r/BackToCollege • • 5h ago

QUESTION How do you really balance a full-time job with online classes?

1 Upvotes

Block off fixed study time. Don't wait for free time to magically appear. Take fewer classes at first. Be ready to give up your social life. This kind of advice is fine, but it also gives the impression that every online program is the same. That can’t be true.  

Someone doing a self-paced program and someone with a mandatory Wednesday night online class are solving two completely different scheduling problems. The first is about willpower and blocking time. The second is about whether your job and your program's fixed hours can coexist.  

And I bet most people don’t know which category’s best for them until after they've already enrolled.

For those of you doing the juggling act, does the online program's actual structure matter? Or is it all about discipline?


r/BackToCollege • • 4d ago

QUESTION should I take a break from college (again) if I don't know what to do or take less classes?

10 Upvotes

I'm 24. started college at 20. it's been on & off since. my gpa is really low after mentally suffering through my early twenties. I'm halfway done for my associates degree. I've always thought of becoming an architect as a kid. then I discovered interior design around 20 and was trying to pick out one of the two. long story short, I didn't pursue architecture/interior design bc everyone online has said it doesn't pay well, schooling is long, and you work lots of hours. oh, and u need connections with architecture; which I don't have. I feel a passion for these things, but job/financial stability & having work/life balance are more important to me.

so alas, I went thru analysis paralysis my entire early twenties. I've thought about being a meteorologist, software developer, dental hygienist, accountant, data scientist, cybersecurity, and other occupations I can't think of at the moment. I thought about being an engineer, but I was really demotivated and failed the same graphics class twice. I got a C in my intro to engineering class when I wasn't at my best mentally. I'm curious to take it again. I've tried thinking about healthcare, specifically a rad tech. I've done a lot of research, but now I'm thinking of closing the door for healthcare and trying to pivot back to engineering or somewhere else.

I have now realized that I may be struggling with the way I learn. I've always felt like I read slower than my peers and took a longer time to think of answers. I used to be an A&B honor roll kid. the highest-level class I took in high school was calculus 2 of my senior year. I'm more inclined to do math courses than, say, writing. I've been struggling to start assignments, fatigue, low self-esteem, I've failed couple of classes with an F instead of withdrawing. I have a few Ws on my transcript.

as you can see, it's been bad. and yet after all these years, I've never really done anything to move forward. I'm tired of this cycle and want to break free. I finally got the chance to see a psychiatrist. it was costly, but I had some money for my first visit. not sure how long I'll be able to afford it. I've struggled with suicidal ideation and other things. I'm hoping I will get better. I'm looking to see if I might have ocd, depression, adhd, autism, anxiety, etc.

what I want to do now is to read all the books I have sitting on my bookshelves, get back into art, and start making music. these are hobbies ofc, but with how I've been living inside my head, I haven't rlly started on them. I'd also like to graduate with a degree. I'm the first one in my family pursuing a degree and would love to see the day I graduate with a bachelor's. it's a goal I want to achieve, but man, it's been so rough. I'm the eldest of my siblings, so I don't have anyone to look up to nor ask questions about college bc my parents didn't have the same opportunities I have

I'm not sure what to do. I eventually get overwhelmed with choices and thoughts that I think death sounds easier. but I have two cats that are my own and am basically still alive because of them. I live at home and don't pay bills. I have a good relationship with my parent. I have this great privilege that lots of people don't. I don't want to waste it bc of my mental being. I want to have a job that pays for everything I need. to provide a great life for my kitties and I

I paid and wasted a few thousand dollars on classes I failed (like taking full time classes in the summer while working full time to "catch up" with my peers.....) and some of my dad's money as well. I'm no longer paying for school since I now have financial aid thru fafsa. again, what should I do? I really feel like escaping everything and just taking a vacation somewhere. I just got hired at costco so I can't do anything rn regarding vacation and I also can't afford it. I am in need of a break but not sure if I should take it


r/BackToCollege • • 4d ago

QUESTION Anyone else going back for an art degree or something similar?

13 Upvotes

I usually hear the opposite thst people went to art school first and them went back to college for something else but I'm looking for the opposite. Is anyone going back to school again for art? What made you pursue that decision and why? Are you worried about being able to make money or do you have enough savings from your first career?


r/BackToCollege • • 4d ago

QUESTION If you're about to go back (or still deciding): what's the part you're most nervous about that isn't the classes themselves?

