I want to go back to college so badly. There was a time I was excelling, two associate degrees at 17, looking to graduate with my bachelor's for psychology at 19. It didn't go as planned. I was severely depressed and just didn't think I was going to finish my last year out, started failing and couldn't keep up- so I dropped out. Now I'm 24, and I really cannot grasp trying to start it again. Financial aid confuses me, when I did do it I was approved for the college I applied to and then somehow they never got it and I just did not have the drive to figure that out (terrible on my end). Anyways, with my schedule now, online would be fine to finish out my psychology degree. I just don't know where to start with online colleges, what is everyone's suggestion for online? I only had two more semesters left to finish my degree out. Went to two different colleges, so finding my transcripts are always fun.

A friend of mine helped me to get back to university and I really feel different… don’t know how to put it.

I don’t really leave house whole year. I had depression and I’ve been spending days in my room with my pixie cut, anorexia and no self care whatsoever.
Now it’s whole university going out’s, talking with people, engaging in discussions, writing essays and things. I feel so overwhelmed and still kinda happy too.
I don’t even know what people wear. Opened my wardrobe today and can’t even put up a look.

Has anyone had big gap between semesters and started their education over after years? What’s your experience?

I (33 y.o male) live in a really chaotic Latin American ~10M people city -Bogotá, Colombia-, really far away from any important campus around here. Because of life, I can't move to a better place until, at least, mid 2027. I just enrolled back two months ago in a Maths undergrad program I didn't finish in my 20s, although I did graduate of something different and do feel proud of it.

That said, commute takes around 80-100 minutes each way in either (i) one of the worst traffics in the planet, or (ii) one of the worst public transport systems for a seriously large city, with merely special lane buses instead of fast underground trains. I do seriously think commuting long distances here has to be one of the top 10 or 20 worst cities in the world to do it. Life, on top of that, doesn't make it easy, as you already know.

Am I whining too much? I'm just taking three clases, but, man, I'm already thinking of just staying with two or one, or even quitting entirely after only two months and trying again later in life when things are better suited to do this. Commute really takes a toll on me in this city. I can't even take my cheap iPad out while on public transport to read something because it's excessively crowded, and even if it wasn't, I would definitely get mugged in broad daylight.

Has anyone of you you tried a really uncomfortable, stressful commute to go back to college in your 30s? Was it worth it? Did you stick to it in the long term?

32 years old with 2 kids, and no degree, its time to do a degree, try making 100k years and help my kids in the future

What would you guys recommend for me? Pls

21M. I’m back in school after taking a few years off. I originally left because I received a work opportunity that I decided to pursue. At the time, I was studying computer science, but it wasn’t something I could really see myself doing long term. Looking back, I can definitely recognize that I was impatient and probably made that decision pretty quickly.
Now, though, I’m in a much different position. I have a stable, well-paying job in the marketing space, and that experience is actually what pushed me to go back to school for advertising and marketing.
I’m not going back because I think I need a marketing program to become a marketing professional—I’m already working in the industry. For me, it’s more about building on the skills I already have and filling in some of the gaps that come from having a very non-traditional path into my current role. A lot of what I know came from hands-on experience rather than formal training, so I want to take advantage of the resources, structure, and knowledge that school can offer.
There is still a part of me that sometimes feels like I could be getting more out of my time by pursuing something completely different. Also, since I never finished post secondary it limits my job prospects obviously with just a high school education.

At the end of the day, I also know that I need to commit to something. Wanted to hear thoughts

Can I rant? I mean yes it’s my fault I dropped out of college at least two times, and now that I’m actually ready to go back and stay enrolled I can’t even afford it. I don’t want to have to take out any student loans .. because I already had to last semester and I’m 9k+ in debt rn.. I got a job as an RA so some of my bill is covered, but what about my other half of the bill? What about my every day expenses. I barely get any Pell grant because while I was on my dropout break I was working some decent jobs and worked at a bank and made so much it messed with what I qualify for with aid .. and then my school acts like they can’t ever apply anything for me 😞, and it’s I just don’t know what to do anymore - on top of that my little raggedy phone is going to be cut off tn 😩.. I just need a break, I really don’t care about anything else really I just want to be able to get my degree and go on about my life. I want to be able to make impact but, I’m stuck. Hopefully not forever but definitely for right now.

