Going back to school....

Daslin

Alright, I'm actually opening this to ask you all, if you did go back to school, how old were you, and what was it like?

I'm thinking of heading back to school, to become a nurse(Yes, you can make the obligatory jokes now). And I'm 23, so by my math, if I go full-time, I'll be an RN at age 27-28. I just... never went to college and I was wondering what kind of experience you all have had, if you went to school at a later age than 18... Also, if you know, how hard is it to get grants/loans and the like? I really want to have an actual career, and nursing seems like a nice fit for me.

Thanks for any information you may have.

Erasariel

Not one of those, but let me tell you this: in the community college I'm studying at, there are numerous 30-somethings (and even 40-somethings) who do extremely well in class, are treated well by classmates, and actually are great people to be classmates with.

Don't give one fuck about your age, man. It's just a number and it shouldn't stop you from learning.

Tarkanian

Erasariel said:

Don't give one fuck about your age, man. It's just a number and it shouldn't stop you from learning.

On the other hand, it may be a deterrent from making you learn new things. As a 29-year old, I find that I don't have the same initiative and competitive drive to learn as much as I want and can, compared to when I was a teenager. As you grow older, you kinda settle in into your own private niche in the world, where everything revolves by your understanding, and everything happens within your own reasoning. It takes real effort for a grown man to compete with a younger generation, specially in today's context, when everything and anything is within reach, 'cause, Internet, man.

Ask yourself: when you're 2 years shy of hitting 30, the age when most employees have probably settled in on a job and grown company roots, would you be willing to go toe-to-toe with fresh grads in hunting for a job? Know that 4-5 years in age difference can make or break your application: it's highly likely that an employer would favor a younger, inexperienced graduate than a 30-year old one with the same level of experience.

If you're really serious about starting college and going through all the school-related hassle that a majority of the world's teenagers go through, then by all means, go for it! But be sure you're up for it, otherwise, you'd probably lose interest not even halfway in, and waste your time and money.

Cooper

Do it.

Lianca

Do it!
There are a million excuses you can make to not go, but never ever skimp on your education, if nursing is something you want to do, to hell with the naysayers, if you can do it, you should.

Tvistor

Do it, bro man.

Also, because no one else has, lol nurse.

But you know I respect you.

Achilles

I'd do some research of nursing schools and where the healthcare market in your area.  I know a lot of hospitals in California for instance are not really hiring (everyone wants experienced employees, hospitals are no different).  

That said its a good career, has one of if not the highest hourly wage jobs (outside of managerial/administrative nurses, you are eligible for overtime) and if you are willing to relocate you should be in demand until retirement.

Desmera

I think that it's wonderful that you're looking into going to school! Good for you, I say! If you're really interested in getting your education, you should certainly go for it. My advice is just to take it slow, even if you feel the need to hurry things along because of your age in comparison to others. Better to get into the rhythm of attending lectures, doing the homework, fitting in study time, and so on and so forth before piling on the units. Once you get the hang of everything, then start challenging yourself to do more. Otherwise, it may just burn you out before you can get truly begin.

I didn't start late, per se, but I've had to go back and forth to school since I was eighteen because of difficulties with getting financial aid and juggling work with a full class schedule because of the difficulties. It's worth it despite the fact that I'm behind, though it hasn't been easy. The field I'm in is a little more generous towards being older, however, which is why I haven't been too worried.

Anyway! I'll echo the sentiment from those above me- age is just a number. To hell with anyone who would discourage you because of your age. Just be prepared for the adjustments you'll have to go through, do your research, and keep your goal in mind! With that said, best of luck to you! Totally rooting for ya!

Rispok

I started going back to school at age 24, and I'm doing very well. I have had more enjoyment than in my previous attempts, and I have a MUCH better GPA than I did before (26 credits at 4.0). I'm currently at community college for an AA in theatre to transfer to a 4 year school for a BA in theatre, to get into a JD program.

It has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Salvar

Do it. I teach and at both the 4-year and 2-year colleges I have taught at there are many many students who are in their 40s, 50s, 60s.  Being in school in your 20s or 30s is actually very common. 

