If you’ve already gone to college once, then you accomplished something that many try and don’t end up finishing.
However, as a parent, you might be at a point in your life where your original education isn’t serving you the way you hoped or how it once did.
Fortunately, going back to college later in life is possible and can be a practical solution to improving your and your family’s future.
Why Go Back to College as a Parent?
As Parents.com says about parents going back to college, there simply is no time like now. Returning to school after you’ve started a family has many benefits:
- Show your kids that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.
- Set an example about the importance of education.
- Take advantage of the maturity, discipline, and wisdom that come with more experience.
- Capitalize on new opportunities.
- Enjoy being at an age where you know what you want out of life.
- Find a career and income level that better suit your family life.
7 Great Degrees for Parents Going Back to College
While there are plenty of options among the degrees you can choose, these seven are worthy of consideration:
Business Administration: If you work in the business sector and are looking to move up instead of out of it, then a business administration degree might be your path forward.
Use this to become an executive administrative assistant or even a project manager. Human resources managers are always in need and are rewarded highly for their experience and education.
Education: There will be no shortage of students coming into the schools over the next few decades.
This career choice carries a lot of security with it, and there is no doubt about how rewarding it can be. Elementary school teachers can usually get accredited within four years, although higher education professors are likely to need more education under their belt.
Environmental Sciences: Concern over climate change is higher than ever, and most people want to do something about it.
At the enterprise level of most organizations, they just might not have the know-how to make their company more environmentally conscious. Environmental scientists can help them operate businesses in a sustainable fashion that maintains the health of the planet.
Finance: Financial analysts and accountants are always in demand. Degree paths might include accounting, finance, economics, statistics, and mathematics for four-year degrees, and certain master’s degrees are available in six years.
You can help businesses and organizations make sure that all their records are kept properly for tax purposes, or you can guide investors and business leaders towards the most profitable decisions in front of them.
Healthcare Degrees: One possible degree that can bring meaning to your life is APRN. An APRN is an advanced practice registered nurse who has attained a degree of either Doctor of nursing, Post-Master’s, or a Master’s certificate in four different nursing roles.
These roles include nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and certified nurse anesthetists. All healthcare degrees can be good choices right now. Demand for healthcare professionals is on the rise, as are the included salaries.
Marketing: Public relations specialists are always in demand by organizations looking to control the narrative about them and generate positive publicity.
Search engine optimization specialists help anyone with a website rank high in search engine results, generate lots of traffic, and convert them into business. Market research analysts enjoy a rapidly growing subsector.
Technology: The tech sector is as crucial as ever. Just two to four years of school can make you a software developer, web developer, or information security analyst.
Many of these positions can be done via remote work if you don’t want to relocate your family. Starting salaries can put you into the middle class, and many median salaries are six digits at a minimum.
Aside from the right education path, many of these fields also offer certifications to help you advance your education further.
Choosing the right field of study and pursuing relevant certifications in that field will help boost your resume and chances of landing in a number of specific career positions you may desire to work in after graduation. Pursuing certifications help you become a specialist in your desired field.
Class Options
Going back to college as a parent doesn’t mean you move into a dorm with a bunch of teenagers and people in their early 20s.
You’ll more than likely stay at home with your family, as your classes can take various forms:
- Day-Time Student: You can still take day-time classes as a full- or part-time student with on-campus residential students. You’ll need the right time off from work and live close to campus, however.
- Evening Classes: Many traditional campuses and community colleges have evening classes specifically for people who work during the day or need flexibility because of raising children.
- Online: Remote education was a thing prior to the pandemic. It’s certainly here to stay, now. You can take these classes from anywhere. Some are scheduled, but others are ones you do at your own pace.
Financing Options
When it comes to financing your return to college, you have just as many choices as younger students. In fact, you might even have more!
- Student Loans: Student loans are available to people of all ages, even if they seem oriented toward younger people.
- Grants: Whether from government or private sources, these are funds you don’t have to repay.
- Scholarships: Many colleges and universities offer scholarships specifically for older adults and working students.
- Corporate Benefits: Your current place of employment might have tuition reimbursement for certain classes. Use it.
- Credit Cards: Given the interest rates involved, this is probably the last resort, but it is possible.
- Yard Sale: Do you have a lot of things you’ve collected over the years that you no longer use? Consider cleaning out things to do a yard sale or online listings. The money you can make from selling such items may be higher than you might think. It’s at least a very real option to pay for textbooks or other living expenses you may need.
- Discretionary Income: You might not be looking to change careers because you want more money. It’s very possible you’re making plenty now and just don’t care for the work. Some families have the means to just afford tuition straight out.
- Mortgage Refinance: Depending on how much equity you have in your home, you might be able to refinance the mortgage to cash out some of what you’ve built up and use that to pay for college. There might be enough for you and your kids.
Going back to college as a parent might seem like a nightmare, considering everything else you already have on your plate. However, it is possible, and it can wind up offering you a much more enjoyable career in life. Consider:
- Your reasons for doing it.
- Great degrees for a new career.
- Scheduling options.
- Financing possibilities.
As an older and wiser adult, you’ve undoubtedly learned some valuable skills that you may have not had when you went to college the first time.
Use these skills to your advantage when recommitting to furthering your education. You will be able to make wiser decisions about your career path today than you were able to make before.
This can be an exciting and rewarding time in your life to better the lives of your family. You went once. You can do it again.
