mike4554,
I am actually the last of my five siblings (one five yrs younger!) to earn my degree. I was on a different path right out of high school. I went to a trade school then decided years later, I wanted to own a salon but not necessarily work in one. My father was a traditionalist and I was under his care until I married. Still, I married my HS boyfriend at 21 and didn't have to worry about money so I got a job as an admin and worked my way up the food chain slowly. It really didn't matter because my household came first. Luckily, with age comes intelligence!
I started slow at my local community college. In 2005 (40yo) I earned 18cr - 3 courses and 3 credit by exams; then in 2007 another 3cr course. I started my associate and bachelor's degree programs at TESC 8/2009 (44yo) and pushed forward. I combined community college with TESC courses, DSST/CLEP/TECEP exams and alternate coursework (Aleks, Straighterline, Penn Foster) and continued on a rapid place until completed 3/2010 AAS and 9/2010 BA (45yo). I will warn you, once you begin, it becomes addictive.
We are so conditioned to believe college must be completed one way, in a classroom and that is just not feasible for many adult students. Enter the Big3 schools (Thomas Edison State College, Excelsior, and Charter Oak State College) and suddenly you realize it really is not that hard at all. Study hard, apply yourself, and you will quickly become a degree holder as well! You already have the needed motivation, your child and your dream to make life easier for the baby. You're also going to learn some valuable tools while here that will help you prepare your child for the smart road to his/her degree. You have teens on this forum with their degrees with very little to no student loan debt!!!
Use this forum! You have many years of academic, work, and life experience at your fingertips on this forum. Ask questions! Lean on us for support. And most important, never give up! Even if you can take only one class or test a year due to work/life responsibilities, don't stop. Research TESCs Pay Per Credit Tuition Plan. There is a link and cost benefit spreadsheet in my signature.
BTW, I wouldn't be so quick to throw away that warehouse/trucking experience. Have you thought about becoming a Asst Supervisor/Manager once you've earned your degree? Instead of applying for entry level jobs, you should think about coordinator or similar roles. There are also IT functions specific to production/operations or working in the accounting dept within an industry to which you already have a strong background. Put your knowledge and experience to work for you while at the same time placing yourself in a perfect position for a promotion once you've earned your degree. Just a thought.
Good luck in your journey!
I am actually the last of my five siblings (one five yrs younger!) to earn my degree. I was on a different path right out of high school. I went to a trade school then decided years later, I wanted to own a salon but not necessarily work in one. My father was a traditionalist and I was under his care until I married. Still, I married my HS boyfriend at 21 and didn't have to worry about money so I got a job as an admin and worked my way up the food chain slowly. It really didn't matter because my household came first. Luckily, with age comes intelligence!
I started slow at my local community college. In 2005 (40yo) I earned 18cr - 3 courses and 3 credit by exams; then in 2007 another 3cr course. I started my associate and bachelor's degree programs at TESC 8/2009 (44yo) and pushed forward. I combined community college with TESC courses, DSST/CLEP/TECEP exams and alternate coursework (Aleks, Straighterline, Penn Foster) and continued on a rapid place until completed 3/2010 AAS and 9/2010 BA (45yo). I will warn you, once you begin, it becomes addictive.
We are so conditioned to believe college must be completed one way, in a classroom and that is just not feasible for many adult students. Enter the Big3 schools (Thomas Edison State College, Excelsior, and Charter Oak State College) and suddenly you realize it really is not that hard at all. Study hard, apply yourself, and you will quickly become a degree holder as well! You already have the needed motivation, your child and your dream to make life easier for the baby. You're also going to learn some valuable tools while here that will help you prepare your child for the smart road to his/her degree. You have teens on this forum with their degrees with very little to no student loan debt!!!
Use this forum! You have many years of academic, work, and life experience at your fingertips on this forum. Ask questions! Lean on us for support. And most important, never give up! Even if you can take only one class or test a year due to work/life responsibilities, don't stop. Research TESCs Pay Per Credit Tuition Plan. There is a link and cost benefit spreadsheet in my signature.
BTW, I wouldn't be so quick to throw away that warehouse/trucking experience. Have you thought about becoming a Asst Supervisor/Manager once you've earned your degree? Instead of applying for entry level jobs, you should think about coordinator or similar roles. There are also IT functions specific to production/operations or working in the accounting dept within an industry to which you already have a strong background. Put your knowledge and experience to work for you while at the same time placing yourself in a perfect position for a promotion once you've earned your degree. Just a thought.
Good luck in your journey!
"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan." -Tom Landry
TESC:
AAS, Admin Studies. 2010
BA, Social Sciences. 2010. Arnold Fletcher Award.
AAS, Environmental, Safety & Security Technologies. 2011
BSBA, General Management. 2011. Arnold Fletcher Award. Sigma Beta Delta (ΣΒΔ
!![[-]](https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/images/collapse.png)