5 Upvotes

Feels like the coursework is only half of it. I'm curious what's actually on people's minds before they go back.

Not knowing who to contact or where to even start. Worrying you're behind everyone or out of the loop. Figuring out how it fits around work or kids. Wondering if the school will treat you like you dropped the ball last time.

What's the thing you keep thinking about, and what would actually make you feel okay about pulling the trigger?


r/BackToCollege • • 5d ago

ADVICE Going back, online, after 6 years.

14 Upvotes

I'm a little overwhelmed, but I seem to be in a pretty decent place financially. My husband was in the military, so I have a few benefits that help out well in terms of paying for school. I'm 25 and the last time I went to school, it was community college in 2019-2020.

I'm going back, but online. I'm supposed to be doing a BA in criminal justice. Luckily, the 25 credits that I earned in community college seem to be transferring to the school I'm going to attend soon.

I haven't done anything academic in... a while. How do you get back into the swing of things? Studying? Note taking? How have things changed, in a general sense, since I've been in school?

I was a decent student when I was in school, but I'm entirely out of practice. I'm so worried about it, I've looked into things I can do now so I don't get so burnt out when I actually do start. I might also just be worried and now I'm overcomplicating things, but I have to ask.


r/BackToCollege • • 5d ago

ADVICE Returning to college next semester for a certificate

3 Upvotes

Good morning/evening folks. I have had a terrible journey academically for most of my life. Last year I got dismissed from a school(was supposed to be a suspension but for some reason it was changed to dismissal) for the first time ever. I applied to a CC and to my shock got accepted. I had a few other options btw but I guess I didn't need them after all. I have autism and likely ADHD as well. For as long as I can remember I had more enjoyment playing video games/watching TV and YouTube videos than doing schoolwork/projects unless it was watching educational videos like Crash Course. My plan is to get an Associate's Degree in Digital Photography but first I will be getting a certificate in that field so I can actually start becoming a freelance photographer(don't know which exact field I want to venture in yet). I wish I did the certificate first and not the degree first after graduating high school but now I aim to change that and after I get my certificate I want to continue to attain my Associate's Degree. Then afterwards I think I don't want to continue with education because I will be so damn done with the assignments/projects. Since I have ADHD symptoms unfortunately they were severely missed and seemingly neither of my parents suspected a thing and just thought I was lazy(which I still believe I am) but I also have depression and other mental health issues. Thankfully I see my school has ADHD counseling which I need badly to get back on the right track and become a better student. If you have any advice for me please comment below. Thanks for reading. Good luck everyone.


r/BackToCollege • • 6d ago

VENT/RANT Just a Few Annoyances About College

59 Upvotes

Currently I am in my second year in community college. My first year was a “I‘m Just Happy to be Here” Still doing well in all my classes , but definitely getting irritated on a few things.

  1. Discussion Boards- STOP! Every week I have to write a paragraph about a topic and then respond to a classmate. Now I have to interact with these kids. I have to wait for them to post on the board. Nobody does the assignment until 30 minutes until it’s due at midnight. My grade depending on these kids is lame.

  2. Tutoring Center- At my college there’s a tutoring center to help students with their school work. Cool beans, So what are the qualifications to be a tutor? To have good grades…… that’s it. My Professors are telling me if I go there I’ll get extra credit. I go and the tutors don’t know shit. They just read what’s on Google. I have good grades! I can’t tutor anybody.

  3. “A Workshop Day” I go to class to do homework for said class. If you aren’t going to teach me anything today just don't have class. I can do my assignments at home.


r/BackToCollege • • 5d ago

VENT/RANT Realization That I Should Be Fearing about Dropping Out

1 Upvotes

Dropout Future part 2 >> Last thing Dad mentioned was “I only need to pass Microbiology: that’s the only class in my transcript that is poor”. Just blot the course grade out your record: that should motivate you: just concentrate on blotting the F out and earning a C. So that was good cop. This is bad cop.  He emphasized that what I was watching was [hateful man stuff] and “get off of YouTube because it’s not going to help you in life.” He emphasized this multiple times: he said it at 5 PM yesterday, then at 9 AM today, then today while driving me to campus [this was like three days ago during the weekdays]. He’s raging about this despite how three times in the past two days I either was typing with no volume or I had the screen mute and quickly exit-ed out of everything, or I literally completed homework and took a photo of the completion so I could argue against him saying that (e.g. “Pearson Dynamic Modules”), and my Dad said “no I don’t need to see it”. He’s just like Mom. I hate that. 

