“They don’t put you in a class with people your age Mommy?” my daughter asked me when I returned from a local University on Saturday. I was there to take a practice test for a graduate school exam and it was worse than any nightmare I envisioned.
Everyone was twenty-minus in the classroom; the seats were horribly uncomfortable; the bubbles on the test grid were way smaller than I remembered; and the test questions made my head hurt. They were like those horrific questions you got in math class that some masochistic test editor came up with to toy with the world. “You have four pilots and four copilots, and four planes take off in a certain order, but we’re not going to tell you the order or which pilot goes with which copilot, but you’re still going to have to figure out the pairing and when they take off….”
Ugh!
It’s been years since I’ve taken a test of any kind, other than medical tests, and it was quite a rude awakening. Yes, CareerDiva is pondering going back to school. I say pondering because this past weekend’s experience has me rethinking my I-need-a-graduate-school-degree decision. Well, in all honesty, I still want to go but I now realize it ain’t gonna be easy.
I’m sharing my story, and will include updates on my education journey from time to time in this blog, because it’s a great reality check for you guys and for me. Here I am reporting on the job market, and the many ways to find a job and further a career; and suddenly I get to see how some of this works first hand.
Clearly more and more thirty-plus folks are looking to head back to the classroom. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that enrollment in all degree-granting institutions for Gen Xers and Baby Boomers is at record levels, projected to hit 3.35 million in 2017, up nearly one million from the 1990s.
Many of you have asked me if you should go back to school, either because you’ve lost a job and realize you need to reinvent yourself, or you just want to add credentials to your resume. But I would never tell anyone to go or not go, no matter what level of education they were seeking, because you have to make that decision for yourself. Why? Because it’s damn difficult and damn expensive. Yes, I can say that with a tiny bit more insight now.
Getting any degree is no guarantee of career success. I wrote about the rush by many to get MBAs, but often such pursuits don’t pay off.
Even though tough economic times are usually thought of as a great time to go back and get some more education, plopping down big bucks on an MBA doesn’t mean doors will automatically open.
“Colleges seem to churn out MBAs like tissue paper,” says Joanna Smith Bers, managing director and talent officer for New York-based DB Marketing Technologies. “There may have been a time when those three letters actually distinguished job candidates from the pack, but no more. As a senior manager at a business insights management consulting firm, I have found that the MBA is more embellishment than substantive.”
While there are still some jobs, particularly in the financial sector, where an MBA is usually a must, recruiters and hiring managers say they’re looking for applicants with real-world experience who have have actually run something.
So, “what’s the ultimate goal?” That’s what so many career experts always ask when I ask them about whether my readers should return to school. That goal is different for different people. For me, it’s pretty simple: I want to learn more and I want to give myself a leg up in the future as my career evolves.
Will I make it past the graduate school prep program I start later this month? (Will they let me bring my lumbar support?) Will I ever get into a good school; and more importantly, will my husband and I be able to afford it, especially with two young kids who’ll need some money for their own schooling within the next decade? And in the end, will the slog be worth it?
March 7th, 2011 at 10:08 am
I was a “mature student” when I went to grad school and loved the experience. I was in courses with people who were younger than I was, but there were also people who were older, had families, previous careers, etc. People who have more life experience and work experience as a valuable asset to graduate programs - I know that’s one of the reasons I got in. Grad schools are looking for what people can bring to the program, not just take from it..
Don’t think in terms of age. Just go and meet new people and being will to share your experiences and learn from others’, no matter how young they are.
Best wishes if you decide to make the move
March 7th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
My first two years of post-secondary education were when I was already in my early 20s, married, with children, while most (but not all) of my peers at school were traditional students (i.e., they came in straight out of high school). I found it interesting how many of those younger students flocked to the sides of we non-traditiona students to form study groups and the like. I was also surprised to realize that most inductees into the college’s honors programs were non-traditional students. In some regard, we already knew how important that education would be, so perhaps we just took it more seriously.
Life intervened however, and I did not get to finish my BS degree for many years (after a number of moves). When I went back to school that time, it was in a degree completion program geared toward adult learners. It was probably the richest learning environment I’ve ever experienced. Everyone came in with real-life experience that could illustrate the topics we were covering, or even challenge the assumptions in the classroom texts.
Later, I returned to school for my MA degree. That program included a broad mix, from those who had just earned their baccalaureate degrees and had limited life experience, to those who were long-in-the-tooth and going back for their own reasons (e.g., promotion opportunities, personal enrichment). I found myself in the middle of that group.
As to the cost versus benefit, the jury is still out. I’ve not been able to land a new position since obtaining my MA degree, but I do have a boatload of debt. I, too, have kids, but we long ago started preparing them for the likelihood that we would not be able to put them through school, so we’ve worked with them on other options (e.g., AmeriCorps, working through school, living at home while starting at a community college before transferring to a four-year school).
Can you do this, Eve? Absolutely! Should you? It appears you’ve already addressed some of the issues surrounding your motivations. Will it benefit your career or help you move into another career? You’ve indicated it should. Will the slog be worth it? In the long-run, it should be, especially if you value what you learn more than any change in position the degree might afford.
