Does anyone regret it?

[sanantone]

Introverts probably wouldn't care about college socialization, and I'm sure there are many introverts on this forum. Some people see staying in a traditional college setting as delaying adult responsibilities. There are people who stay in college so they can live off of student loans and avoid getting a full-time job and be responsible for the full menu of bills that independent adults typically pay.

There are ways to socialize other than attending college. You can join clubs/groups or socialize with your coworkers. Most people don't have a college degree, and they develop social skills just fine. Outside of the whole socialization thing, 18-22 year old students tend to do worse in online courses than in ground courses. Online courses require time management and independent learning skills that most young people lack.

Regarding the OP's situation, I see that she completed a degree in criminal justice. Regardless of where and how you earn a criminal justice degree, your job prospects will be pretty much the same. I have a feeling that you're blaming the method when you really should be looking at the major you chose.

[PonyGirl93]

As a homeschool parent, yes we are having our children go this route.
Probably not for an entire degree but definitely for AA.
One reason is that dh and I didn't complete our degree because we were frustrated that we weren't learning anything new in the general education courses... so we quit.
Our children also hate repetition so we will avoid that altogether and have our kids test after completing their high school courses.
Another reason is that our oldest tested into college level courses at 6-1/2 yo.
We had a letter that would have allowed us to register him in any college of our choice at 7yo.
We are not in any hurry to send him to college, instead letting him be a kid by playing with Legos, going camping with the scouts, and playing sports.
At 10yo he has started to test out of college classes and by 14yo he will be more mature and ready to sit in a classroom.

Testing out isn't the best option for everyone, nor is everyone able to handle it.
For some though, it is the best available option.

Wow, that is very impressive!

Thankfully, no regrets for me. Although maybe I am a little young for regrets.

I'm 17 with no debt. I have had my degree for almost a year. I am blessed with a real job in my field (instead of bagging groceries or flipping burgers like most my age). I am currently taking graduate courses (paid for by scholarship, so far).

So by the time I could have graduated with loads of debt, instead, Lord willing, I will have a graduate degree and five years of experience with money in the bank. I feel very blessed and thankful for the opportunity.

I hope this helps. All the best to you!

Congratulations! That is really awesome that it has been such a positive experience!

Attending and living on a college campus is to a large extent a socialization process that is good for many, if not most, students. Some students would be better off skipping this altogether. Temple Grandin would probably tell people with Asperger's to forgo the college socialization process as much as possible and focus on getting the academic work done as efficiently as possible.

I've seen people thrive in the college environment. The social aspects and adult responsibilities make some students bloom. Others I've seen need to be free of the distractions of campus life and attending class.

Introverts probably wouldn't care about college socialization, and I'm sure there are many introverts on this forum. Some people see staying in a traditional college setting as delaying adult responsibilities. There are people who stay in college so they can live off of student loans and avoid getting a full-time job and be responsible for the full menu of bills that independent adults typically pay.

...

Regarding the OP's situation, I see that she completed a degree in criminal justice. Regardless of where and how you earn a criminal justice degree, your job prospects will be pretty much the same. I have a feeling that you're blaming the method when you really should be looking at the major you chose.

Social aspects are not a major factor for me, but I certainly don't discount their importance for some people. I can see positives and negatives for both sides.

You're absolutely right, Criminal Justice was a poor choice. Perhaps if I hadn't been pushed into choosing a career at 16, I would've chosen better

I didn't start this thread to attack other people's decisions or to defend my own.

[NAP]

I think this is an important topic because each person needs to weigh the pros and cons carefully for their individual situation.

Regret is one of my biggest concerns for this age group because there are a lot of unknowns.

Personally, I think I would have liked the non-traditional route for college credit in high school, the traditional-route when I was college age, and the non-traditional again when I got older. I wish I had had a choice.

Since I watched you earn your degree, I feel invested in your progress and success.

