[moooo2u]

I'm 49 and over the past 30 years or so, I've taken about 100 credits at 4 different colleges. I would like to just finish my degree at this point but my wife says that its pointless because I have a good job as a Director (manager really) of a Product Support group for a very large software company. I've spent 30 years in technology and have done some amazing things.
but I don't have a degree.
I've always considered that a failing.
I've always been more focused on work work and that's always taken time away from school.
When I started college out of high school, I went from rural to a city campus and was completely unprepared and could not even remotely afford and that was a bug mistake. I did not do too well but dropped out because I could not afford it. Then I starting working to support myself and that just took over. Eventually I tried to go back to school full time and work full time but that was very difficult with my demanding wife constantly complaining that there was no time left for her.
I dropped to part time school while working full time and then moved back to my wife's home area where I again switched schools and kept trying to take a class here and there and still build what was turning out to be a quite successful career but that itself took A LOT of time and school again fell to the side.
My last class was 12 years ago which coincided with me getting a new job in a new sector of software because of a mentally scarring layoff. That required a huge investment in time to build myself back up so no time for school (but at least I was learning a lot of new technology).
I feel that not having the degree limits my options. I had spent 16 years in the financial software industry and then switched to security software for 13 years and I want to make my move into something I find more interesting - GIS with a focus more on Environmental issues. I believe that's something I can enjoy doing for quite a long time and its a socially useful field to get into. One problem is that with new automated systems, doors are often closed right up front when you can't check the bachelors degree box. Of course, you can rely on your network and contacts but if changing focus, you may not have anyone in your networks that have the right contacts so that means you start building a new network. It takes time but its important - problem is that when you are as busy as me, there is little time for anything but current work and focusing on a new area tends to take time away from current responsibilities.
I guess I got a bit off track with that.
What do people think, is it too late? Should I just listen to my wife and be happy with what I have? I should mention that my current job actually makes me want to kill myself - that's how much I really don't like it - but it has its advantages - I work from home (which is also a disadvantage).
Sometime I think that maybe my current state is good for my wife and that's all she's looking at.
I went to an info session yesterday for a state college specializing in adult education and I really think its time but I'm worried that it will just be another failure and that it will take too much time away from family and that usually ends badly for me with my wife really reacting poorly to that.

[kaliope]

i am sure you have heard it many times, it is never too late to get an education..... especially if you are unhappy with your current situation. even if you werent, from the sounds of it, it would do wonders for your self esteem, morale, self satisfaction, bucket list...i just cant seem to find the right word i am going for, but i think having that degree is just really important to you whether you use it or not. it is something you started that you want to finish. i have always wanted to go back to school after dropping out after one semester after high school then going back and only getting an associates. but i never was able to figure out what i wanted to do. so i just started taking a class a semester to get all the general ed out of the way in order to get to the university. after 7 years and another associates i finally decided on social work. in total it took me 10 years to get my bsw. the thing is, dont set yourself up for failure. jumping in with both feet may be too much if you see how that has been too overwhelming for you in the past and you lack the support for it right now. but taking a class or two to meet your goal for it right now may work and the wife warm up to it over time as you build the contacts you need to move into that field.

[Aviza]

You know I went back to college later in life, and honestly the satisfaction from earning my degree was like I finally accomplished something in life. Hasn't changed much in life really, other than I now have student loan debt., parents paid before, but the change was internal. I feel accomplished. I attained a self imposed goal. That to me is worth it.

[K2TOG]

My advice is to go for it! It's NEVER too late and you are NEVER too old to learn. I recently returned to school because it was my biggest regret in life that I did not finish college when I was younger. Now that I am older and more focused I am really enjoying school and learning a lot. Once you earn that degree nobody can take it away from you.

