Decisions, Decisions, Decisions. What may seem like your dream career, just may not be. An individual’s mind can change after they’ve worked on a job for several years. Companies that used to pay retirement benefits are not doing it anymore. Individuals put college on hold because “life” simply got in the way. Some had families early or entered the workforce early, only to realize that they actually needed college to promote, and the list goes on. Whatever the reason may be, college could have been on the back burner for many people.
According to 2019 research done by Forbes one million Americans returned to college and earned undergraduate degrees within the past five years. “I had a baby when I was in my teens and I hadn’t thought about college until I hit my thirties,” said Stephanie Rhodes, a full time student here at Delta College, “Too busy with raising kids and trying to work, so I definitely wasn’t thinking about it. Seems like to get a really good job you need some type of degree.”
Jobs may not be paying what individuals are seeking to earn, which can be another reason some older adults return to college after 30.
Data by the Social Security Administration written in 2021 says that men with their 4 year degrees make almost $1 million dollars more over a lifetime. Women make less, but still manage to make some more with a degree at roughly $630,000 dollars. That’s a large increase over one’s lifetime.
Maybe it isn’t such a bad idea to wait. Some students who can’t afford college can save for it by working over a length of time. That will stop them from taking out huge loans that they may not be able to pay back in their older years. With more employers looking for individuals with degrees and a diversified working class, employers may want to hire older adults with degrees. Companies like to hire older adults as well. These are companies right in our own backyard within the Santa Clara county borderline. So let’s not give up hope just yet.
Some individuals may take a break from college to travel and see what the world has to offer. Traveling can give students more expertise. Broadening their horizons may not be such a bad idea. Individuals seeking to do this may have funding issues so working can help them pay for this along with family contribution. Simply getting out does a body good, and helps prepare an individual for a lengthy college career depending on what they are seeking to obtain.
Some college students 30 and over may feel like they cannot relate to 18 -24 year olds but that is just fine. There is something for everyone in college and it’s never too late.