In your case, you have completed a college degree. No matter what happens in life, you will always have that and it may open doors that you don't know about, yet. (For instance, a lot of people seem to be able to just use the fact that they have any degree to have careers in unrelated fields.)

If I remember correctly, this degree was only going to be the first step in pursuing your goal. I don't know what happened to your plans, but I do know that other members of this forum have regrouped on their educational strategies.

I suspect that whole degree cost less than others have spent changing majors or transferring schools in the traditional setting. My mom calls that kind of stuff the "tuition of life". (I hope some of your credit from your previous degree counted toward your current degree to lessen the blow a bit.)

I'm finding out that a lot of my current classmates already have graduate degrees or are doctors. I'm sure there are a variety of reasons to explain why we are all pursuing the same graduate degree right now.

Feel free to use any of these thoughts in your essay. I hope it helps you in some way, too.

[PonyGirl93]

I think this is an important topic because each person needs to weigh the pros and cons carefully for their individual situation.

Regret is one of my biggest concerns for this age group because there are a lot of unknowns.

Personally, I think I would have liked the non-traditional route for college credit in high school, the traditional-route when I was college age, and the non-traditional again when I got older. I wish I had had a choice.

Since I watched you earn your degree, I feel invested in your progress and success.

In your case, you have completed a college degree. No matter what happens in life, you will always have that and it may open doors that you don't know about, yet. (For instance, a lot of people seem to be able to just use the fact that they have any degree to have careers in unrelated fields.)

If I remember correctly, this degree was only going to be the first step in pursuing your goal. I don't know what happened to your plans, but I do know that other members of this forum have regrouped on their educational strategies.

I suspect that whole degree cost less than others have spent changing majors or transferring schools in the traditional setting. My mom calls that kind of stuff the "tuition of life". (I hope some of your credit from your previous degree counted toward your current degree to lessen the blow a bit.)

I'm finding out that a lot of my current classmates already have graduate degrees or are doctors. I'm sure there are a variety of reasons to explain why we are all pursuing the same graduate degree right now.

Feel free to use any of these thoughts in your essay. I hope it helps you in some way, too.

Thanks!

Yes, to make a long story short, I guess you could say my plans changed. I decided I didn't want to be a lawyer, and none of the grad programs my degree qualified me for had good job prospects.

As I learned more about the world outside of the ultraconservative fundamentalist rock I grew up under (no offense to any subrockdwellers here ), I decided I wanted to pursue something in the sciences. Actually I was interested in a biology degree to start with, but my mother vetoed. So here I am. Jumping into grad school with a non-science/engineering degree isn't feasible. I took the ACT and got a nearly perfect score. In an ironic turn of events, I probably could have gotten a full ride to nearly any school I wanted to go to. Now, because I have another degree, most schools will not give me institutional aid.

Anyway, that's the story.

[sanantone]

You're absolutely right, Criminal Justice was a poor choice. Perhaps if I hadn't been pushed into choosing a career at 16, I would've chosen better

If your parents pressured you to choose a career and major at 16, then the blame falls on them. This is something for the parents here to keep in mind.

A lot of people in their early twenties don't even know what they want to do, but at least you didn't spend a lot of money on your degree like they did. I finished my master's from a traditional university in my late twenties, and now I wish I had gotten a master's in psychology instead. If I had gone that route, I probably wouldn't be in the PhD program I'm in now despite it being on-ground and traditional. I would have gone on to earn a doctorate in psychology or counseling and probably would have done it online. Ironically, my BA in Social Science, while being a bit of a compromise at the time, is a good degree for going the mental health route.

If I had been around when you chose your major, I would have told you not to major in criminal justice because it's not needed for a CJ career, and it will leave you with limited options. But, then again, I tell just about everyone not to major in criminal justice. hilarious

Thanks!

Yes, to make a long story short, I guess you could say my plans changed. I decided I didn't want to be a lawyer, and none of the grad programs my degree qualified me for had good job prospects.

