Should I Follow My Dream And Finish My Masters?

I began a M.S. in Environmental Science in 2008 but only got 3 hours in before realizing that between working and trying to afford tuition, it wasn't feasible. I've now found myself in a spot in life where I have time to go back as a full time student and also received a grant to pay for tuition and books. I can be nothing but a true full time student. I think I've decided to take this opportunity to do something I think is worthwhile. I would love to be able to actually make a difference in this world. In my opinion many good meaning environmentalists don't accomplish anything because they aren't willing to compromise. I'd like to help change that. It's better to accomplish 50% of what you were after rather than get nothing. I think I'm going to drop out of the workforce at 44 for a couple of years and work on making this come true.

 

My answer to this question is always yes

 

Time doesn't wait! Do it!

Don't live life saying " i wish" do it!

 

I went back to school when I turned 40 years old. I was damn nervous but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I've ever made. You'll be surprised at how much better you do than the younger folks...I sure was.

 

That's exactly what I am doing now. And I'm 47.

 

Do it. Once you get that degree, it's done and nobody can take it away from you. Then you are free to follow whatever dreams might come up.

 

YES!

 

If you have free time, it's paid for and you dreamed of it, there should be no need to ask what anybody else thinks.

I went to Med School at 47. But I went there because there were secure jobs on the other side. Not because I wanted to.

 

if its your dream, why let little green pieces of paper make up YOUR mind? its not them that's unhappy.

 

Yes, definitely. Sounds like things have fallen into place for you to do this, so I say, go for it. Good luck!

Oh, I just noticed when this was posted, last year. lol Well, hoping you are seeing your dreams play out!

 

"Follow your dreams, follow your heart - time waits for no man. Make today a new start"
Is a Mantra to hold true - methinks

 

What do you think they're gonna do? Put a gun to your head and threaten to pull the triugger if you can't pay off the student loans? Shit, apply on the FAFSA and go!

One thing that really digs at my craw is how somepeople bitch and moan about not having a good paying job because they didn't go to college, then they bitch about having to get loans to pay for the college, then they bitch bitch bitch about every gawdamn thing on the f'ing earth all because they couldn't afford to go to college. What the hell do they want? A free college education with a blow job every f'ing week? Shit....

GO!

TO!

SCHOOL!

And get a degree. Ok, so you have to get a loan. Wah. You're gonna make the money to pay those loans a lot easier than if you're on welfare or unemployment. Then start sticking money back for your kids when they want to go to college.

Listen, times have changed. My grandfather quit school when he was in 4th grade so he could help his family farm. Guess what? That can still be done, but it's far more rare now than ever before. Even a simple job like farming takes a heafty education because of the new environmental issues we face now, because of the chemicals we now use, because of the new technology we use...you cannot flood irrigate crops now like we used to. Now there are so many different ways to not only triple the water retention rate buy double, at the minimum, the crop yields and to do so with 1/4 the water you used before. Guess what? That means you need schooling!
Welding? Schooling!
Auto repair? Schooling!
Cook at a truck stop? Schooling!
DISH WASHING?!?!?!?! Schooling!

NO JOKE, AMIGO!

So do you know what that means?

GO!

TO!

SCHOOL!

I mean, like dude! Unless you are independently wealthy, you need schooling. I thought I was smart when it came to politics. Then I went to college and learned things I never imagined. Not just the crazy shit from Noddings and Kant or even Harris. Real stuff. Verifiable history. And I was like "Wow, dude! Like totally knarly, man!"
So here you are, independently wealthy. Who ya gonna hang out with? The druggies and tweekers in the ghettos and slums? Yeah buddy, they'll accept you. Then knife you and take your shit. So what then? If you want to hang out with better people, you make yourself a better person. You go to school. You get a degree. Make money, pay off the loans, and bask in your greatness!

Or you can sit around sucking the state's dick for your welfare check and go beg the local mental heath program for a free ride to the grocery store where you can buy cheap nutritionless garbage they allege is food (no studies have verified that yet)?

Ok, rant over. Man, earlier today I had to listen to this kid get bitched at by his momma. Little f'ker quit school to be a musician when he turned 16. Nothing wrong with that, it's been done before and we have some damn good music from some of those that did that. Except...this kid is 19. And he still can't play the f'ing guitar. He can't play the drums. He can't play shit even if he's chest deep in a septic tank. All he did is scrounge around for the money to buy drugs. And he is, in effect, a loser. He can change. But only if he wants to.

I'm not against drugs, really. If you want to do the drugs, do them. I don't care. But man, you gotta be able to take care of yourself, not like that kid where he's begging and stealing just so he can get either a bite to eat or his next hit. Yeah, there ya go. What a winner. Not.

So IMO either you go to school or the world is gonna leave you behind. My world is gone. My world, living in the back country, not communication with society or anyone for that matter, it was for me the norm. Well, it can be, but everyone has bills to pay. I do you do we all do. Using the excuse "I can't afford it" doesn't float any more. Times have changed and if you look, you'll find it!

 

Same

That's impressive.
Good for you.

 

If thats what ya really wanna do then YES matt,dont let others stop you from what you wanna do

I hope ya did

 

Pretty much everything's temporary, but your degree is forever.
If everything else fails, at least you have that thing you did yourself, for yourself.
That's what I always kept in mind.

 

Sometimes 3 years on your CV in a responsible position at work can be of more long term value than a degree.
Sadly, university qualifications have drifted a long way from the requirements of industry and give a potential employer little knowledge about personality or work ethics.

 

I agree, somewhat. But sadly, I've always wanted jobs that require a specific degree, and not just valuable previous work experience.

Ideally, one would pursue a degree based on personal prefererence, but that is also somewhat useful. Ideally. I also don't think one should choose solely based on job market.
I briefly toyed with the idea of studying Latin, but yeah...I don't know what I'd do with that diploma lol. With degrees like that one has to be both brilliant and very lucky.

But I do think a degree can tell something about an individual - like, you finish what you start and you can stick to a commitment. You can get it done. Of course, that's not always the case, but you know...

 

I lot of positivity in this thread, but I dont see how the numbers ad up.

Starting a masters at 44, down to a student income for a couple years, how the loss of that income compounds over time, plus the cost of it itself and any student loans compounds over time

Even if he gets in done in two years, by 46, at most another 20 years in the workforce.

You would have to come out of it, straight into a position earning double what you were to begin with to make it worthwhile, financially anyway.

It would be a red flag for me if I saw an applicant that didnt do their masters until their 40s...what were they doing 21 to 44 or whatever?

 

Possibly served in the military?

 

it depends. a lot of jobs don't require a specific degree, they just want to see that you had one. my bachelor's is in psychology, and i've never done anything that had anything to do with that. but it was good enough to get me into a master's program.

my minor was philosophy. if i could do it again, i'd reverse it: major in philosophy and minor in psych. i found philosophy more interesting, got better grades in it, and i really don't think it would have made any difference in eventually going back for my master's.

but you're looking at it from a purely economical viewpoint. maybe he just wants to accomplish something, or maybe he actually enjoys learning. there's also no reason he would have to be down to a student income; working full time and going to school full time is a bitch, but it's totally possible. and, he claims to have gotten grants to pay for books and tuition, which means he basically has to pay nothing for school; he just needs to find a way to cover his cost of living.

it's a moot point anyway. he was last on here a year ago, he made this decision a long time ago one way or the other.