Is the struggle to get a college degree worth your time and money? Conquering college education
Yes. Any education that you can get beyond high school is a plus in your life and the life of your family. If you can get a four-year degree on a part-time basis because of your current responsibilities it would be your greatest achievement. Ideally, you want to attend college full-time right out of high school but because of lack of maturity, lack of interest, lack of reality check or other life events you didn’t attend college after high school. It is never to late to attend college and better your life and the life of your family.
The process is basically the same as a recent high school graduate except that now you have to do a little more legwork because you are not in high school. You will have to do your college search and apply to college without the aid of your high school guidance counselor. You will be required to get your high school to send your transcript and your test-sheet to the colleges that you will apply to. If you are looking at four-year institutions, you will need to take the SAT/ACT and your high school transcript should be fairly strong academically (college preparatory courses with C’s and B’s).
If you have not taken any college entrance exams or your grades in high school were not that great, don’t worry, you can attend a two-year institution and get at least 30 credits with C’s or better and then transfer to a four-year institution to finish your four-year college degree. The most important piece in the college admissions process is your high school transcript but depending in the length of time that you have been out of high school, colleges may be a little more flexible in their admissions requirements taken in consideration your life experience.
No matter what and how long it takes you to get the degree that you desire, it will be worth your time and effort. It will not be easy to get this done but if you have the desire, self-discipline and a full commitment to attain a college degree, you will succeed. Financially, being a non-traditional student can work to your benefit if you are over the age of 23. When you apply for financial aid, it will be based just on your household income, which may enable you to receive a good financial aid package.
What college degree should you pursue to fit your current responsibility and time constraints? Conquering college education
It all depends in your interest and your abilities. The time that you have available, will determine whether you want to pursue a one-year certificate program, a two-year associate program or a four-year program. Your interest and your ability will also determine which program you should pursue your degree in. Depending on the responsibilities that you currently have will dictate whether you can pursue your degree on a full-time basis or on a part-time basis. It doesn’t matter how you do it but just do it. You can reach out to the community colleges in your area and your high school guidance office to get some guidance and information that will help you attain your goal. No matter what background you have or what background you came from, you can get an education that can help you land a better job to create a better future for you and your family.
The benefit of pursuing college education after experiencing the world of work: Conquering college education
Having experienced the world of work, you have a life experience and a reality check that a recent high school graduate does not have. Being more mature and more experienced in the reality of life will make you a better student. You should be more focused, more disciplined and more goal-oriented. The benefit of being older gives you a more realistic foundation to make good choices to fit your current situation. Being older, you will most likely start and finish your degree whatever it may be because by now you know what you want out of life. Also, being older, you should be more disciplined and able to manage your time in order to attain your goal.
As you look around, you will notice that the difference between those individuals that are successful and those individuals that are struggling to make ends meet is basically the choices and the decisions that those individuals made between the ages of 16 and 22. Success is the result of positive choices and positive decisions with honest hard work. There is no other way to achieve success that I know of.