As I learned more about the world outside of the ultraconservative fundamentalist rock I grew up under (no offense to any subrockdwellers here ), I decided I wanted to pursue something in the sciences. Actually I was interested in a biology degree to start with, but my mother vetoed. So here I am. Jumping into grad school with a non-science/engineering degree isn't feasible. I took the ACT and got a nearly perfect score. In an ironic turn of events, I probably could have gotten a full ride to nearly any school I wanted to go to. Now, because I have another degree, most schools will not give me institutional aid.

Anyway, that's the story.

I also would have told you that CJ is the worst degree to get if you want to go to law school and that any degree will do.

[clep3705]

We can't change the should have dones. Where do you want to go? What assets and resources do you have? Start making a path to a new destination. Don't be driver who spends so much time looking at the rearview mirror that you crash into something in front of you. Look forward, there are plenty of places to go and you have plenty of time.

[PonyGirl93]

W

If your parents pressured you to choose a career and major at 16, then the blame falls on them. This is something for the parents here to keep in mind.

...
If I had been around when you chose your major, I would have told you not to major in criminal justice because it's not needed for a CJ career, and it will leave you with limited options. But, then again, I tell just about everyone not to major in criminal justice. hilarious

I also would have told you that CJ is the worst degree to get if you want to go to law school and that any degree will do.

I don't really have anything to say to this... She shouldn't have, but she did, and that's really the end of it. I'm not saying all homeschoolers do this, but I'm seeing it more and more locally with homeschoolers that I know. Parents see college plus as a way to extend the homeschooling experience, many (including I believe my mother) see it as a way to continue to have control over their children's education past the point when that is really their decision to make.

We can't change the should have dones. Where do you want to go? What assets and resources do you have? Start making a path to a new destination. Don't be driver who spends so much time looking at the rearview mirror that you crash into something in front of you. Look forward, there are plenty of places to go and you have plenty of time.

Ahhhh see this is why I was reluctant to post any details of my situation. I'm not looking in the rear view mirror; I didn't come here for a pity party. I have a plan and I'm working my ass off to make it happen. Im trying to help other people to not end up in my situation. I see more and more people around me glorifying early college and I merely want to present the other side of the story. It has taken me several years to even *want* to do that because I *dont* see myself as a failure or a charity case and I hate it when people try to tell me all the things I should've done. What's done is done and I'm merely trying to help other people make wise, informed decisions.

[KayV]

Well stated, PonyGirl. And good luck! You obviously have the determination to succeed at your educational goals.

[sanantone]

The point of my post was to explain why parents shouldn't pressure children into picking a career path at an early age, which is why I said, "This is something for parents here to keep in mind." What's done is done for you, but it's an example for other people. Parents also shouldn't pretend to be experts in career counseling. A lot of people have misconceptions about what you should do to prepare for law school or what it takes to become a police officer or detective. A lot of people have misconceptions about what it takes to become a medical doctor. I'm sure the same applies to many other fields.

I have my opinions about CollegePlus and Verity Institute, but I won't go there since the CollegePlus thread was one of the longest threads in Degree Forum history. But, I will say that those two companies have sent people to this forum, so they aren't even capable of providing comprehensive services for what they're charging people thousands of dollars for. This is not directed to the OP, who seems to be taking things personally; it's directed to current and future college students. Do your own research and talk to people in the field. Don't depend on some test preparation company to send you down the right path. And, if your parents haven't done their research, then there is a high chance they are wrong. However, when you're a minor and under the control of controlling parents, there is not much you can do other than to present your case and hope they listen. With little to no work experience, it is very difficult to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life.

[clep3705]

Sanantone, I'm in agreement with you except for one thing. Even if parents have done their research, there is still a high chance they are wrong, particularly if they are of the controlling type. They can't know what's best for their children who have turned into adults, not clones. Like your post, this isn't directed at the original poster.