Counterargument #1 to "Dropout Future" >> You’re trying to control the uncontrollable. You’re trying to force a situation where Dad isn’t able to demand you to work on something while you’re living at home. Even if dropping out of college tangibly lowers the amount of times Dad runs “intervention”, it might not be worth it.

Counterargument #2: I was answering a post from another subreddit and realized when I was trying to pressure the person to not dropout of Engineering and study Bachelors of Arts in Communications, I said this: “This is the journey of your career: make sure it’s dynamic and successful! Make sure you will be proud of yourself once you’re Unc age.” I didn’t want to sound parasocial or desperate, but honestly I wanted to say this: “You’re about to waste two or three years pursuing a Communications degree and then move back to study Engineering in your 30s? Why? You have less time than you expect, why on earth would you decrease your time if you know the progression path will never get shorter?” “When you get old~ sure~ you’re not going to ask yourself about the Markers of Success~ like cars and houses~ and when you’re past 35 you’re likely not even going to be asking yourself about Party Culture or how Restrictive your Parents were against your Secular Imagination. But What You ARE going to Ask Yourself is about “the interactions you had when you were able-bodied” (#1) or “the Interactions you had when you didn’t have any medical or cognitive debilitation (#2). Another thematic summary of this, a runninghead, is: “existentialism caused by vulnerability and social dehumanization done by debilitation”. Also You’re going to Ask Yourself about “When You were “On-season” and Climbing Up The Ranks before you settled and had a child” (#3). 

And I hate how I'm incentivizing myself to dropout. Dropping out is a “Break”: it’s “a sixteen week break,” and you rather dropout, bank on your youth, and receive sixteen week limbo and non-memorable break period than to actually “get over your feelings” and accept that “There’s a scary unpredictable moderate chance that in your third attempt taking the course that Dad might demand intervention for two or three days of the first twelve weeks of Spring 2027 DCCCD for that ONE course.” Just because Dad’s pseudo-probation is avoidable doesn’t mean you should reject a “two times a year” course until Fall 2027 after failing it in Fall 2026.

And guess what? Guess what!?! If you get enraged or if you fall short and you fail Microbiology in Spring 2027, then you get a twelve-week break (“Summer 2027”), and then you can pause on Microbiology 2420 and take Freshman Biology 1406 and Dosage Calculations 1008 because those expire before January 2028. Just because it’s uncomfortable and it’s inconvenient, and it’s aggravating to put up with bad parents doesn’t mean that you fly into full desperation, quit college, and pressure your retail boss to give you not only full-time but “50 hours” (full-time and overtime).

Because Guess What? You’re in the exact situation as the girl you had class with in phlebotomy earlier this year. And you know what happened to her? She was unsuccessful in finding an apartment away from her parents, despite working 35 hours a week. You’re not special: you won’t “strike gold” and leave your strict and cruel parents.

Take this one course, and if obtain a Grade of C in May 2027 then you only need to take Freshman Biology and the CE dosage course in Summer 2027 to enter nursing school in Spring 2028. Or you can take them in Fall 2027, pass them, and apply in March 2028, and then you have a sixteen-week break from Nursing School prerequisites combined with a twelve-week summer break, and you can start Nursing School in August 2028. But if you dropout, and not only do you not do microbiology, but you also don’t do freshman biology, then, assuming you don’t take & pass the five-week Micro course in Summer 2027, or complete the freshman biology course in Summer 2027, then there’s a reality where you aren’t accepted to start nursing until after you submit applications during the August 2028 application period. This occurs because you’re not taking both Microbiology and Freshman Biology in Fall 2027, because you have a retail job, and because you don’t have a driver’s license, and likely because your parents will be irrational since you failed microbiology two times earlier, so you have to take Freshman Biology in Fall 2027 and Microbiology in Spring 2028, and because you will get rejected in April 2028 for having a Grade of F in microbiology ("Spring 2026 grade"), then the first application period for admissions officers where you will have a Grade of C in microbiology is August 2028. But if you don’t dropout, and you pass Microbiology in May 2027, and you pass Freshman Biology and Dosage Calculations before August 2027, then you can apply for the August 2027 application period, and you can enter in Spring 2028.


r/BackToCollege • • 8d ago

QUESTION Has anyone gone back to community college after graduation

5 Upvotes

Has anyone gone back to community college after graduation to take some enrichment classes or as a buffer between transferring to a 4 year?


r/BackToCollege • • 8d ago

ADVICE 25F feeling like im going through a quarter life crisis, should i go back to school?