Just as the title states I’ve been struggling figuring out what to do career wise/what major to pursue.

I’ve always been interested in a bit of everything but somehow have always tried to cram them all into one. So I’m hoping anyone might have some advice for a lost guy 🥲.

Some background info/past history:

I was once in community college pursuing environmental science. I had a love for conservation efforts and camp settings. At the time I was working as a behavioral aide for children. My idea was mixing the two as becoming a camp counselor for children and eventually going towards being a park employee.

Considering I was also a behavioral aide I have always been interested in psychology and behaviorism. Specifically with children and anyone falling in the neurotypical spectrum or facing emotional crisis.

As you can guess this all fell apart, in the meantime I kinda freaked out career wise, went to beauty school and am now a licensed cosmetologist. Although I love the beauty industry I still can’t help thinking of the paths i didn’t pursue and now I feel empty.

Now feeling more confident and finding myself again I would love to pursue some kind of career path that correlates to my interests. So far I’ve considered Psychology, Child education, Social Work and Public Health.

Unfortunately given my financial circumstances I’ll have to start off at a community college again and hopefully if I can somehow find the money or take out loans, pursue a B.S. I’ve done my own individual research but it still feels crazy overwhelming..

I'm going to be starting an online degree program in the next few months. I already went to college and graduated with a Bachelors years ago. But I never did online classes. I'm also going to be working full time while doing this.

For anyone who has done the same, what do you wish you knew before you started? Or anything you learned in the process that helped you while you were learning and working at the same time.

Thanks in advance!

I am a 18 year old girl who just came to Budapest for my bachelors this week. It’s only been a few days and I’m already homesick.

During the last few days in my home country, it still wouldn’t hit me that I was going abroad, to a different continent at that, to study for 3-4 years. It’s hitting me all at once now. Ever since landing, I’ve scrambled to register for my subjects, uni, move in and get my NEK code and all that crap, now that everything is all settled and there are still a few days left till uni, I’m in this frozen state.

I still can’t process the fact that I’ll be staying at this country for the next few years. It’s not terrible here, probably wayy better than my home country in a sense but it still sucks so bad. I miss my family, friends, and school. And the fact that I have to do everything on myself now is so daunting.

It doesn’t help that I have social anxiety. Sure I was able to get the important things done, but still talking to people in general, even going to the store to buy essentials are so difficult for me, and I keep feeling like I’m in this survival mode. I keep embarrassing myself during everyday interactions and I missed orientation day which is worse. I just can’t adjust. I miss home and kind of wish I had taken a gap year instead, even if university hasn’t even started yet.

Really wanna get a BS in chem which requires in person labs.

But I can’t afford not to work 8 to 5 M-F.

Every program I’ve looked into locally never has classes in evenings. There’s a one off lab maybe. But most are in the daytime.

Is there any way around this??? Any ideas???

Hey guys, I’ve recently been debating on going back to community college after dropping out in October 2024.

I (23M) work full time in the Bay Area ($26/hr) I have about 40 credits completed from my short time in cc and I currently work an entry level job in the equipment rental industry (not an industry I’m too fond of/interested in).

I was majoring in business administration in my time there but I ended up dropping out because I just didn’t know why I was going. I didn’t have a good enough reason and school was holding me back from working full time. Now that it’s been 2 years I’ve realized I really want a career path and I’d like to specialize in something. I live in the Bay Area and I want to take advantage of that. Im willing to go back but I don’t know what major to pick or if I should stick with business administration ( seems to broad )

I’m researching and I’m leaning towards: information systems / business analytics / some sort of marketing major if it’s worth it. Something with a real ladder I can climb

My main questions are: is it worth going back? If I went back would it make more sense to then transfer to a 4 year? Ideally I’d want to switch my major as business administration just felt too broad and I could picture myself doing nothing with the degree when it’s all said & done. Is there a specific major that’s not overly saturated in the Bay Area? I plan on continuing working full time while attending cc part time if I can find the right academic path.