[Perna]

You sound like my middle brother. He never got a degree either (he's nearly 72), went into the Air Force (1960's) and they taught him what became his computer skills plus working his way up in tech businesses (old Sperry/Univac). He had a great career and did as well or better than the rest of us. My other two brothers and myself and stepsister all got degrees and are all "ourselves". My oldest brother, nine years older than I am, got his degree the same year I got mine (so 9 years "late"). I changed my degree my senior year of college and got a degree in another major. When I was 50 (2000 :-) I had the pretend-I'm-85/at-the-end-of-my-life-what-will-I-regret talk with myself and realized I still loved the major I had originally and had changed out of when I was 20 because I was afraid. I was no longer afraid so went back and got a second degree in what I was "supposed" to. Like you, I had been taking classes since I left school so getting that second degree was not as bad as I thought it would be. I got it at a wholly online university (University of Maryland University College: Accredited Online College | UMUC ) and it took me 5-6 more years but has been well worth it to me because it was what I wanted. Maybe take another course or two to see if that sort of thing would be what you want?

Who cares if you can see how it might help you; you can't really know if it will help or not. You might meet classmates or professors who want to team up with you and offer you a different, better opportunities, you can't know? You might make connections who want to give business to your company and get promoted or whatever because of that where you are? It might just give you ideas, help you do your current job better.

[moooo2u]

thanks everyone. I applied SUNY Empire State College, a state school geared towards adults wanting to get their degrees that offers a combination of remote and onsite learning. I'm just waiting for all my transcripts to get there. We'll see how this goes. I'm still hit with waves of self-doubt thinking I'm stupid for doing this but that's what I always do to myself. Hopefully I'll be starting in the January term (if I get in) but I'm right at the application deadline so may have to wait until their next term - we'll see.

[Perna]

You will probably get in even at this late date since you are more a transfer student than a new, kid student. You have a history of taking college courses successfully and the school realizes it's all a matter of your motivation and should/will work helping you there, supporting you, but they don't really have to worry about if they should have given the space to someone else, etc. like they do with the untried youngsters just out of high school who often don't know what they want yet or how the outside world works.

No need for self-doubt. If it's what you want you'll make it work, if it doesn't quite fit, you'll decide to do something else. Don't worry about the College or "if" you can do it; that's based on something outside you, someone else's judgment and no one else counts in this endeavor, it's all you and what you want to do. Once I got to working on my second degree in history, I twisted ALL my courses so they were about history, LOL. You write your English papers about your subject, you see what math and science has to do with your subject (for me, the other people and subjects, all were historical or had histories I could explore :-) Bend what you are learning to your interests and will! Makes it much more personal and interesting.

[538569]

You may want to look at evening and adult classes at The New School or CUNY. They are great with adult students. I finished my degree at 56 after many years of struggle, illness, marriage and divorce. It was more about my self-esteem than employment. I am now 61 and trying to figure out how I can get into a doctoral program. Why not? except for money, but I am going to try.

[moooo2u]

just a quick update - i'm about 6 weeks into classes at SUNY Empire taking 2 classes - one a programming class and one a mandatory degree planning course (you have to plan your entire degree, justify it and have it approved - it a bit different). I'm happy to be in but I forgot how stressful it is to try to manage family, work, and school. Also the degree planning show that I might have about 3 years left if taking 2 courses per semester - that's a little longer than I hoped for. but I'm in and doing it so that's a lot of progress.

[nicoleflynn]

I started school at 60 and am a Sophomore at 69! Age is irrelevant; I have 72 more credits to go, but I won't quit.

Good for you!

[hvert]

That is awesome, good luck!

Originally Posted by moooo2u

just a quick update - i'm about 6 weeks into classes at SUNY Empire taking 2 classes - one a programming class and one a mandatory degree planning course (you have to plan your entire degree, justify it and have it approved - it a bit different). I'm happy to be in but I forgot how stressful it is to try to manage family, work, and school. Also the degree planning show that I might have about 3 years left if taking 2 courses per semester - that's a little longer than I hoped for. but I'm in and doing it so that's a lot of progress.

So glad you took the plunge!!