Bravo. 

Eld

Rispok said:

I started going back to school at age 24, and I'm doing very well. I have had more enjoyment than in my previous attempts, and I have a MUCH better GPA than I did before (26 credits at 4.0). I'm currently at community college for an AA in theatre to transfer to a 4 year school for a BA in theatre, to get into a JD program.

It has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

BA in theatre seems an odd setup for law school.

Orklanishkal

Can't think of a US liberal arts major that has anything to do with law school though. Philosophy maybe, sort of? Most law students were poli sci majors but it's not related at all.

Idelisa

So @Lucine will probably be amused by this...

But I'm a school-for-lifer.  I effing love school, math, history, essays, you name it.  So every once in a while I go back and take a few classes, like others have said, there are people of all age groups and making friends easy, no matter what age you are because almost everyone needs someone to study with.

That being said, if you do go back and spend the money for nursing, check around to see if there are nursing homes that pay for school.  There are some around here that give you jobs, and pay for schooling as long as you sign a contract with them.  The money isn't great, but you will have guaranteed experience which will be your biggest challenge coming out of nursing school along with school paid for.

Rispok

Eld said:

Rispok said:

I started going back to school at age 24, and I'm doing very well. I have had more enjoyment than in my previous attempts, and I have a MUCH better GPA than I did before (26 credits at 4.0). I'm currently at community college for an AA in theatre to transfer to a 4 year school for a BA in theatre, to get into a JD program.

It has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

BA in theatre seems an odd setup for law school.

You need a degree to get into law school. It's best if the degree is something related to the type of law you want to do. Like chemical engineering is an option for patent law, etc. I want to do litigation, so theatre makes sense for me.

Achilles

Law schools like a diverse student body, both in majors, genders, undergraduate schools, race, ethnicity etc.  The majority of the students will be English, History or Political Science majors (people used to reading and writing a lot) because those undergrad degrees alone don't hold that much value in the corporate world.  However, a lot of engineers are now getting JDs because having a BA in one of those fields is a requirement to be a Patent Attorney (one of the more lucrative laws to practice).

Lucine

Man, at my college, we have a group of old men who come and take classes.  Then rub it in our noses that they don't have to take the tests, or do the essays, or anything.  They all sit together, like the cool kids!  And they are, they're so cool and lucky.

So, yeah, there is a big age group.

@Idelisa Oh sure, you like real life essays.  -puts that in her notebook- I'll be sure to remember that, for next time.

Eld

Orklanishkal said:

Can't think of a US liberal arts major that has anything to do with law school though. Philosophy maybe, sort of? Most law students were poli sci majors but it's not related at all.

That's basically true (though some schools do offer "pre-law" or "legal studies" undergrad degrees). I'm just used to seeing people planning to go to law school doing things like english, poli sci, maybe philosophy - generally things that emphasise the sorts of work required by law school: lots of reading, writing, and logical argumentation. Or, as Achilles points to, science/engineering for people who know they want to do patent law/intellectual property/etc. The reading, writing, and reasoning are certainly things that you ought to be learning in the course of any degree, and I didn't mean to imply that theatre was a bad choice, it just took me a little by surprise.

Rispok said:

Eld said:

Rispok said:

I started going back to school at age 24, and I'm doing very well. I have had more enjoyment than in my previous attempts, and I have a MUCH better GPA than I did before (26 credits at 4.0). I'm currently at community college for an AA in theatre to transfer to a 4 year school for a BA in theatre, to get into a JD program.

It has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.

BA in theatre seems an odd setup for law school.

You need a degree to get into law school. It's best if the degree is something related to the type of law you want to do. Like chemical engineering is an option for patent law, etc. I want to do litigation, so theatre makes sense for me.

Fair enough!

Daslin

Wow. Thanks guys. I think I'm going to go back. It's really worth it. Really tired of the major bullsh- life I'm kinda running now. And @Tvistor, I'm glad it was you who made the first joke.