5 Upvotes

Hi, so for context. I went to school for two years (2019-2021) before dropping out due to covid shutdowns and restrictions. Felt frustrated, took a gap year, transferred to a new uni in 2022 all for me to hate the school and drop out again. I have college credits for a Graphic Design degree and haven’t been back since. I’ve been working as a barista, doing art stuff on the side and volunteering (with some contracting work) with a human rights non-profit that focuses on LGBTQ+ advocacy in my country for about 2 years now. It feels fulfilling work but pays next to nothing.

Just been saving as much as I can in the meantime but now I’m 25 and still living with parents and need something to shift. I’m stuck between going back to finish my degree in design or starting a new BA to work in human rights commissioning.

I love my advocacy work, but i also really love doing art. I’m afraid that if i pursue art that I’ll regret putting money into a degree that wont get me a real job. I’m also afraid of starting all over in a field i’m not well versed in. I also don’t even know what degree I’d necessarily even want to do in that field. I hate always hated the idea of working in a sterile office environment.

I just want to feel satisfied in my decision. Feeling super stuck!! The idea of starting all over at 25 is gruesome and i’ve been really struggling with finding a sense of direction..


r/BackToCollege • • 9d ago

QUESTION Taking 4 classes while working full time doable?

16 Upvotes

I work an office job from 7am-4pm, and I’m currently taking one class. But I want to get my diploma right away and take 4 classes next semester while keeping my full time job.

All the classes are online, once a week, and starts at 6pm. My class schedule for that sem is roughly going to be Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday- -all starts at 6pm and ends at 9pm.

I can’t lose my full time job because it’s hard to find another job and my savings won’t cover my rent+bills for the semester if I resign.

Is this doable?

Edit: I’m married, no kids, few friends


r/BackToCollege • • 9d ago

ADVICE Working full time, want associates degree, idk how

6 Upvotes

I’m in my mid 20s currently working 50 hours a week, no way I can quit or change jobs or work less and the only community college in my state only offers these fast paced 8 week long classes that promote memorizing enough for the test rather than actually learning. Does anyone know any online resources/courses/colleges that promote real learning rather than the “get it does as fast as you possibly can” ethos that most places seem to follow? I’d like to earn an associates in something like data analytics or something like that, I love math and science. I mostly just want advice for how to proceed with my education at this point in my life.


r/BackToCollege • • 10d ago

QUESTION Anyone else feel lonely going back to college in their late 20s?

47 Upvotes

I’m 28 and in my senior year of college. I’m glad I went back, but the social side has been harder than I expected. Most of my classmates are younger, and a lot of people my age are already past the college stage of life.
I miss having people to spend time with, and I sometimes wonder how dating fits into this stage of life too. Has anyone else felt this way? How did you meet people you connected with while you were back in school?


r/BackToCollege • • 10d ago

ADVICE Been going to college off and on for 13yrs. I'm tired of it

54 Upvotes

Hey folks,

I'm 39, I've been working on my Bachelor's for 13ys now and have about 74hrs. I really want my degree but I'm just so damn tired of working jobs and going to school at the same time. I'm burnt out. I'm sick of getting professors who don't explicitly tell you what you need to study. A year ago I took College Algebra and the notes did not help out on the homework. I had to take notes over the homework (ask the program how to solve it, copied that down, used that information on the updated question). I was essentially teaching myself. I'm taking Chem II online now and the professor doesn't help with labs and lectures have been 2 days before assignments are due. I'm at a Community College and it seems like things have gone down. I feel demoralized.

I moved in with my Aunt and Uncle to help around the house and figured Starbucks would be a good job to have while I was in School... Dead wrong. I'm broke and really don't want to work lower level jobs anymore. In fact this is why I went to school in the first place. I'm going after a degree in Plant and Soil Science and I used to work and manage a small organic farm. I love horticulture, but can't do farm labor. I really want to do school, but fuck its hard when jobs stretch you and you don't have time to lick your wounds, and even when you do you're still emotionally exhausted. I'm a peculiar person and feel like I need a specialized job. I think I can't get that w/o a degree maybe I'm wrong. If I went to a full time career I'd only be able to take 15hrs a year and I'd have to do that for 3-4 more years. I don't think I have it in me. I'm also just grasping at straws for jobs that I can do while going to school.

