Going back to school as an adult

No mention if you are going to night/adult school or with kids.  I did all my college as an adult, starting at 27 and finally graduating with a BS 7 years later, going part time as a traditional student, meaning taking classes with 'kids' during the day at the normal pace, normal curriculum with some accelerated May term classes thrown in each year (again, with the kiddos).

It was a bit tricky re-learning how to learn (take notes, write papers, etc), and the jump in technology from the time I graduated high school to starting college was not insignificant.  High school papers were researched in the library with physical books or looking through microfiche. In HS I typed all my papers on an electric typewriter.  By the time I went to college, book borrowing or source-finding was mainly online (Pub-Med and the like), websites could be cited as sources, and computers were the way to go with online class discussions and note taking.  It took me a while, but I finally made the step from hand-writing, then typing all my papers to simply typing all my papers.  Yes, it sounds silly now, especially to the generation who had robust, fast computers in HS.  Computers were, in a way, glorified word processors when I was in HS.  No internet, limited intranet.

Learning with the 'kids' was both fun and frustrating at times.  Some times their view on the world was really fresh and motivating, other times their lack of motivation was tough to deal with.  Group projects tended to really suck (but not all of them).  Teens/early 20-somethings generally don't have the same mindset/approach to learning that an older student has.  I, like you, worked full time (and then some) while taking 2-3 classes per semester.  It can be a challenge to balance work, school, homework and home life, but overall worth it.  I met some good people, both students and professors.  Professors tended to like the few adult learners a bit better because they knew we meant business and were there to learn.

Wow, I sound old.  I'll take my abacus and stone tablet and hammer over here into the corner...

Good luck to you!

Thanks for the reply, Melanie, and congrats on getting your degree. Well it looks like if I did go back for the program that I want to get into, it would pretty much have to be full time with the kiddos for another 4 years. No online programs are available and I honestly don't like online courses anyway. I took one when I was getting my bachelors and since I was so used to the classroom being a physical place with real people to talk to, I ended up completely forgetting about it after the first 2 weeks. The demand from my real classes took my attention. Months later I was laying in bed trying to go to sleep and thought to myself "Ohhh shiii....." so I looked it up and somehow I had apparently gotten an A even thought I missed the entire course. Don't ask me for help when it comes to macro economics...

I too returned to college after a hiatus. My break was about 20 years long. Yep, college on the 24 year plan.  I made a career change, from restaurant ownership to technology.  Some classes were a lot of effort to get through, between my schedule, my kids schedule, and the available class schedule. But if you put your mind to it, you can get it done.  I became a fan of blended courses, because there was enough time in a classroom, yet the flexibility to do work online made it more feasible.  Don't rule out the online option, as that manner of collaboration is becoming more popular in the workplace.  People working from home, or in different locations have made it interesting to see how "group" projects come together in the workplace.

Enjoy it!

I went back for a PhD in mechanical engineering starting at age 47.  I enjoyed the classes and working with young people.  It was not a problem academically for me.   I bogged down on the dissertation.  I overdid it and wrote a cinderblock.  It took me a long time.  

I was full time student and GRA for five years.  The campus was 3 hrs from my family.  The hard part was being away from family for that long.  I went back to work after 5 years and finished the dissertation on my off hours.  

TW

I don't know if I can add anything, but I'm considering the same thing.  For me, it's more for pleasure than for occupation.  I want to excel in French and UNLV has a decent program.  I spoke to the dean of foreign languages and asked many questions and explained my goals and felt comfortable after that.

I was told there were several people that did the same thing.  Older, just took a few classes to improve, took a few more, then ended up getting a degree.  Then there was the whole thing of since I HAVE a degree, can I apply all the general requirements from that degree (English, math, etc) even if over 20 years ago,  I mean, I have been doing engineering for over 20 years, do I REALLY need to take algebra AGAIN?

One worry I have, is that I LIKE learning on my own and at my own pace (mostly with software and books) but will taking classes add too much pressure of testing and homework and grades make it too much of a chore and not fun?  Also, getting a degree would mean classes in French art and literature, etc and that SOUNDS exciting, but maybe would get boring since it's more about speaking the language right now for me.

Good luck with your adventures!

I've done this, plus had many friends discuss this - it must be an age group thing.

I did my master's shortly after finishing my undergrad, so from ages 22-24ish.  I am really grateful for that since my undergrad didn't offer much for future employment options, and school was as good as a social life for me.   Most of my core friends are from that time and it wasn't a difficult program.

I started a 2nd masters, which would have been basically an enhancement to my career and since I worked at the school it was less expensive.  This program was much harder and I struggled with life during that time.  I spent all free time doing school work or worrying about it.  If I had a family or more demanding job, I would have been in trouble. I ultimately quit because I left the job and it was such a relief. Although, I did really appreciate what I learned.   Incidentally, that was an "all online" program and well managed.  There was required interaction all week, every week, and we did have some group assignments. Those were hard since everyone else was busy and far flung, but work-wise it was easy to follow along and I liked not having to spend extra time going to class.

Some thoughts

• I absolutely got a TON out of school as an adult. I wished I had waited to do my bachelors, actually.  
• Don't go without a clear idea about what you want from it.  Do you need this for a job? Will it help you get that job?  I have several academic friends stuck in a spiral, always looking for the next best thing. Some things can be acheived through certificate programs, for instance.
• Do not go into crazy debt.   Shop around and be frugal. If you had to do a loan, only get the minimum for tuition.    It's time to be done with student loans, not starting new ones.
• Try to get a good idea of workload.  Can you succeed in the program without killing yourself?

Good luck!

Thanks for all the great words everyone. Very inspiring to hear success stories of going back to school and having it work out well. This one will take quite a bit more mulling over on my part. The trouble is that I really love the industry I work in, but the industry as a whole has been on this really bad downward spiral in the past several years. Not sure if anyone noticed the protest outside the Oscars a few years ago, but the deal was that the company who did the visual effects for Life of Pi, who won the oscar for best vfx, declared bankruptcy the same week and couldn't pay their employees all the back salary that it owed them. This was the big turning point when people said that enough was enough, and took to the streets. Sadly, it hasn't gotten any better since then, so for as much as I love what I do for a living, it's just not very sustainable any more and companies are in a race to the bottom, while the smart people are bailing all together and finding new careers. We'll see what happens. Thanks again for all the replies!