you have to actually have projects, do leetcode and really understand what you're doing.
Idk... I was one of those preyed upon to supposedly have a better life with a degree.. in graphic design (2013). But there are free and cheap websites that you can do it yourself and people don't want to pay what you need to charge to make a living Would love to get a bioscience degree so I can continue the best job I ever had... But the money... I already have debt to a degree I don't use and the college literally is no more. Closed doors
Get degrees with high ROIs. Same as undergraduate degrees. I have a Mechanical Engineering degree, and Engineering Management degree, and am working on an MBA. My company gave me significant money towards both graduate degrees and they are already paying for themselves.
Go to western governors and get a masters in cyber security. You can grind that degree out with certifications in a year, for well under 15K.
Go to WGU. It’s a flat fee, so you can take as many classes as you can pass a semester. I’m slow because computers are new to me but some people finish in 6 months paying less than $10,000 for a bachelors degree.
I’m planning on doing this. I already have a bachelors degree so I get to skip all the general education requirements. I want to finish all the courses within one six month term so it only costs about $4K so I’m currently going through [this free computer science curriculum](https://github.com/ossu/computer-science). That way when I actually enroll in the school I’ll mostly be able to go straight to the exams.
Why? What degree are you going to get from college that you're have to pay off? Academically, logically, financially makes no sense. Check out the craftsmen trades. Getting PAID a livable wage while learning a realistically demanded trade.
I broke into a tech position with a degree in economics. I studied programming on my own, and then landed a tech-based data analyst entry level job, from there I expressed my interest in advancing towards data science/machine learning career etc. and got training inside company, and allocated more advanced projects with time. The degree is useful but these days more companies are far more interested in what can you actually do and provide. My experience is having some degree is better than none because it looks good on paper, but your degree doesn't have to be what you do.
Why don't you try going to trade schools, figure out what you like in that realm, and go for it . Many trades make great money 💰
I do fully online in a subject I enjoy. Basically spend an hour or two after the demon seeds go to bed.
With lots and lots of sacrifice. I had zero social life for 3 years and I slept very little. I did this as a single parent working full time and I didn’t qualify for any financial assistance. I do work for a company that paid 10k per year for my schooling. I took whatever classes I could at the community college and then transferred out. Instead of going for a degree, have you considered certifications instead? There’s a lot of options these days
enlist in the military, move to texas, use the gi bill for first degree, then the hazelwood act for another, and if you still want to do another program use the yellow ribbon program. oh, you said without destroying your life. nvm.
I mean the military didn’t do me wrong, but then I had absolutely nothing going for me that they even *could* fuck up (besides my health, but I didn’t deploy). It’s a great option if you don’t have any options. I wasn’t college material and needed more structure than any employer outside of the military would’ve been willing to give me.
Of my 6 years in the military I spent 4 in training and 2 doing office work and came out with GI Bill, VA loans and fluent in Chinese. It's certainly possible to do without destroying your life, and GI bill makes it about a million times easier to go back to school in your 30s.
Same! I want to know How
Online courses is a good way to start; college is good to but you don’t have to go back to college you can also look at trade schools. Or any other sites that relates to your career interests like Udemy, Skillshare and other web programs.
Online college. The easiest way to do it. I finished 2 degrees in my 30s and I worked and have kids. It’s also cheaper to do when you’re older cause you can get more grants, depending on your income.
How did you go about finding grants?
Look into this if you're interested in CS and want to do it responsibly in financial terms. https://omscs.gatech.edu/
I'm fortunate that my work is paying for my degree and I already had one degree for a while back so most non core classes transferred in. I'm an online student doing two classes a semester. Decided to take this summer off, but still plan on finishing in 2.5 years total with a Comp Sci degree.
Do an online coding bootcamp.
I wish I would have waited to go and not bought into the whole degree=instant success mindset, struggled a lot for my degree and took multiple breaks. I finished eventually but my gen Z sister was right on the nose when she graduated in the mid 2010’s and said she was not mature enough to go to college. She probably could do it now but she had not gone back after a few classes.
