by James Barrow

Created on: February 04, 2007   Last Updated: May 20, 2007

Going back to college is tough when you have been out a while. If you have not been to college before the college will want to test you to see where you are at. Going to college is not for the uncommitted. College is very demanding and almost like a life changing event. Just like getting married or getting a new job. I went back to college part time which worked out great for me. My place of employment also had a program that if you go to college. The company reimburse you according to what your grades are. Also you may qualify for lottery money or financial assistance. The main reason to go to college is to be able to get into a field of your choice. I worked at a dead end job as a operator on an assembly line. Without a degree I was stuck the only extra money was overtime. That is not a guaranteed source of income.

First decide what you want to do after college. No matter what program you decide on you will have to take the core classes .English,math,speech,science and others. Now if you just want to take classes just in the field of choice. You can get a certificate with out taking all the extra classes. Some degrees you have to be able to pass a state test. The classes you take a lot of times do not prepare you for this test. A degree shows people you have the drive to see something through.

Check your course of study out to see who hires people with your degree that you will attain. With the economy tight you can get a degree and then the employer wants three years experience.Eventually someone will take a chance on you but this can be frustrating.I took electronic engineering technology. When I got out of college all the employers wanted was someone as an electrician. I was learning on bread boards 5 to 12 volts. Not 120 to 480 or higher volts. Eventually I was laid off and every employer I went to said we really need someone with three to five years experience. I felt like my degree was useless. Also net working is very helpful because a lot of employers hire people they know. Then I got lucky. I started back to school for hvac a whole lot different then my degree. While I was in school I found a company that was testing for an apprenticeship program for a multi-skill maintenance positions. Back to school a ten month program six weeks in class then six weeks out on the job. Then back to school and so on till I finished the program. College is worth it the key thing once you have that piece of paper no one can take that from you. As a added bonus you also have the knowledge to keep.

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