Sigge

I keep thinking about going to school to become a Masseur, only because people say I'm a natural, but I have no idea what I'm doing and these are just friends/family that have been suggesting it. Also, I have no idea if it's really what I want to do. I know they make good money though, and If I really AM good at it, then why not?

The only problem is that I'm poor, live with my Mother, have no vehicle, and have no idea how to go about doing anything...

Ruth

@Kaevan should be able to tell you more about the line of work you're thinking about entering. I just have to attract him here.

Also, I have a bunch of 30 something's in my course (it's medical related) and project group. They seem to excel in their studies far more than us younglings do.

Kaevan

Alright, alright. You got my attention, @Ruth. I'll speak on the 'nursing' aspect of the original post more than the college experience, however.

As a preface, I am currently a nursing student attending a university in Texas. I'm in my 20s, male, and I find the program rather satisfying so far. However, the amount of paperwork involved seems amazing -- good thing Achaea has been making me ready for that aspect of it for years now.

As for the age range, we get all sorts. We've got the usual fresh-faced students coming straight out of high school after finishing their prerequisites and older individuals in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. In this particular field, no one really cares how old you are. Unless you're liable to break a hip or something while helping move a patient. Then we might have some problems. Everyone brings something to the table, so to speak, no matter what their age group is. The older individuals bring their life experiences and are sometimes better able to relate to some of the clients that we end up taking care of. The younger students don't have those experiences to draw on and but can generally substitute good cheer and enthusiasm.

Being a male student isn't really a problem if your preceptor on the floor happens to be awesome, even in L&D (labor and delivery) where I eventually want to work in. Of course, some of the old guard are not going to be very happy with your presence but that shouldn't overly concern you. Unless they happen to be your instructors, in which case, it can occasionally become awkward. Personally, I've never had any problems from my instructors or preceptors and only one of the clients I was helping care for was absolutely terrified of me. That was a new experience. I know I'm terrible at smiling IRL, but eeesh... slowly backed out of the room with my hands visible...

Basically, so long as you're a decent human being and can connect with people a bit, there's no reason entering college or a nursing program should be a problem. Nursing is supposed to be a team effort so it's more or less established that you've got to be willing to trust the people that you're working with (or have a good reason not to) and have each others' backs early on in the program (or so I would hope). Some programs are a bit more cutthroat so I cannot speak for all of them, of course. The atmosphere in our program generally results in our classmates treating each other like an extended family of sorts.

As for the college 'thing', it depends on where you get your grants and loans from. There should be someone at your university that can help you navigate the web of available scholarship, grants, and loans. They're not necessarily hard to get, but there is a lot of paperwork involved in acquiring most of them; the sooner you start on that the better off you'll be in general. Be aware of the deadlines in submitting aforementioned paperwork. If you lean more towards outside loans, there should be several banks that offer student loans that you can look into. As I have no idea what is available in your area, you'll have to do the searching yourself.  

Clinical experiences will vary wildly depending of the atmosphere and outlook of your hospital. Most of mine have been fantastic (most, not all) mainly because the majority of my clinicals have taken place in a teaching hospital and almost everyone is more than happy to explain things to students (or quiz them). The fact that you're male again really shouldn't mean anything, in theory. Occasionally, I still get shoo'd out of the room by a preceptor for anything that involves a female and a foley catheter, though. I've also heard mixed reports about clinical experiences for male students in L&D and postpartum floors. Again, mine were exciting and I had a great preceptor but not everyone is so open-minded.  

And to echo what Achilles said, you may want to do some research about where you might want to work. I would also say 'What you want to work in' but they may change drastically once you have some experience in those settings. I love working in L&D, postpartum, and newborn, for example; I thought I would absolutely want to run out of there screaming. Pediatrics? No. The children are wonderful for the most part but the parents occasionally scare me to pieces. And child abuse is one of my berserk buttons.

TL;DR: Do it.

'As long as people keep on getting sick, getting injured, or doing stupid things I will always have work to do.' -- Me

Edit: Changed 'and' to 'or'.