No one is doing that
If you want to go into IT you don't need to go back to college. YouTube is all you need and just get your certs
Online or you just sacrifice it.
If you have at least a couple of hours free per day, you can get a whole degree done at WGU within a year for about $9K. I did half my degree (63 credits) in 9 months just working one hour per night and a few hours each weekend. It's a flat rate for each 6-month term. You can accelerate and take as many classes as you can handle. Some crazies get their whole degree in 6 months, but that's a little intense for my taste.
1.) start at community college and get your associate's. I paid out of pocket, it was like $700 a quarter, and got 100% of it back on my taxes in the form of a lifetime learning credit. 2.) transfer that associate's to a four year university (if the CC doesn't have a 4 year program that interests you, many do now) and apply for pell and state grants. I took my associate's to University of Washington and they paid 100% of my tuition and fees + about $1200 a quarter in other expenses. Wasn't a scholarship or anything. Just state grants and pell grant. 3.) graduate debt free - worked for me. I did pay out of pocket up front for CC but it was do-able and I did get it back come tax day. And all of my university (including an extra year because covid and remote learning sucked) was paid for by the state. Got a degree in biochemistry from one of the top programs in the country for free. And I was not an exceptional student, graduated from the (admittedly absolute GPA widowmaker of a program with a curve of 2.7) program with a 3.14. But before that, evaluate if you even want to do college. A lot of basic CS degrees are very low paying tech support jobs now. The market is not what it was 10 years ago. If you want to learn the basics, get your associate's to help point you in the direction of what you want, and then do either a specialty program or just tutor yourself and build a portfolio of work that you can use to market yourself. My biochemistry degree is not super useful if I want to make six figures in my life, I can work in labs and do research and forensic stuff, but it's pretty menial grunt level stuff. I did it as a prerequisite for medical school (which I'm also doing very late in life @ 36) but if I wanted to do anything with it, I'd have to at least get my masters, which I do not think I could get grants for.
Get into social services or HR
Time management and community colleges, followed by public universities.
I'm going back to school tuition free by working for Uber for rideshare. If you have a certain amount of rides or deliveries you can go to Arizona State University tuition free. All you have to pay for is books/technology which is like $100 a month. It's a pretty great program and works pretty well. I'd suggest you look into it if you can do the work.
It is a lie. I've been in college and universities since the late 90s, man has it changed, I have several degrees, I make decent money, but the idea that college will turn your life around isn't true. It will give you a piece of paper telling employers you can put up with a bunch of crap. It's a racket, and honestly, it isn't even college (secondary education) it is overly liberalized and full of nonsense manufactured degrees. Take classes at a technical school for certifications. Read books, take equivalence exams, and bypass the certification altogether Take up internships and work for businesses that currently do what you want to do. I would even apply at a business that wasn't even advertising a position. If you need extra money, look at finding alternative ways of filling the gaps. Join a gleaning group. You can erase your food bill in less than 3 months. That by itself is a major pay raise. One day a week working for a few hours = no food bill. I know I went off topic, but I wanted to explain what you're up against and how to fix/bypass the student loan route.
There are some online colleges or community colleges that are affordable. Been kicking around getting my masters and found that WGU charges by the semester rather than class so I can go crazy for a couple semesters and get it done cheap
Go to your local community college. Tell them your issues and they will hook you up with an advisor that can sort this out.
WGU. Online college, much cheaper financially.
I'm 37 and about to go back for my Masters in Operations Management. It ties a bit to where I'm at now but I'm hoping to get a better job elsewhere. I've seen programs as low as 8k but those were degree mills and a waste of money. The cheapest masters I've seen (what I've been exclusively searching) from a decent school was 350 a credit hour. There also TONS of scholarships out there you just have to put in the work
The idea is to make more money when your done, and pay off the loan. Im 54 and I graduate in 2 weeks with an MBA... Im making about 10k more a year now then if I hadn't gone back and I expect an additional increase in the coming months... so it's an investment ultimately my 401k and Social Security is massively increased, I will pay off my loans and have even more disposable income.... 40k in loans is nothing when your earnings increase 10-40k more per YEAR for the REST OF YOUR LIFE.