When learning is the ultimate goal, the question moves away from “Should I?” to “How do I make it happen?” One bit of advice I’ll give is this: avoid student debt if at all possible!
Do your research. Check to see if there are any grants or fellowships available for someone in your position. Have any book deals waiting in the wings? Now would be a great time to consider getting one moving (as a means to pay your tuition). Ever considered writing a book on going back to school as an older learner? There might be a market for such a book.
Overall, go for it, but don’t overextend yourself. Remember, your kids may benefit just as much from needing to work their way through school as they might by getting a fully-funded college account (and your example will show them that they can return for more education mid-career). Much depends on what character traits you want to develop in your kids–you need not give them everything to give them a good start at life.
March 7th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Great post Eve. Thanks for addressing this issue. I too have been thinking of going back to school at the ripe old age of 37 and with a small family as well to support. I’ve been sitting on the fence for a long time now trying to decide if it’s really worth it in the long run. I only ended up completing my undergraduate degree and then went right into the workforce. I’ve done alright - far from well off though. My conundrum though as you address is going back into massive debt. I just wonder if the ROI is really there, especially given the current economic climate, our country’s unquenchable thirst for a youth driven culture exacerbated by the media, and the hidden prejudice from employers against older workers who maybe wanting to start off in a new career. Of course, you think that the best schools to apply to are the ones with the names because in the end it’s really about networking and trying to find those who will be able to lead you to the right job. But those schools are so expensive and out of reach for the common person. A friend of mine just got his MBA from a rather prestigious school at age 39, but now finds himself in debt over six figures. With trying to raise children, pay a mortgage, and saving for retirement - the question becomes is the higher degree or going back to school at all really worth it in the end. Continue to sit on the fence on this one, but it’s nice to know that I’m not alone on this issue.
March 7th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Eve - this is a note from a GenXer who has always enjoyed school. In fact, I distinctly remember the first day of kindergarten and wondering why all these kids around me seemed so upset, when I was thrilled to FINALLY be in school!
I went back for my Masters while working full time and with two young sons. I could not have done this without a supportive husband and a supportive workplace. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wish I could justify returning.
As far as value - I do think it helps me on paper and has helped me stand out as a job candidate. However, once you’re in the workplace there’s nothing that will get an eye roll quicker than a reference to “when I was doing my Masters work”.
In your field of writing/speaking, there is probably value in adding this to your bio. However, I think that most people only get a minimal return at best and often use it as a crutch to “feel productive” during a career lull.
March 7th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
I had 2 graduate degrees before I turned 30, and I have to say, the M.Ed was only useful in that I completed it witha a 4.0, which earned me half a free ride for my MBA. Oh, and the M.Ed cost nothing because it was part of my benefits package for working at the university.
And yet, I will say, the people who inspired me most on my educational journey were often the people who were going back to school. In my undergrad art history classes were two women in their late-30s and I learned so much from having them in my study groups. In my education classes, the best students to work with were the ones with lots of job experience, like the assistant registrar, who was there to get a degree so he could be promoted to registrar. In my MBA courses, I loved working with women who were older and had families, because they taught me a lot about balancing my workload with my internship and family life.
So think of it this way, if you go back, it’s not just a learning experience for you, it’s also a great experience for those younger than you.
March 7th, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Wow, I am so glad I blogged about this today. I really appreciate all your comments and I’m welling up over here realizing how much all of you have helped me.
It’s so hard to try new things but so exciting. Who knows where things will end up, and as many of you have written here and in the past, life brings with it the unpredictable. We can only do what we can do now and hope for the best; but we also have to try not to allow fear to stop us.
Thanks to all of you for helping me realize I live in an incredible global village filled with incredible people. OK, I’ll stop now before I start balling.
Cheers my friends!
March 7th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
One of the greatest disservices that continues to be perpetrated on adult students is the lack of standardized degree testing and universal credit transfer. Without these, higher education will continue to remain firmly in the control of the “education mafia” and we will continue to have a segregated society of learners, who are forced to take on sometimes life-crippling debt, in exchange for a mediocre education.
The alternative is to encourage people to gain specific knowledge and experience in their desired discipline, using whatever educational tools best fit their time, budget and preferred learning modality. Individuals should have the choice of in-class, distance learning, group, private or self-taught options. Practical skills, required for some degree programs, would be taught by “Masters” in an apprentice-style learning environment. With standardized testing, there would be no more issues surrounding credits not transferring.
Instead of being afraid to take on more debt going back to school, students would be encouraged to seek out additional educational opportunities in their field and/or explore new areas of study. This would create a better rounded more literate work force and citizenry, something we desperately need to keep pace in the global economy.
The educational elite will most certainly come up with a thousand reasons why the current system is “best.” To them I offer this quote: “The limits of the possible can only be defined by going beyond them into the impossible.” Arthur C. Clark
March 7th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
My brother proudly earned his doctorate at age 45 and he’s very, very happy in his college professor role now!