Work/School Dilemma

I am a 21 year old male from the US. I recently graduated with my associates degree in a field that I have interest in. I have a good job at a really great company and I really have nothing to complain about. The company that I work for will pay 100% or my tuition if I work and also take college courses.

The specific field I want to study will require me to be a full time student, meaning I won't be able to work at my job. If I stay at my job, I won't necessarily be able to study something that I am really interested in.

I feel caged when I'm' working on a fixed schedule, as if I'm not learning enough or I am not satisfied with the work that I am doing. One week I will be ok, another week I will be miserable and depressed, thinking about what I could be missing out on because I'm just sitting in the office.

My dilemma is that I don't know whether I should continue on with my studies or just stay where I am, looking forward to the weekend over and over. Sometimes I feel I just need to quit everything, leave it all behind and go off somewhere on a whole new path.

I will certainly appreciate any insights, experiences, or advice that you can give me.

Thank You.

Well, I am not a very good person to base decisions on. BUT! I say **** it, youre young and still have plenty of time to mess up, go crazy, why settle down now when there is so much adventuring to be had?

I would stay with the job you have if its a really good job like you said. You're 21 and you have a job that wants to pay for your education (wow, big plus) and you said the company is great. That's extremely lucky of you. Most of my friends don't even have that much right now because the economy is so bad here in the U.S.

Don't throw away a good thing. Is there any way you can go to school part time or space it out? If you quit this job, you won't have an income to pay for college anyway. So I would definitely stay with this job if I were you.

No matter what job you have, chances are, you will still be looking forward to your weekends...

I keep thinking that if I do not "say @#$% it" and go off and have the time of my life than I will regret it I will greatly regret it when I'm older.
Honestly, I'm not sure what is holding me back.

[QUOTE=CosmicRose;4248170]I would stay with the job you have if its a really good job like you said. You're 21 and you have a job that wants to pay for your education (wow, big plus) and you said the company is great. That's extremely lucky of you. Most of my friends don't even have that much right now because the economy is so bad here in the U.S.

Don't throw away a good thing. Is there any way you can go to school part time or space it out? If you quit this job, you won't have an income to pay for college anyway. So I would definitely stay with this job if I were you.

No matter what job you have, chances are, you will still be looking forward to your weekends...[/Q

The main reason I got this job is because I was following a certain plan. I was going to to work while going to school and have the company pay for everything. Now there is another factor. My father died in September, leaving me and my brothers with a house (still have to pay mortgage) and a decent amount of his hard earned money. I'll say about three-five years worth of middle class income per brother.

So that is why my plans could be changing. I would now be able to afford dropping work and just focusing on classes.

Oh, by the way, I plan to study Architecture. Which will take me about 6 years to graduate from.

I'm sorry about your father. That does put you in a unique situation.

I had a conversation with my brother recently that really bothered me.

He went back to college as a young adult. He quit his job, moved back home, and focused on his studies. He also took out so many loans that he now owes more for his college degree that he still hasn't completed than I owe on my house. It's frightening.

If you have a job that will pay tuition, I would find some way to take some classes that would count towards your degree. I would also say that what I wanted to do really changed a lot as I got more work experience. It might be a better idea to find a different job than to quit to go back to school right now.

Is architecture a good field to get into in terms of job prospects? I've heard that it doesn't pay well, but I am not sure if that is true.

Thank you for your response.

Well, architecture isn't the best field in terms of job outlook, and I know it can be an underpaid position if one is at the wrong firm, but I really do have an interest in architecture. I could see myself starting my own company someday. Also money is great and all, but I'd rather live doing what I like to do than to be unhappy making a lot of money (wouldn't everyone?).

Can I ask what your brother studied?

Finding another job in my field is a great idea, and likely my next step. I won't have any problem finding a job in my current field.

You don't say anything about the kind of work you are doing currently.

I would be careful of giving up a good job in order to chase a passion. Mostly because passions can be transient... I gave up some stuff in order to chase a passion but it turned out my passion was a bit ill-formed... And it took a number of false starts to be where I am now (which I'm fairly happy about).

You want to run your own architecture business? Do you have a business background?

Your employers have offered to pay for you to study more... That is a big deal. To have a good income coming in and be able to learn more. You could get that business background, if you don't have it already.

I'm not entirely sure what the architecture thing is about... Why you want that, I mean... How much do you know about it? Is your passion likely to change? I mean... Could there be alternative hobbies that take your fancy? Cabinet making? You don't want to become a civil engineer??

I have an associates degree in computer aided drafting/design. I have adequate knowledge in this field to get a lot of entry level positions whether the work pertains to architecture or the engineering products. I shouldnt have too much trouble finding work, no matter sector it is.

I only think of architecture as a "passion" because ever since I can remember it was interesting to me, and not a lot of things are. For me, its a good balance between arts and science. I was drawing city landscapes when other kids in school were drawing stick figures. It satisfied my spatial mind capabilities.

I'm not good enough or interested enough in math to be an engineer, and I'm not purely artistic.

I see. So it is kind of related to what you are doing now... And you surely do know what architecture is about and this isn't a sudden whim... You can't study it part time, at all?

If you're planning on starting your own company through architecture, technically you don't need a college degree. Just weigh your options. My advice is to stay with a good paying job and make the best of it. You can draft up your business plan on the side and research ways to make your business lucrative and gain customers, that way you'll be able to see first hand how it would be once you graduated, without spending thousands of dollars on a degree first.

My brother was doing some sort of pre-med program. Actually, this is kind of funny - he stopped going to school and went back to construction work for a year or two because it paid better than any bio job he could get and he wanted a year off before med school. He just got a job where he's learning software development and is probably going to skip med school.

I would still go for night classes, at least for a while. I worked during my undergrad and grad years and escaped a heavy debt load. It's stressful, but it all seems worth it now that I see my friends struggling to pay bills.

The architecture college that I would plan on attending would not allow me the time to have a full time job, and working part time or outside of typical business hours is not an option where I work.

I would need to take a couple of classes before going to arch. school. I think my best bet so far is to keep working, save money, and take the two classes I need before actually committing.

All this being said, I have several weeks of vacation time, and I could use one. I hear Burning Man is pretty fun

I have heard that burning man is pretty fun, too.

Yeah... Follow your passion...

Sounds like you have a good plan to get what you can out of your current arrangement before moving on...

Just thought I would give you all an update.

I quit the job that I had and started architecture school full time in the fall of 2015 and I have really been enjoying it. I would say that I am excelling. The my teachers and the faculty at the college really seem to notice my work, too.

I went the first semester without any job to see how it was, and started working at a new job in February within my previous field, but a different job. I am really enjoying this job know too, much more than my original one. My boss notices my proficiency and is very lenient with my school schedule. He is actually letting me take a hiatus this summer so I can take two required accelerated courses. I would have been fired if I had not been performing the way I have been, he said.

So, that's that. I am doing very well so far in my journey and I have a positive outlook for my future. Thank you all once again for your advice!