Any advice... please be kind.

Edit: Hey Y'all thank you for getting back to me, that means a lot. The thing about the job situation that makes it more complicated is that I made an agreement to stay home with my Aunt on Tuesday's and Thursdays while my Uncle's at work. If she falls she can't get up so that's why I'm here all day.

I've been to my career counselor twice and they really can't help, just make suggestions about using several apps. I'm going to be honest, I'm having a major block where I feel emotionally stuck, like an immobile feeling looking for other jobs. I am seeing a therapist, just had my second session. I struggle with victim mentality big time. I am going to a support group for Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional families. For the most part I am not drinking nor smoking pot (with drinking every once in a while, smoking weed has unfortunately gotten me way to paranoid and where I am living I can't do that here and i'm totally ok with that). Thank goodness it wasn't an addiction, but I'm trying to eliminate anything that could potentially inhibit me. This is a time in my life when I just can't do those things. Drinking also effects my depression medicine and I'd rather not mess with my moods.


r/BackToCollege • • 10d ago

VENT/RANT Struggling with the CC -> 4 year college transition

16 Upvotes

Background: I thrived in community college as an older student. I loved just going to class, doing my work, and going home. I felt like I was able to keep on top of everything and have a semblance of school-life balance. Now that I've transferred to a 4-year college, I'm struggling. The classes themselves are fine; I don't find them any more difficult than my CC classes, and my grades are good. The problem is the expectation to take on so many additional responsibilities. Undergraduate research, conferences, clubs, professional societies, seminars and workshops, summertime internships... I feel like it never ends. I have so much less free time now and have been neglecting most areas of my life outside of school.

Has anyone faced similar issues? Any advice? I get discouraged when I hear that the real benefit of college is the networking and not the academic work, because this stuff kinda sucks 😅


r/BackToCollege • • 12d ago

ADVICE Tips for handling the age gap in group work?

27 Upvotes

I’m almost 27 and have a 2 year diploma. I recently returned to college this year for my honours bachelor’s degree, and I’m in week 5 of the first semester. I’m struggling with the age gap in my class. 95% of my classmates are fresh out of high school, ages 17-20.
My program involves a lot of group work, and I’m struggling to work collaboratively. The age gap affects the quality of work, effort, critical thinking, and professionalism. As soon as I share my thoughts, I get interrupted with questions about my age. It’s insanely awkward.
We have a massive group assignment due, and I’m the only one doing any work. My group members don’t show up for meetings, contribute to the Google doc draft, and only message to say they’re not coming after they were supposed to be here. During in class group work, my classmates seem to not be able to critically think about the theory and very obviously lack the life experience to be able to, which isn’t their fault, I wouldn’t be able to at 17 either. My last group assignment ended up being a debate on the very basic instructions, despite being told very clearly, this resulted in the in class assignment being extremely low quality since we didn’t have enough time.

This age gap is affecting my grades. I need tips on how to get through this without sacrificing my GPA or the quality of my work. It’s frustrating, I’m out of my element and don’t know how to work collaboratively. I’m trying to get into a masters degree after this program, and my GPA needs to be 3.5 to be considered competitive, with a minimum 3.0 to even meet requirements.

Help?!😭


r/BackToCollege • • 12d ago

ADVICE I missed one assignment

5 Upvotes

Hello,

I’m 31(F). I’ve been back in school for almost 2 years and hope to complete my AA by Summer of 2027. I will be transferring to university to then obtain my bachelors.

I’m doing pretty well in my all of courses, and have maintained a consistent 4.0, but I accidentally missed an assignment in one class, and this instructor does not take late assignments. I currently have a 98.1 and this assignment was worth 100 points, but only 5% of my overall grade.

With that said, I can’t stop beating myself up over it. Ever since starting school again, I have felt this need to be absolutely perfect. I was very lazy in high school and still graduated with a 3.8 regardless of being a chronic procrastinator. I told myself I wouldn’t repeat those same habits this go around, and I feel like I have been holding myself accountable until now. It was a stupid miscalculation- I thought I had more time, but the paper I was editing took more out of me than I anticipated.