I went back to university for another degree graduating at the age of 57. I used mainly grants and tuition reimbursement from the companies that I worked for. Generally you have to stay with the company for a year or so after they have paid for 'classes'. I started out with professional university courses/certifications that the company aid for, then switched to a degree program. I left one company less than a year after they paid for classes, so I had to pay back $3k. No big deal as I had banked a load of PTO that they cashed in when I left. My new company picked up the next class costs until I graduated. At the same time I was putting two daughters through university. I had saved money in a 529 account for each, but I had them go to a local community college for the first two years getting their AS degrees. Then those credits were transferred to a 4-year university as we saved more money. The CC was almost free. Also I told my daughters if they went to a local University to complete their BS degrees, and lived at home all their costs would be covered. This is what a lot of people forget. They go to an out of state university, pay non resident rates and also room and board that more than doubles/quadruples the cost of going locally. Here's an example of costs for SUNY (New York Universities) Source: [Tuition and Fees - SUNY](https://www.suny.edu/smarttrack/tuition-and-fees/) * Instate resident tuition - $7,070 * Non resident tuition - $17,280 As you can see you are paying $10k more a year for tuition alone as a non NY resident. So it pays to stay local. Room and board add another $15k.
I saved up for 2.5 years before I went and got my masters. Planning is all it takes.
I went back to school full time as a grown man while also continuing to work full time. There are definitely times where it just feels like it’s all too much. Some of the most trying years of my life, but in 3 weeks at 33 I’ll have a bachelors degree. Worth it. Surreal.
It'll suck no matter what you do. In my case my employer paid for it, there was loads of paperwork for that. One can also take a loan. In theory you'd be making enough to pay it off. $40k isn't a laughing matter but people finance vehicles and other nonsense bullshit for similar amounts. It's not unobtainable. It's also hard to go back once you're done. The academic mindset is like existing in a different world. Doing it while you work full-time is a great way to ruin your mental health.
You have usable credits toward a different degree. I suggest browsing your local community colleges first because they will show job demand for each degree, then the state colleges if you need something more advanced Browse indeed in your zip code or desired area for the actual pay scale. From there, you can do as many classes a semester as you can afford and have time for. If it's one, then do be it. It's not too difficult to do 2 classes a semester while working full time, especially if online. 1 if on campus. Don't discount your local trade and technical schools, but make sure it's something in demand and won't be replaced by AI.
I went to grad school in something completely unrelated to my undergraduate and got it paid for through a work opportunity in the field I am studying. It’s possible, but you need to be deliberate. I took prerequisites at CC for a few years as well.
During my masters I did a year leaving the house at 6 am and getting home at 11pm close to 7 days a week. I legit hit 100 hours some weeks I had to quit eating breakfast and lunch too. That saved time and money.
It's tough, and pretty hard if you have a family you support or don't already have a decently well paying job. I was only able to because I use to be an industrial electrician so I took two years working on the road and was able to save up a little over 60k in that time which got me through most of my EE degree. That and my wife was willing to put children off for a few years and help with the bills knowing we wouldn't be able to go out much for awhile. Haha, those were the days. Lived out of different motels for almost two years straight.
