Trouble Deciding Between School and Work.

[Vausch]

I had plans to return to school this year after saving a substantial amount so as to be able to not have to work while studying and allowing me to keep my focus on schooling for a few years. However, I had planned on rooming with a friend while there but he had to back out due to some familial issues. I could afford to live on my own for a little while, but the difference in rent would be a few thousand for the time until said roommate was able to move down with me.

I began to think it might be worth working another year, but it feels like I'm losing a lot of opportunities every time I miss another semester. I really don't know if it's a better idea to keep working or to just go to school alone for a while.

Part of the issue is my current living situation as well. My parents made me a deal that if I saved as much as possible for school I could live at home for low rent. It's been working out overall, but I have wanted to leave to lessen the burden on the family. I feel bad living at home as a 24-year-old, but it doubles the rate I can save up.

Has anyone encountered a similar situation? I really need advice.

 

[Albino Boo]

The problem is that you are trading off another year for money. Your age is beginning to be a factor, you will be older when you finish and when it comes to applying for jobs it might be a problem. Employers will look at your CV and see your age and think there is a risk factor of you being not committed to the task in hand. Yes you will have an employment history but your age will raise doubts.

 

[L. Declis]

My advice is to get back into uni, and work part time on the weekends. I'm in a position similar to you, and working and studying at the same time is a pain and tiring, but you need the experience and it's better to get it done now rather than later.

Also, if you can, get into dorms. They tend to be cheap-ish, and it's convenient for the sake of getting to class and being near the library to work.

Also, you're getting on a bit in years and there are three issues:

1) Like above said, it looks bad on your C.V.

2) When you finish studying, everyone else in your age group will be starting their careers and have 4 years experience over you. This will only get worse over time.

3) The longer you wait, the more you will stick out at uni and be apart, which sucks.

4) The longer you wait, the longer it will be before you begin "real life" like working and getting on with it.

 

[Vausch]

My advice is to get back into uni, and work part time on the weekends. I'm in a position similar to you, and working and studying at the same time is a pain and tiring, but you need the experience and it's better to get it done now rather than later.

Also, if you can, get into dorms. They tend to be cheap-ish, and it's convenient for the sake of getting to class and being near the library to work.

Also, you're getting on a bit in years and there are three issues:

1) Like above said, it looks bad on your C.V.

2) When you finish studying, everyone else in your age group will be starting their careers and have 4 years experience over you. This will only get worse over time.

3) The longer you wait, the more you will stick out at uni and be apart, which sucks.

4) The longer you wait, the longer it will be before you begin "real life" like working and getting on with it.

Dorms: No. Absolutely not. They're at least 3 times as expensive as any apartment nearby and a friend of mine said life there is unbearable due to the constant noise.

Does it really look that bad any more? I thought given the current economy being older while graduating wasn't that uncommon, especially with late-in-life degree seekers and people returning to school.

That does make sense, but doesn't that also mean I have 4 years worth of more up to date knowledge?

I see the point though. I really don't want to wait any longer.

 

[Albino Boo]

Does it really look that bad any more? I thought given the current economy being older while graduating wasn't that uncommon, especially with late-in-life degree seekers and people returning to school.

That does make sense, but doesn't that also mean I have 4 years worth of more up to date knowledge?

I see the point though. I really don't want to wait any longer.

I am an employer and from that perspective when you looking at CVs you are assessing risks. What an employer tends think when you see late 20s as graduation age is this person bummed around for a few years and will he commit to the job. When you you see a CV of someone in there 30s-40s you expect to see evidence of a career before the degree. If you have someone who worked their way up the management ladder before retraining then you know that risk of that person not committing to the job is low.


Not all areas advance at the same rate. 4 years in some disciplines means nothing and you gain no advantage from the delay. In other areas that are fast moving, people keep current. When I worked as contractor in IT I was doing a new professional qualification every 2 years. Again the 4 years isn't as much as an advantage that you think.

 

[Vausch]

Does it really look that bad any more? I thought given the current economy being older while graduating wasn't that uncommon, especially with late-in-life degree seekers and people returning to school.

That does make sense, but doesn't that also mean I have 4 years worth of more up to date knowledge?

I see the point though. I really don't want to wait any longer.

I am an employer and from that perspective when you looking at CVs you are assessing risks. What an employer tends think when you see late 20s as graduation age is this person bummed around for a few years and will he commit to the job. When you you see a CV of someone in there 30s-40s you expect to see evidence of a career before the degree. If you have someone who worked their way up the management ladder before retraining then you know that risk of that person not committing to the job is low.


Not all areas advance at the same rate. 4 years in some disciplines means nothing and you gain no advantage from the delay. In other areas that are fast moving, people keep current. When I worked as contractor in IT I was doing a new professional qualification every 2 years. Again the 4 years isn't as much as an advantage that you think.

So basically my attempts to avoid debt and find better schools have all resulted in me causing damage to my future employment as a mechanical engineer.

I hate society.

 

[Albino Boo]

So basically my attempts to avoid debt and find better schools have all resulted in me causing damage to my future employment as a mechanical engineer.

I hate society.

Almost everything in adult life is trade off in one way or another. I'm only talking in generalities, your choices have shifted the odds against you by a small margin. Its not fatal, yet, but you have to understand employers don't care about how much debt have. The only thing they care is ability to do the job and commitment to that job. You have made it harder for yourself but it could pay off.

 

[Vausch]

So basically my attempts to avoid debt and find better schools have all resulted in me causing damage to my future employment as a mechanical engineer.

I hate society.

Almost everything in adult life is trade off in one way or another. I'm only talking in generalities, your choices have shifted the odds against you by a small margin. Its not fatal, yet, but you have to understand employers don't care about how much debt have. The only thing they care is ability to do the job and commitment to that job. You have made it harder for yourself but it could pay off.