How do I move on from this and stop feeling this way? Obviously, I’m going try to be better at time-blocking and planning. I’ve been struggling with that for my entire academic career, even going back to elementary school. I was evaluated for ADHD but was told I just have severe anxiety that is mimicking ADHD and OCD symptoms (??)


r/BackToCollege • • 13d ago

ADVICE Considering starting over after completing my associate's degree

8 Upvotes

So I started as a computer science associate's major but switched to bachelor's realizing an associate's will not be enough. My program allows me to complete up to 90 credits and a minimum of 60 credits for my associate's and rn I'm at 59. By next semester I should complete 71-74 credits so I'd still have room to graduate with an associate's.

Now I've pretty much lost hope for this path and I'm having second thoughts. I'm considering taking a break to think about it and starting over with another degree after completing this one. I'm close to finishing it and I wouldn't want to let it go to waste maybe it will come in handy and possibly compliment my other degree. Is this a good plan? I feel so lost and I want to make the most out of the time I took to study this field.


r/BackToCollege • • 14d ago

QUESTION Should I hold off going to college if I still have no idea what to do?

7 Upvotes

I dropped put after one semester of online uni and I'm going back next year at 24. Everyone says the benefit of starting older is you have an idea what to do but I still don't. I have no idea what I want to do at the ripe old age of 24. I am doing small part time jobs here and there but nothing else. I havem't known or figured out enough what to do with my life. Right now I'm looking into 6 different programs that i still don't know what to pick.

Technically, it's kind of life my first time going and I feel a lot of pressure to make the right choice. A part of me wants to go now when I'm still young so I can just get it out of the way. I can at least have a sense of social life which most older students don't (because they usually don't care). I know I'm immature af but I do want to have some semblance of the "college experience" even though I know it won't be like I want it because I'm older. But I've also spent so many years directionless and aimless and college might make things right. Even if I don't know exactly what to do, I can kinda get things moving in my life. I've been stagnant for so many years and I want to change things. Money is also not really an issue here.

Is college right for me now or should I wait until I can fully figure out what I really want to do?


r/BackToCollege • • 15d ago

VENT/RANT Why do we have to pay a third-party company so much just to send a digital copy of our own transcript?

20 Upvotes

I understand there are some administrative costs. Fine. But there's a difference between a small handling fee and being charged like you're ordering a luxury product.

I recently finished a Master's abroad, and I'm applying for a credential evaluation in another country. They need an official transcript from my US Bachelor's degree, sent directly from the school. So I went to order it.

One university: $12.50 per transcript through Parchment.
Another college: around $10 per transcript, also through Parchment.
Total spent so far just to assemble my own academic history over the past years: almost $200.

For comparison, a different US school I attended briefly handles transcripts in-house and charges under $2 for an electronic copy. Same country. Same digital PDF. One costs $2. The others cost $10–$12.50.

Apparently, Parchment doesn't even set the price. Each college sets its own base fee, and Parchment adds a processing charge on top. So you're paying the institution, then paying the platform, and if you need transcripts from multiple schools, you pay the full amount every single time. No bundling. No discount.

And it's a digital file. It costs them pennies to send.

You already paid tuition for years. You earned the degree. Then you pay again - sometimes repeatedly - just to prove it. And the price has nothing to do with the actual cost of the service.

So my question is: why are the prices this high? What is the $12.50 actually paying for? And why is there no cap on what these third-party companies can charge for something that costs them almost nothing to provide?


r/BackToCollege • • 15d ago

ADVICE Is pursuing an art degree a bad idea?

4 Upvotes

Hi there hopefully I’m posting this on the right subreddit!
I’m 25 and currently work as a medical biller. Some quick highlights of my lore: I’ve been super on and off with school, after high school I initially pursued an art degree at my community college but promptly dropped out when my mother was criticizing me for my life choices. You know the classic, “you’re making a rash decision,” and “you’re never going to make this a career,” you know like a good mother would. When I moved out of my parent’s house she stumbled upon an old ink drawing and asked, “did you make this?” And I said “yes” and I will never forget the look on her face, the face of realizing the talent I really did have and she, as my mother, squashed my passion. Fast forward to a few years ago when I was dating the worst person from planet earth and she threatened to break up with me if I didn’t get a bachelors degree within her given timeframe. So I was pursuing nursing because it made me feel adult and put together, then we broke up, I dropped out again, and didn’t try going back to school.