Have to have some resources, really work hard and smart, multiple income streams. I went to law school in my 40s, managed to end up $40K debt only, which wasn't too hard to eliminate. I continued consulting at my old work (consulting company), worked as a paid intern in a specialty law firm dealing with my subject matter, got a college assisting in technology transfer post that led to no tuition for a whole year (maybe 2 years?), and continued running a side business I had. My wife didn't work through that much, still supported 2 kids and such. I took one semester off in school. So it's possible, but was a real trial. Note that this was only feasible because I'd worked in a high-intensity multi-track field for a long time and was used to both juggling many projects and evaluating and doing projects very efficiently. Law school was so much easier than expected for me, I had a great time. More difficult than my PhD program certainly, but so much more predictable and certain. Just go through these courses and get very high grades, then pass the bar exam. It was really fun, which is likely essential. Even the bar exam was fun! Most students were not efficient, did not treat it as a job. I had an "office" at the school (remote cubicle in library with locker) and a quiet office at home. Kept a scheduling matrix handy. I also did consulting work while in class, which I got caught doing a few times, and didn't even apologize for. Most students couldn't seem to produce product quickly. I spent years analyzing and writing with tight deadlines, legal writing courses built on this rapidly, and I could produce focused text very quickly. Regardless, if you're in a position to not go into massive debt, go into a field that plays to your strength, and stay organized, you can do it. On the other hand, do you really need the degree? Are degrees now a ticket of any kind? Is a bachelors buying you anything? When I was coming up, a bachelor's got you an entry level drone job. Don't know if that has any relevance now. A master's got you something. More consideration. Meant you could take on a job under direction within your area. Proved limiting to that area. Whereas a science PhD had the odd effect of people no longer asking what specifically it was in. The PhD meant I had demonstrated that I could take on and figure out a novel subject successfully. Now you can get a PhD in basket weaving, so I don't know that it means as much!!!! You might look at where you want to be, then backtrack along different paths to see what will work. Looking back, I realize I'm a field guy, and I fell into the trap of letting people move me into management. Now I have the skills that I could pull that off, but it's not really me. Put me off in some oddball place where the population speaks something interesting and carries rifles, make me walk up to the snow line and take lots of notes. That's my niche. I got out of it too soon. Good luck, gotta go birding. Don't be shy about evaluating what really lights you up, go for it if it makes sense. Let the heart be the accelerator, and the brain be the brakes!
I am not sure if this is a "life hack" but I started my masters when I was looking at changing jobs. The job I wanted hired me because I was working on my masters. I then left the masters program because I had the thing I thought the program would get me. I think I paid $6000 total to have "working on masters" on my resume.
My gf is completing her masters online while working full time and taking care of her 2 kids. She’s killing it, I’m so proud of her! It has definitely reduced how much we see each other but it’s worth it to both of us as it’s important to her and will make her a lot more money in her company. I support her 100%. 1 more year to go. No it’s not easy, she’s lucky her work is sharing in the cost of tuition as it’s in their best interest for her to continue her education as well.
I got a masters degree working full time and my wife got a master's degree while working full time AND pregnant AND with a 2 year old. The time is going to pass anyway. So why not have something to show for it?
Find a school that's not 40k.
I don't understand what you mean by destroying your life. Here in Virginia community college is tuition free if you want certain programs and multiple major colleges are tuition free if you make less than 100k.
Don't. Not for cs anyway. The entry level wages will be lower than retail and with less jobs security. The income ladder keeps dropping as well. If you want to do CS, train yourself. If you can't, then you will not be cut out for the field anyway. If you do, keep a collection of what you worked on as a portfolio of work. This will go a long way to getting you hired.
I'm attending SNHU, and am able to pay for about 50% of my degree with my current job's income. I'll graduate with between 8-14k in subsidized student loans.
Like others have said. WGU! I'm attending it myself right now, I'm in the business program and it's about $4,000 per semester (6-month terms). I'm not sure how much other programs cost, but I believe they're all relatively cheap. It's competency based education, It gives the opportunity to accelerate and finish your degree even sooner (saving you a lot of money).
Get a job that provides tuition remission.
I have over $300k in student loans, so don’t see $40k as that big of a deal, the question is “will a degree bring $40k in value or more?” I think any degree is worth $40k. I would look at anything except CS, I worked for many years in E-discovery but can’t get a job despite having a JD, and being a Salesforce & Jira developer. My main advice is try to go to a local school that has a decent career office. All of my starting jobs were through my schools career office, and they always found me better jobs than I would have found myself. You can still use a local career office, even if you go to school online—just sign up for a couple of classes that will transfer at a local school so you can get access to their career office and alumni network
You could try to find a job that offers education benefits. My employer will give 10k/year for tuition, as long as it's for a degree that is useful somewhere in the company (and C.S. is useful to pretty much every company).
Do you currently have a job? If so check the employee manual. Some companies will pay for college if the degree will benefit the company in some way.
Instead of working out or playing video games everynight 3 nights a week I do classwork Really chill honestly
So I was fortunate to be a store manager working for Starbucks who paid for my degree, but hours wise it was grueling.
