Going Back to School

[ACG]

I want to go back to school, to college, to finish up my degree.

What I really think I need is a counselor, someone who can look at my current college credits, work experience and help me come up with a game plan no how to do it.

The local community college won't help me unless I'm registered as a student, I get that, why would they help me unless I'm on of them.

There seem to be so many adult college offers, costing thousands of dollars and to me they just don't seem to be sincere. They have what appears to be these great programs for working adults, and they seem to sell, sell, sell and encourage you to take out student loans.

So, is there a profession, a college counselor for adults? I'm sure this is an odd questions to ask, but this group seems to have a large variety of members and and endless amount of information, thanks so much.

[Irulan]

Whatever do you, be very careful about the private, adult ed colleges. While there are some good ones, there are a lot of shady operators out there that do not have accreditation.

[Trek420]

yaaaay! Me too actually. Some colleges, universities, community colleges (since you're in sunny CA you have access to a great JC system) give "work/life credit". Shouldn't be too hard to find one that does or check online.

[indysteel]

Whatever do you, be very careful about the private, adult ed colleges. While there are some good ones, there are a lot of shady operators out there that do not have accreditation.

+1. There have been a plethora of stories on NPR lately about for-profit schools, the tactics they use, and their students' mounting debt. Here's a link to just one:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/08/04/128980778/govt-for-profit-colleges-encouraged-fraud-used-deceptive-marketing

What are you hoping to get a degree in and, ultimately do with that degree? Perhaps there's somebody on TE in that field with some advice.

[Crankin]

I can't believe that the community college won't look at your transcript or talk to you. I am a great believer in community colleges and this just doesn't fit with what they do. What office or department did you speak to? That said, someone who bills themselves as a college counselor, in an individual practice should be open to working with an adult. Many times, these are people who previously worked at colleges in some advising capacity, such as in student services. Do you know what you want to major in? You could contact advisors in specific disciplines at universities or colleges around you. However, this really varies by school. Private colleges tend to accept less transfer credits.
My advice would be to make a list of schools that you might be interested in, that you can afford and contact them. There is a huge difference between a regular private university or college and some of the "for profit" schools like University of Phoenix. They both may be expensive, but you are paying for a very different experience. I am getting a second graduate degree at a university that has a strong adult bachelor's degree program, with limited residency. It isn't cheap, but you are getting a degree from a school that has a certain reputation behind it. To me, a loan for this type of education is worth it. Same thing for an on-line degree from a regular state university. You have the reputation from the regular university behind your degree.
If you really aren't sure what you want to "do," then you might want to meet with a vocational counselor. They work with people to figure out what careers might be right for them... I am sure that this might include college search. I had to take a course in this for my degree, and it's a field that is often overlooked by people with "what do I want to do with my life" questions.

[ACG]

Thanks for the advice. I called the local community college, it is a very large college: the counseling department, who then said check with administration, and I think it is on their website too. They are one of the better junior colleges. It is just a few miles from my home. I could just register, it would cost me about $30 and hour in line.

I have a lot of on the job experience 20 years. I've been an office manager to a large environmental engineering company, a law firm, a financial services firm, a government entity. I have certifications in human resources. If I get a degree in what I know, it is a business degree, but that means statistics and I'd need a tutor for the math. I've done hiring, firing, health, safety, contracts negotiaions, office build outs, presentations, contract negotiations, you name it. I've been very lucky to have moved up the food chain without a degree, but many times employers won't look at me because I have no degree, like I'm stupid or something.

Mostly it is personal, again to prove I'm not stupid to me. When I was married I always had to quit school, so I've been able to fit in classes here or there.

Now things are different and I've got some money that I could use for school.

K, thanks again, this is all really good information.

[tulip]

I think the Community College admissions department would be the place to start. The counseling department is for current students, so their response makes sense. You have to find out whom to ask, and you have to keep asking until you find out.

What was your previous coursework in? What do you WANT to study? Just because you have administrative experience does not mean that you have to study business administration, unless you want to. This might be an opportunity to study something that you've always wanted to learn about. Your administrative experience will serve you well in whatever field you end up studying. Go with your interests, not what you think you "should" study. But if you really want to study business administration, then go for it. It's helpful for whatever you end up doing.

If you need to take statistics, just take it. The teacher might be really good and you might be a more mature student than you were before, so you might not need a tutor. I surprised myself by getting Honors in advanced statistics in graduate school--after doing everything to avoid taking ANY math courses in undergrad (I took extra foreign languages and a philosophy class). I was just a better student the second time around, and I had a good teacher.

Keep an open mind and enjoy it. While I won't go back to college, I do enjoy learning new things and taking courses every once in a while.

[carinapir]

Hm, I was able to have a full counseling appointment at my local community college (OCC) without having to register but I am a former student so that may have been why.

Now's a bad time to register because the Fall semester has already started but maybe you can find a late starting class or apply for admission and wait for the Summer or Spring to get into a class. There are lots of 1 unit "fun" classes at a community college. If you can get your hands on the community college's catalog (probably online now a days) you might be able to learn most of what you need to know from that. At OCC, there also used to be flyers in the counseling office that detailed what classes to take to transfer in each major as well as the catalogs for local Universities. I used to work as a student assistant in the OCC counseling department and I learned a ton from just reading the catalogs.