Pros and cons of doing another bachelor's degree?

Question

I finished a liberal arts BA in 04'. I'm 28 now. Lately, I feel my education is not inabling me for challenging careers (I do crap office work for a corporation-business is the profession of dullness and I feel is for those who lack any ounce of imagination).
Over the past months I've found myself intensely interested in physics/astronomy and other sciences. It seems science has a potential that I wrongfully dismissed in my early years, a potential that could satisfy me more intellectually and career-wise. The only problem is time and money. I'm already 28. By the time I would start a new major I'd be 29-probably 33 when I finish. I still have 20 grand of loan payments from my first degree. My parents and girlfriend are against the idea-saying I should spend my time and money, if I decide to go back to school, on a master's in my field. Anyone deal with these issues? How did it turn out for you? Are there other things besides time and money I should be considering that I'm not? Thank

Answer 1

First off, age is what you make of it, you're never too old to do anything (unless it's illegal), and going back for another degree at that age shows determination, desire, and mature decision, and a lot of employers view that positively. As for a the Masters vs 2nd Bachelors debate, that depends on if you have a specific job in mind, ie a Bachelors in Chemistry would do more good for getting a job as a chemist than a Masters in Economics would, but if you're not looking at specific jobs or areas the Master's may be easier for you and look better on a general business resume.

Additionally, I think your age predictions are off, unless you're only going to go part-time, a 2nd bachelors would take much less than 4 years since many of your GenEd credits will transfer and generic credit hours will count (this all assuming your first degree was from a regionally accredited school).

I personally don't think you're ever too old to follow your dreams, if you really want to work in science go for it, money is money, but happiness is life, and besides, as long as you're in school you won't have to pay your loans.

Answer 2

Perhaps you are limiting yourself unnecessarily. It is possible, and sometimes even desirable, to earn an advanced degree in a subject other than the subject in which you originally earned a degree. For example, many M.B.A. programs prefer to admit students with an undergraduate degree in something other than business because the graduate degree is fairly close in focus to the undergraduate degree.

I graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from U.C. Berkeley but found that I wasn't really happy with the type of work that I qualified for. Many years later (in my forties), I earned an M.A. in English and I am very happy with that decision. I am teaching English as a second language to adults and am in the process of applying to business schools to teach English in that venue, so sometimes it is possible to combine different degrees.

The hard sciences may be less flexible in what they require to earn an advanced degree. I recommend talking to the master's degree programs in your area of interest to find out. At the very least, you should not have to completely start from scratch since some basic education requirements will no doubt carry over.

In the meantime, do you have community colleges in your area that offer courses in physics and astronomy? Also, sometimes universities offer extension courses to the community that might transfer toward a degree. I suggest exploring ways to dip your toes in the water, so to speak, before you sign up for a long and expensive commitment.

Don't be so concerned with age and time. We are lucky to live in a time where people often change careers and return to college at any age. Someday, god willing, you will be fifty. Isn't it preferable to reach that age and be able to say you followed your dream rather than you let it go because at 28 you thought you might be too old?

Some things I know for sure: Nothing is practical if you hate doing it. Education is never a waste of time. Life is not easy, and if you are going to be putting in that much effort any way you look at it, you might as well be applying all that hard work towards something you love.

Best of luck!