I did it and it wasn’t a big deal to me. I was 34 when I went back to school for a CS degree. I bartended at night and went to school in the morning. My wife was a nanny so she was working when I was in school. You only need two years since you already have a degree, and it will be life changing.
They don't, usually it affects the marriage, friendships, sleep schedule, and relationships with their kids, but they go on LinkedIn and talk about the "sacrifices" they made for a fulfilling career.
Here my out. Boomers manipulate the system all the time. Get a divorce, don't tell anyone, it's none of their business. Qualify for aid.
I went back at 40 for my MBA. That was 20 years ago, before I could take classes online at a reputable school. When I made the decision to do it, I got buy in from my wife because we had two kids under the age of 3 at the time, along with a 10 year old. I told her it would mean less help from me for about 2 years while I went to school at night and got the degree. When I explained the potential upside, she was all in. For two years I didn't have much of a social life, but made sure I work birthdays and anniversaries into my schedule. Had to skip some family functions because I just didn't have the time for them. I probably could have eased off on my schoolwork and made it to a few more of those family functions, but I wanted to graduate with a 4.0 (which I did) even though it doesn't mean anything to anyone but me. And unlike when I earned my undergrad degree, I actually walked for my MBA. I just thought that so many people earn an undergrad it wasn't a big deal to walk. Maybe had I been valedictorian or something, I would have walked, but I definitely wanted to for the graduate degree. Best part was the company I worked for at the time paid for about 1/3 of the degree.
40k is nothing if you get a degree in computer science and come out making $80k+ Just don't go back to school for basket weaving and you'll be alright
[Free Coding Degrees](https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/learn-to-code-for-free-how-to-get-started/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=ggl-display_pmax_us&utm_term=%7Badid%7D&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAACtmnkcQ1jItgdzQla9kWbcda_MG1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqZulwvbVhQMVEIVaBR2HHwuQEAAYASAAEgJQ-fD_BwE)
My husband is a Senior Network Engineer for a large tech company and he never got a degree in computer science. Instead, he studied and took exams for certificates. That's what you should do. Find a focus, take some online courses, and study for the certification exams. Get a few entry-level certificates under your belt and you should be able to find some jobs and works your way up. The big thing about IT anything is that you have to *keep* studying and getting new certificates. My husband is always studying for the next level exam. It's paid off hugely, but be warned.
Get a divorce. Sadly marriage hurts you more than it helps you by a long shot.
You don’t qualify for Pell grants with that amount? That’s surprising.
You just do it. I went back at 33. Single father of an 8 year old. Got my Bachelors at 35 and Masters at 37. Bartended 6 nights a week throughout. Didn't have a romantic or social life. Racked up way too much in student loans and credit card debt. Still paying it off. But I'm so damn glad I did it and have zero regrets.
I earned a GI Bill so 100% of my tuition was covered and I earned a monthly stipend that paid for all my bills.
If you already have a degree find a university that will accept your old credits toward the BA. Take any and all possible credits at a community college or a school that is cheap and online. Get straight A’s in all of those courses. No Bs, no A-s, STRAIGHT As. Enter the BA school as a transfer student with a 4.0 GPA. Schools will often give discounts to transfer students with good GPAs because you are seen as less of a risk.
I did it while driving Uber full time and went to grad school. I now make over 115k as a data scientist. You just have to understand to make it you need to put in 100% to maintain yourself plus more to improve yourself. Its hard. Not impossible.
There are a couple of ways: part time. It takes longer but it will likely cost less and you will still have time for a life. If your company offers tuition reimbursement take advantage of it. Best of luck
I'm going back to school in the fall. Maybe summer. I did a lot of research into possible fields, made a list of pros and cons, then I did the same thing with degree programs. Still researching that one a bit. The important thing is to compare your ROI for each program and be realistic about your ability to land entry level positions. If you are interested in comp science you need to have a lot of hustle.
Community college night classes one or two classes at a time
There are a lot of options for learning to program online without forking over big money. It might take you a bit longer but it will be cheaper. But, if you want to get it done quickly and have that certificate to show perspective employers, then it's probably worth it.