I'm aware they don't care about my debt. That was more a thing for myself and my family. I'd like to graduate with minimal debt and be able to just move on with my life, avoiding the garbage one has to deal with when it comes to student loans.

Captcha: Well isn't that special?

Too right.

 

[Bat Vader]

So basically my attempts to avoid debt and find better schools have all resulted in me causing damage to my future employment as a mechanical engineer.

I hate society.

Almost everything in adult life is trade off in one way or another. I'm only talking in generalities, your choices have shifted the odds against you by a small margin. Its not fatal, yet, but you have to understand employers don't care about how much debt have. The only thing they care is ability to do the job and commitment to that job. You have made it harder for yourself but it could pay off.

I'm aware they don't care about my debt. That was more a thing for myself and my family. I'd like to graduate with minimal debt and be able to just move on with my life, avoiding the garbage one has to deal with when it comes to student loans.

Captcha: Well isn't that special?

Too right.

Avoiding debt is one of the biggest reasons why I haven't even looked into transferring to a university. I'm attending a community college right now that is affordable.

 

[Vausch]

So basically my attempts to avoid debt and find better schools have all resulted in me causing damage to my future employment as a mechanical engineer.

I hate society.

Almost everything in adult life is trade off in one way or another. I'm only talking in generalities, your choices have shifted the odds against you by a small margin. Its not fatal, yet, but you have to understand employers don't care about how much debt have. The only thing they care is ability to do the job and commitment to that job. You have made it harder for yourself but it could pay off.

I'm aware they don't care about my debt. That was more a thing for myself and my family. I'd like to graduate with minimal debt and be able to just move on with my life, avoiding the garbage one has to deal with when it comes to student loans.

Captcha: Well isn't that special?

Too right.

Avoiding debt is one of the biggest reasons why I haven't even looked into transferring to a university. I'm attending a community college right now that is affordable.

I tried that for a while. My local one is rather awful. I actually got put on a watch list and lost a year of schooling because they wanted proof I wasn't trying to cause fraud with financial aid. On top of that the general classes had some rather poor teachers, some not having any idea how to set up an online class if I had taken it and in one cases failed me because I didn't take a test on a certain date even after calling in and saying I couldn't take it due to work.

I tried Portland Community College as well. Much better school, but couldn't find work while there and had to return home after less than a year.

Overall University is looking like the best option. Yes it's more expensive but I had attended it before, and they offered many scholarships to me to the point where it was less than 500 out of pocket that year.

 

[Bat Vader]

So basically my attempts to avoid debt and find better schools have all resulted in me causing damage to my future employment as a mechanical engineer.

I hate society.

Almost everything in adult life is trade off in one way or another. I'm only talking in generalities, your choices have shifted the odds against you by a small margin. Its not fatal, yet, but you have to understand employers don't care about how much debt have. The only thing they care is ability to do the job and commitment to that job. You have made it harder for yourself but it could pay off.

I'm aware they don't care about my debt. That was more a thing for myself and my family. I'd like to graduate with minimal debt and be able to just move on with my life, avoiding the garbage one has to deal with when it comes to student loans.

Captcha: Well isn't that special?

Too right.

Avoiding debt is one of the biggest reasons why I haven't even looked into transferring to a university. I'm attending a community college right now that is affordable.

I tried that for a while. My local one is rather awful. I actually got put on a watch list and lost a year of schooling because they wanted proof I wasn't trying to cause fraud with financial aid. On top of that the general classes had some rather poor teachers, some not having any idea how to set up an online class if I had taken it and in one cases failed me because I didn't take a test on a certain date even after calling in and saying I couldn't take it due to work.

I tried Portland Community College as well. Much better school, but couldn't find work while there and had to return home after less than a year.

Overall University is looking like the best option. Yes it's more expensive but I had attended it before, and they offered many scholarships to me to the point where it was less than 500 out of pocket that year.

Nice. I don't think I could qualify for any scholarships. I never did sports or was really all that good at anything besides getting good grades. Plus with being 27 I feel I have missed the opportunity to qualify for any type of scholarship.

 

[Vausch]

So basically my attempts to avoid debt and find better schools have all resulted in me causing damage to my future employment as a mechanical engineer.

I hate society.

Almost everything in adult life is trade off in one way or another. I'm only talking in generalities, your choices have shifted the odds against you by a small margin. Its not fatal, yet, but you have to understand employers don't care about how much debt have. The only thing they care is ability to do the job and commitment to that job. You have made it harder for yourself but it could pay off.

I'm aware they don't care about my debt. That was more a thing for myself and my family. I'd like to graduate with minimal debt and be able to just move on with my life, avoiding the garbage one has to deal with when it comes to student loans.

Captcha: Well isn't that special?

Too right.

Avoiding debt is one of the biggest reasons why I haven't even looked into transferring to a university. I'm attending a community college right now that is affordable.

I tried that for a while. My local one is rather awful. I actually got put on a watch list and lost a year of schooling because they wanted proof I wasn't trying to cause fraud with financial aid. On top of that the general classes had some rather poor teachers, some not having any idea how to set up an online class if I had taken it and in one cases failed me because I didn't take a test on a certain date even after calling in and saying I couldn't take it due to work.

I tried Portland Community College as well. Much better school, but couldn't find work while there and had to return home after less than a year.

Overall University is looking like the best option. Yes it's more expensive but I had attended it before, and they offered many scholarships to me to the point where it was less than 500 out of pocket that year.

Nice. I don't think I could qualify for any scholarships. I never did sports or was really all that good at anything besides getting good grades. Plus with being 27 I feel I have missed the opportunity to qualify for any type of scholarship.

My school throws scholarships at you if you maintain a good GPA and are taking the right degree. They reward sciences the most.