Anyone here regret NOT going to college?

[nitrousninja]

I am going to see a councelor at the end of the week and schedule a couple of classes to start out. I'm 26 and went for one year out of HS and just wasn't ready. I'm making about $42,000 a year now and will make 8-10% more next year depending on my raise but I think there is more out there for me. I just don't know what IT is yet. I just see kids in school now and can't figure out why I didn't go back sooner. It's like the years flew past without my ever knowing. I just hope my brain still works:Q

 

[Jfur]

my husband is condiserably older than you and is due to grad next year He started, then joined the Navy, then time just flew by.... btw, older students are usually much more focused and better, if you ask me (I teach) -- you'll do great!

 

[daveman]

I went to college for Operations Management I am going back this Fall for Internet Technology. The main thing I regret is not going into the Military after high school then going to college.

 

[SilverThief]

I regret never having gone... I'm 31 and definitely ready to go now! May just do it in the spring.

 

[ChrichtonsGirl]

I regret not finishing college when I originally attended 15 years ago, so I'm going back next spring to finally get my degree.

 

[Descartes]

I regret not finishing, definitely. A degree wouldn't help my position at all right now, but it's something I definitely want. I've long wanted to do graduate level research work, and it's hard to get what I need w/o being involved in the university. I'm just 21 now, so I have time, but I can't seem to figure out how I could fit it in with my volatile schedule. The way IT is right now (I'm a developer), I can push over 6 figures easy with a little side contract work, but I don't know how long that'll last. I'll need something to fall back on in the event that the industry collapses.

My cousin went back to school when he was 28, and he's now an electrical engineer. His focus was education, and came out with awesome job opportunities because of his performance. You're young, and you'll be more dedicated now than you were when you were 18, so good luck!!

 

[MichaelD]

I have very, very few regrets about my past. One of them is not finishing college. That's probably the dumbest thing I've ever done. I did 30 credits, then dropped out to work. But, b/t those credits and the various CLEP tests I've taken, I now have 68 credits, but no AA, because I don't have enough "squares filled." I'm going back in January (part-time, no-name college) to get "a degree." Home-ec, basketweaving, I don't care. I just want a piece of paper that says "degree." I need a degree for what I want to do in the future and it doesn 't need to be in a specialized field.

I dislike the classroom environment. I do much better with hands-on type learning. I fall asleep in lectures. Now, classes like debate or speech where I'm an active participant I do very well in, but a class that you just sit there and takes notes, it's Sleepyland for me.

 

[yasha]

I regret GOING to college! I can't get a god damn decent paying job with a Bachelors in Science. :| I'm going to order that Realestate package I see late night on tv and make my millions that way.

 

[Davegod75]

i would recommend going. Investing in yourself with things like education are the best things you can do .

 

[kranky]

I regretted not finishing, but I did finally go back and get my degree.

For anyone who is what they call "non-traditional" (=older than the typical college student), and worried about being able to handle it, you probably can without too much trouble. I had an 8-year break in my college career, and it seemed much easier when I went back than when I was there right out of high school. Either it got much easier, or I was a better, more focused student, or a combination of both. I aced all 14 courses I needed to finish my degree.

Where I would advise being cautious is with those programs that say you can get a degree in 18 months or something like that. My brother is taking one of those, and yesterday he was admitted to the hospital with stress-related heart problems. The pace is too frantic to handle with a full-time job at the same time. They take one course every 8 weeks.

I remember is a letter to Dear Abby years ago where someone wrote in on this subject. The writer said he was 32 and considering going to law school, but said it would take 8 years to finish and by that time he would be 40! Abby asked how old he would be in 8 years if he didn't go. So you might as well go!

 

[burnedout]

I stayed in the Army for 20 years. Joined after completing 1 year of college. Retired last year and am 39 now.

Took classes while in. Yet with all the semester hours I currently have which is 90+, am still over two years away from Bachelor's degree completion. Have an Associates degree, which isn't worth much.

Am working on the 4 year degree now. Established goals to have earned a Bachelors degree by the end of 2004, and a Masters by 2008. I know I can do it. Just earned an A in a C++ programming class. Work full time too.

I don't regret NOT finishing college while in my 20s. With my retired pay, plus civilian job, I gross $45K per year. Net $37K.

Even though there was so much BS and hardship in the military, the experiences were worth it.

Besides, currently all the Masters and PhDs I work with think I'm a guru. I repair their computers

 

[Daniel]

I'm not done yet, I had transferred 2x and ended up following my gf at the time to her college (major mistake), small private place that was used to walking all over its normally spoiled rich students, didn't go over too well with me and I ended up geting in a huge arguement with the dean and leaving. I've taken other classes via the local college for mostly computer related stuff in the last few years and now I've got maybe 3/4 of a year left until my BS, just looking for the time and money to do it now, and someplace that can do distance education as well so I can fit it into my schedule.
Do I regret not being done, sure, it doesn't make a huge diff in my field being technical but I've done enough and I want to get it over with so I can have it completed. Do I regret leaving the situation I was in at the time, not at all.

 

[wyvrn]

I regret it big time. Going back full time in the spring to finish (when my wife graduates and is working). I should be able to finish in just over a year that way. Sick of making 33K a year when I KNOW I am smarter than the people above me. So off to get that piece of paper

 

[Descartes]

<< Sick of making 33K a year when I KNOW I am smarter than the people above me. So off to get that piece of paper >>



Sorry, but a degree won't change that. I know, and can do more than a lot of people I've worked with that make 2x what I make. This won't change when you get that piece of paper. There will always be less intelligent people working above or below you.

 

[FettsBabe]

I don't regret waited. I waited three years after high school before I started junior college. I will get my Bach. of Science in the winter of 2002. Start law school 2003. I'm much more mature now, and I know the importance of doing well. I think I would have wasted a lot of money and time if I attended college directly after high school.

 

[BoberFett]

I don't think I regret not going. I may have missed a lot of experiences I would have had, but I've had others that people who went to college missed out on. I got lucky, and without college was making $60K by the time I was 23. Going through some rather large life changes right now, I think I'm about ready to go back. I don't expect a degree to help me make more money, but what it will do is open up more oppurtunities.