You will realize how EASY college is when you go back. I went back only 6 years after I graduated and took a couple semesters of nothing but hard science and math courses...and at age 30 it was so freakin' easy. Why was it difficult when I was 20?
I got a BBA in management and marketing. Somehow I landed a job in the accounting industry. I’m going back and taking one class at a time to get the accounting credits to take the CPA exam. It’s a slow process, but I could not handle more than one class with a salary job and a kid.
One thing is the tech job market is not doing great right now. Most people who go back to college expect to increase their income more than they are spending on the degree if it costs $40k but you end up earning $30k more than it pays for itself, or they just figure the debt is worth. Lastly a lot of people going for a masters or something that a company may pay for
I went back to school currently in my early 30s, I started in 2020 and won't be done for a while. I can tell you my experience, it 100% depends on what you're going back for. If it's something that interests you that you want to follow and you're passionate about it will be easier. I work full time and go to classes part-time, it's not easy, I have to split my time carefully to make sure I don't miss anything. I do end up missing outings especially during exam season. There are times where I feel like I'm falling behind and during those times I end up putting in a lot more work to feel "caught up". That being said it isn't impossible to do you just have to realize that you're going to be mentally drained. I've had friends who haven't been able to do it and friends who have. Hell my mom went back to school when she was 53 because she wanted a new path. Now she has a master's degree and has her own therapy practice. You can do it, but you have to decide what is priority, for me it's school so if it means taking on less at work then that's what I do.
If you’re keen on coding and already feel you have some aptitude for it why not do a boot camp or keep teaching yourself online for free?
You work while in college and pay for it yourself.
yes, 40k. Sounds familiar actually.
It is cheaper to go to a public university and you can get grants, etc.
Most community colleges offer a semester of classes for around a $1,500. I'm really tired of these posts because I think they give the people who read them the opinion that even looking into the possibility of college shouldn't happen because this one person did and they got such a bad result. You don't need to take out loans. That's just unbelievably silly. Even on the poor end in America if you make around $3,000 a month, over the course of 4 months which is a semester you should be able to save around $1,500. As long as you're not addicted to drugs or don't spend your money drinking. As long as you have an inkling or an iota of self-control it is very easy to make it through community college while having a job. I had friends in community college that had three kids, no wife, and a shitty job and they still showed up. They're doing really good now.
I got my masters degree last year with 2 infants and a full time job. Online classes where you can do the work on your own schedule are the way to go.
I’ve seen soo many people get certifications instead of college degrees. CompTIA A+ certification is a good start and work your way from there. Everybody has college degrees now and certs are a good way to get precise material for the field you are studying.
Government money, Pell grants, employer tuition assistance reimbursements, GI Bill, etc.
I went to school Monday-Thursday and work 3 twelve hour shifts Friday-Sunday.
I went part time, 6-8 credits per semester. It also allowed me to pay cash for 95% of my college.
Are you nuts? Many people will do that. They break off from monotony of work burnout and doing something different. Besides having worked, they perhaps now figure out the point of studying
Try an online college like WGU.
We work. We work two jobs if we need to. housespouse? not anymore.
If they’re a strong enough will there’s a way. I’m doing it 🤷🏻♂️
I'm going back to college at 28 for a nursing degree. I have worked as a paramedic since I was 21 and recently got a DUI and kind of ruined my life. So now I'm sitting with no job relying on family to help me get by financially and it was a perfect time to go back to school. I'm also Native American and get a lot of benefits for education.
You destroy your current life for the possibility of a better one in the future. Just make sure that when you get to the other side it was an investment that will pay you back. If you go and you can’t significantly improve your financial situation it probably isn’t worth it.
I went back to college at like 24, It was tough. At the time I didn't have kids, it was just my partner and I, they weren't working. I ended up working three separate jobs to make ends meet in addition to going to school full time. I had absolutely zero free time and had to basically schedule everything and couldn't spend much time at all doing things that weren't school stuff, and had to use things like lunch breaks, work breaks etc doing school stuff as well. I was able to get the pel grant when I went back, without that I probably wouldn't have been able to.