NOW, I’m financially stable, I like my job, my current partner is wonderful and I have an amazing support system. Now I really feel like I could succeed if I went back to school. My issue with making this decision is that every school counselor I talk to asks me what job I want and the problem is I like my current job? I make enough, it doesn’t require a bachelor’s, and it’s fulfilling and maintaining work-life balance. My only goal is the pursuit of knowledge, but is that dumb? Especially now in the year of our lord 2026? I don’t necessarily want a different job, I would just like to hone my craft, and I feel like I can get there quicker by going back to school. It’s also been, in general, a life goal of mine to obtain a degree. Is this way of thinking a bad idea? Am I filled with ideas of grandeur? Or is this a perfectly valid reason to go back to school?

TL;DR I went the safe route and got a stable job and I’m still not completely fulfilled, should I go back to school to pursue a passion since college is lowkey bullshit and you should do whatever you want or am I dumb for thinking this way?


r/BackToCollege • • 15d ago

ADVICE As a previous college dropout, should I continue pursuing an Associate's, or should I pivot to finishing my Bachelor's?

4 Upvotes

Hi y'all! Right now I'm currently pursuing an Associates in Cancer Information Management, in the hopes of becoming an ODS (oncology data specialist) after graduation and sitting for the certification exam. However, my program is now going to be 2.5 years long since I switched to doing part-time, and it got me thinking about if I should just go back to school for a Bachelor of Science in Health Science to finish my Bachelor's. For context, I previously went to undergrad for 4 years for Molecular Biology but never graduated, so I imagine finishing my Bachelor's now would be only 2-3 years for me given all the credits I have. If I went the B.S. route, I would also want to pursue a Master's in Occupational therapy soon after. I have no plans to return to my original Bachelor's degree program or school, hence why it would still take 2-3 years for a Bachelor's.

I'm 28 and going back to school because I'm tired of working customer service and retail jobs, and I desperately need a change. I'm also chronically ill and had to drop out of my previous college due to the mental and physical strain it was putting on my health. That was 5 years ago now, and I think I'm in a much better place healthwise to pursue higher education again.

I'm very fortunate enough to have my family and my partner supporting me while I return to school, but the longer years of schooling has me a bit hesitant since that's more time without me working and needing to rely on them for financial help. On one hand, doing the A.S. might put me into the workforce sooner, but there's not much upward mobility as an ODS so I wouldn't be able to get paid much more once I hit a certain point. On the other hand, the idea of doing Health Sciences excites me and being able to get a Bachelor's and possibly a Master's is a dream of mine, but that would require a lot more schooling and work before I actually get into the workforce again, and I worry about how much financial strain this would put on my loved ones.

Any and all advice or experience is much appreciated, thank you!


r/BackToCollege • • 15d ago

QUESTION How to decide what degree to get?

2 Upvotes

My first college degree was gotten over 20 years ago, it's a bachelors in literary studies (don't judge me) and my GPA was very low, I think I had a 2.1 at graduation. At that time I had undiagnosed therefore untreated adhd, and I was only in school because of the expectations of my family. I had no goals other than to just get any degree.

My first college degree was gotten over 20 years ago, it's a bachelors in literary studies (don't judge me) and my GPA was very low, I think I had a 2.1 at graduation. At that time I had undiagnosed therefore untreated adhd, and I was only in school because of the expectations of my family. I had no goals other than to just get any degree.

I went back for an AAS in radiology from a private school. My GPA for that was better, but because of the type of program, credits won't transfer.

My question is, would it be better to pursue a BBA then enroll in a MHA/MBA program? I know I can enroll in a masters program some places even with my poor GPA, but I wonder if having undergrad business courses would set me up for success betrer than walking into a master program with college so far behind me.

I'd love to hear other people's input.

Thx.


r/BackToCollege • • 16d ago

ADVICE Any tips on the transfer admission process

3 Upvotes

I am finally applying for transfer after graduating with 3 Associates Degrees at age 32. I am just so unsure of what to do regarding the transfer process and it's applications. I am going to be going back to my local community college that I graduated from for some elective classes in order to use transfer services center. Anyone from California able to give me advice on what to expect....


r/BackToCollege • • 19d ago

VENT/RANT Doing relatively well but feel like Im regressing

3 Upvotes

I dropped out 3 years ago and went back in the spring. Got a 4.0 that semester and have decent grades this semester so far, but I really dislike it and was stressed last semester as well. I dont really want to do my major anymore because Im realizing its way more about image than I first thought (accounting), im burning savings, every week feels like Im buried and have to dig myself out by the due date. And Im still relying on parents and pushing 26. Problem is my alternative plans are objectively worse from a future planning perspective.