I am 22 years old and still have at least 3 years of college left?

Question

I received an associates degree at age 20. I got a job and work full time for about a year, only to realize that I wanted to go back to school to achieve my life goals. I went back to school at age 21 and found out that most of my classes didn't transfer and really don't count towards anything. So I basically have to start over to receive a bachelor's degree. I'm not sure if I want to be an Engineer or a Pharmacist. And I will be at least 25 years old or older when I graduate. I feel out of place because most people in my classes are younger than me and have progressed further through school at a younger age. Should I finish school or just try to get a job with the education that I already have?

Answer 1

If you want to go back to school, then you should. You would be surprised at how many people are in the same boat as you are. I quit college to get married and start a family. I am now 25 and have a little over a year left.

College professors love to have older, more mature people in their class, because these students are the ones most likely to participate in class instead of just sitting back and taking notes. And don't worry what everyone else thinks.

And really, getting a degree in four straight years and graduating when you are 22-23 is a thing of the past. After most people end up changing their majors once or twice, they are about 25 when they graduate anyway.

Answer 2

If you really want to be an Engineer or a Pharmacist, you must go back to school. It really does not matter how old you are when you graduate. I have an aunt that is 40 years old, and just returned to school this year. It is something she has always wanted to do, but had no previous opportunity to do so. Unlike the other students in your classes, you will have valuable work and life experience to go along with your bachelor's degree, that will prove invaluable in the long run. So figure out what you want to do, and go for it . Besides, the national average age of a college student now days is 22-24 years old, so your are right on target. Good luck!

Answer 3

FINISH SCHOOL...This is a no brainer.
Forget about those people who sped through school (i.e me!). I finished college with a bachelors degree at 20 and I am 25 now and just getting into the career that I want. It took me several jobs to figure this out but I would have never gotten to where I am today (In a high paying job at a huge company) w/o a Bachelors degree. Even if I lucked up and got the job I wouldn't have had the power to ask for the money!! In fact, most good jobs require at least a bachelors.

Think of it this way, would you rater be "old" in school at 25 or 45? Either way you're gonna have to get your degree so do it now! My husband thought that he didn't have to get his bachelors and now at 27 he is just beginning to work on his associates! Don't WAIT!!

Good luck

Answer 4

Think about it, you're still young and not that much older. I know how you feel though, I'm 23 and still have two years left, a lot of my peers will be two or more years younger than me but when I put it in perspective it seems silly. This is an education and ten years down the line that kind of thing won't matter when you look back. My ex-bf, when he started college he was 24, didn't worry so much about feeling out of place and had friends ranging from ages 19 to 26.

Answer 5

You'll be 25 anyway, so you may as well get the degree you want. I was 32 when I finished college and will be 35 when I start my Master's degree next year. I couldn't have cared less about being older than a lot of my classmates; I was there to get an education. And if you're in your early 20s, you can't be *that* much older than your classmates, so why are you tripping? There is no set time limit to finishing college, so don't worry so much about how old you'll be when you're done. Just get done!

Answer 6

Stay in school. Get your bachelor's degree. By then, you may have more of an idea of what you want to do with your degree. If you want to further pursue your education at that point, then do so. Age is just a number. You have something the younger kids don't have. Experience, especially life experience, is more important than everything. Finish school it is much easier to complete now than once you are tied down with a family and tied down to career where you do not have any self satisfaction.

It is a lot easier to stay in the habit of studying when you are younger than having to go back to it once you've gotten out of that routine.

Answer 7

Finish up your schooling, it's better to do it know than later. Where did you go to get your associates? All local community college credit transfers without a problem because of a state law. The only exceptions are places like ITT Tech. Pharmacy is a 6 year program, and BS Engineering is a 4 year program.

Answer 8

Don't worry about feeling out of place. My father is a 48 year-old daytime law student, and he's usually mistaken for a professor, not a student. Try to find an association of older students, and join, but they may not accept you, as you will probably be considered too young.

Finish school. It's better now than deciding to get a job, and later come back, and have to take night school.

Answer 9

What do you want out of life? If earning power is your goal, you definitely need to either be creative and patent your way to money or go to school and get the degree that opens the doors for you to those two jobs you mentioned - no pharmacy can hire you without a degree (5 or 6 year) and the ability to pass the standard tests to be a doctor of pharmacy. Most engineers need a bachelor's degree at least to be hired into a company or agency. My brother is a computer engineer but his job is designing security systems for the companies who use his firm for their buildings and complexes.

Answer 10

You have a dream, you have an ambition, what you do is you do not CARE if you are older then anyone else, you do not CARE what you THINK it looks like because trust me---people are going back to school now-a-days in their 30's, 40's and some even in their 50's..... If you give up on your education, you may NEVER have another opportunity to complete it and you MIGHT just get stuck in a dead-end job that you can't get out of. Follow your dream.... you'll figure out what it is and how to attain it... if you DON'T, you will ALWAYS and forever wonder WHAT IF!!!!!