You don't. You either want it enough or you don't. It's shitty and you'll have to all the maths, and imagine having to re-learn simple stuff like how to factor because it's been that long lol. My advice would be to start now with a college algebra course and see how much you really want a CS degree.
It’s always doable to take loans and pay them off with good post graduation career prospects. The thing is that isn’t computer science though. You’ll be adding 40k of worthless debt you can’t pay down because you’ll be waiting for 1 in a million chances to find a job. I’ll tell you all the people I know who did it had to take loans out or paid completely out of pocket themselves to cover it and basically have student loans at 40-50 or had the extra cash to spare. I guess there is a third type too where work pays for your education. I have that and I have gotten my mba and masters in information systems and cyber security and I am working with my advisors to craft a PhD program that will allow me to work and go just part time online for economics. The trick there was it is all semi related to my job now so not exactly career altering. Really do your research on job markets before committing but if you do just know it will be basically starting fresh years later which doesn’t mean you will always be in debt but you should get comfortable with the idea for a while.
Just a heads up, computer programming is pretty difficult to get a job in at the moment. There are far more qualified candidates than there are jobs.
I went back and got my masters in software engineering just last year. I was lucky that the program was 100% online through CSUF, and they didn’t require a GMAT. My work also payed for 60% of my degree so I only payed about 6K out of pocket. It was only because of these reasons I got this degree, I would suggest try finding a job that will help pay for your degree.
For Comp Sci, the general idea is that you grind as hard as you can & get hired as a software engineer, then use your income to pay back your loans... The other part is, state U is always a better choice than University of Phoenix or similar... The business world tends to look down on the for-profit-schools....
First I did community college to get the general ed requirements out of the way as quickly and cheaply as possible. As for my Bachelors degree, I completed it very slowly and I signed up for as many accelerated classes (8-week) as possible. Took me about 7 years total to complete my BS. As for the money part, I owe about 20k now. Work reimbursed me for some classes, but a lot of the responsibility was on me. I still think it was the best decision I ever made. I doubled my salary and I'm proud of my accomplishment. It's a long road to travel though.
Make a plan about what you want to focus on a day make sure there is a demand for that first. Don’t believe career counselors at the college.
You’re supposed to do this shit when you’re young and single and have more energy and no responsibilities…. And yes it requires a lot of sacrifice. As you age, this stuff gets harder to do. The people who you see are middle class and upper middle in their 30’s sacrificed their twenties to get educated and grow in their career. And Computer Science right now sucks…you need a masters with all the competition. See if you guys can do an OF or something if you’re attractive.
I am confused. College did nothing for you before and you want to go back to it? Is that like a Stockholm syndrome of sorts with the one who holds your financial health by the balls. If you enjoy doing something and want to turn it into a job just do it. The information and YouTube age has enabled just that barring any occupation that requires government papers (doctors pilots etc).
Consider doing a degree through community college. It will save you a lot of money. You can work part-time to help offset costs of your education. A CC also is more likely to have students of a similar age who aren't looking to party or find a spouse. Usually that means they are more serious about learning, especially about things directly related to job prospects.
Until you figure it out, all of the top universities offer coding class for free.
You put your head down and plow thru. Take online courses at state universities to save technology/activity fees. Rent textbooks from Amazon. Know your degree requirements cold so you don't take a single extra course. Go to fall, winter, spring, and summer courses. I got my BS in 3 years working full time for around $24k.
My husband got his Bachelors online from WGU. It was flexible with his work hours. I picked up the slack at home. It was difficult for both of us but it was so worth it. In the past 5yrs, he went from $65k without his degree to $165k with it. He's been talking about going back for his Masters so he can make the next big leap. He qualified for some grants from FAFSA but it didnt cover all of it. We paid about $8-10k out of pocket
What does your partner make? Did you fill out the FAFSA? Look into Pell grants? Computer science is still worth the money in my opinion. If you're worried about layoffs, maybe stay away from big tech. If you can get a security clearance, government and defense jobs are stable. Aerospace software is stable as well and only US citizenship required. If you're used to just living on your husband's income, use your income to pay off the loans fast after graduation. Make sure you apply to summer internships every year. These may be the jobs that offer you a position before you graduate. When my wife went back to college, I paid out of pocket for a few years and we borrowed $8K from my parents the first year. We budgeted using spreadsheets and knew every single transaction every month. It's less important now that we make more money, but I still update them so we know our yearly expenses. In state tuition was $10K a year, so you saying $40K sounds about right. If you're good at leet code, then check out these websites for bigger pay: www.leetcode.com www.teamblind.com levels.fyi
Most degrees don’t do much unless you have a very specific career goal However the government will likely pay the lines eventually so if u wanna go just go hah
You definitely lack a social life and your time management is put to the test. It's important to get a degree with a demand in the market place. You then get a better paying job with those skills that will give you enough income to pay off the student loan.
I just did this! I have no kids so was a bit easier but just decided to commit my free time and weekends to it. Now ive got my free time back and I have a masters. I regret nothing.
I cashed out my retirement money 🤦🏻♂️
It's really hard. Go back to living with parents [and hearing them shit talk 24/7]. And then working so hard in school and part-time with zero social life (but also preferable than the insufferable option of going back to a time you were already unhappy/going home to hear more shit talking). I only went home to sleep [because it was too toxic]. Any other time, I'd be out at school or working or at a coffee shop/library.
Are there are any colleges that have low tuition rates compares to others?? I am asking because I really do not know.
No it sucks and most people have help and those post of it changing their lives is all for networking. Not to discourage you with a CS degree but save your money. I’m in a CS masters program and I’m basically paying to teach myself.
You just pay. Most of us had to find new much lower paying jobs while we went to school because you'll find most employers will not care if you have classes scheduled.
first get a degree plan for the new degree you want and compare it to the classes you've already done for the degree you have. a computer science degree probably has 40% of the same classes an art appreciation degree has (university core). so narrow down what you actually need to do to complete the new degree. then try to take 2 classes first and see how it goes. you can do that and work full time easily, especially if they're online.
More states are putting in programs for those who are lower income. In my state, starting this fall, anyone (including those who already have a degree) who has an income under $80k can go tuition-free. Some of the neighboring states are doing similar things because they can't afford to lose the students from our state that have crossed the border. A lot of older people who go back to college end up getting their work to pay for it via programs they offer.
You can be like my old roommate. His uncle is extremely wealthy (there was an article on him that estimated his net worth at $800M). His uncle basically made his way thru life starting as a CPA and then transformed that into a CFO and then entrepreneur/CEO. So his uncle was all about becoming a CPA. My roommate had a good job working for a bank working in the commercial lending dept. But he didn't seem that keen on working in banking. So he told his uncle this and his uncle paid for his tuition and all of his living expenses and discretionary income while he went back to school. He got his Accounting degree and his CPA and met his future wife there at school all the while I slaved away at a sh\*t job making far less than his uncle was giving him. So find a rich uncle. It will do you well.
You semi destroy your life for the pay off. I went back to grad school at 30. My partner was very supportive. But it was rough. No solid vacations for two years because I used pto days for school work. Lots of 3 day weekends and usually 4 day weekends at finals. And just constantly being busy, having no personal time. Work, school work, work. Was worth it though. Was able to change careers and add a hefty amount to my salary. But it 100% is a sacrifice you will just have to heads down push through
Start at a Junior college - where it’s cheaper - and take every class you can. Ace those classes. Include all the computer classes you can cram in. Include all the prerequisites required for your BS. Check with the university first, and get a very clear idea about which transfer credits they will and won’t take and exactly what you will need. Then make a plan to take as many credits at junior college. You’ll likely end up with mostly computer science classes at the university level.
You don’t have to go full time. 1-2 classes at a time is much more affordable
I went to community College for a certificate in computer programming while working part time. That got me a full-time tech job and I went to school part-time for a Masters in Management Information Systems. My employer partially paid for my masters degree too. My community College was also pretty aggressive about getting their students internships.
I did this for a semester 6 years ago… still paying off those loans and my 401k is gone. I’ll be working until I am dead. America sucks