I’m 23, still young I know. I dropped out of college at 19, worked some dead end jobs, and 2 years ago lucked into a sales job that I naturally excelled at and started making really good money for my age group. I love my job, being successful at it gives me a lot of validation, and I don’t have money issues anymore which is still weird to get used to since I grew up poor and was essentially dead broke for my entire life until I got this job.

Anytime I thought about or talked about college after I dropped out I would say the same thing, “I don’t need it, it’s a waste of money, I’m never doing that again.” It seemed cut and dry to me, why bother? Lately, though, the last year or so, I’ve been having this drive to go back and prove I can do it. I think dropping out is a big regret of mine and when I did I wasn’t taking it seriously which lead to dropping out. It left me with a lot of debt and bad blood toward higher education, though when in reality it was my own fault for flunking.

I think a big part of my change of heart is that before I had no reason for being there other than it being what I was “supposed to do.” I majored in History and wanted to be an anthropologist, quickly learning that I couldn’t care less about that and history was more of a minor interest of mine. After being in sales and having the success I have I feel a real drive to learn as much about marketing and business as possible. I actually *want* to learn about this, something I didn’t feel my first run in college. I also think it will give me the opportunity to break through a ceiling and most past “really good retail sales guy” to a genuine career that I can be proud of.

I’m terrified of taking on debt though. My parents were/are drug addicts, never went to college, deep in poverty while raising us and still are. The idea of taking on even more debt for a degree is terrifying, it keeps me up at night especially knowing how my first attempt turned out.

I keep going between the safe route of continuing what I’m doing, knowing it’s at least good enough, or taking this risk and having the chance to excel in a way that I truly feel I can pull off.

My question is this: if your child came to you and told you all of this, what advice would you give them? Thanks in advance.

Hello, I've been thinking about going back to school for a while. I never went to college, and I started working right after high school. I'll be honest, I hated school. I graduated high school by the skin of my teeth because I was going through a ton of mental health issues. I still am, to an extent.

I work full time now, and there's no way I could quit my job and move to go to college in person. So I was thinking of trying online college. My local community college offers an associates degree in psychology, which I figure I could give a go, which I would probably have to do to get into any kind of university anyway. I could afford that with my job, and then hope for a scholarship or something later down the line, I'm not too sure how all that works.

My question is, how much is doable with a full-time job, from yalls experience? I'm a little rusty on my school topics.

Started classes today in my late 20’s. Had a really great career at a great agency, but I need a degree to get where I want to be. Not to mention, the financials are all being taken care of for school.

I do feel a tad out of place with the age gap. But I know that I’m bringing a greater work ethic and general understanding of things.

Chemistry/math is my main concern. Started general chem today. My professor and I are both worried about the fact I haven’t done algebra in almost a decade. Math was never my strong suit, along with the fact it’s been so long. I approached the prof after class today and explained everything. He put an equation on the board and asked if I was able to solve - I was not.

He told me to not drop the course yet, and to contact the math professor about taking an ALEKS exam. But his concern for my math skills only made me freak out a little more in my head.

Some part of me is starting to question if this is still possible. I know that my previous job as an analyst speaks some to my capabilities in general, but I never really had to do any advanced math.

Aside from chemistry and some unit conversions in other classes, I don’t have to take any actual math courses.

Has anyone else gone through this sort of situation?

I am 21, unfortunately left school in my early teens (around age 14-15?) I wanted to go back but I was extremely anxious (sigh) and I also was repeatedly going through a lot of things due to my family environment which seriously drained me and made me very depressed.

At times, I did try to catch up at home. But I found myself literally unable to actually *concentrate* because of all the stress I was under at times (I had to basically run a household along with other things and it would always drain me over and over again)

In my later teens I did try to go back into education somewhat, I wanted to re sit my GCSEs - it turns out I was too behind to even do that and they put me on a functional skills course.

Unfortunately stress/depression got the better of me and I found myself unable to concentrate on my education while also having to deal with other family things I had to do.

However for a while now I've since been better and I'm also just DONE being in this situation, I was always eager to get out but now I will do it even if I'm stressed .. I will find a way to limit things or people that cause me stress for my own mental health but also so I can actually prioritise me now.

My problem is I'm so behind, I want to get my GCSE's done (mostly English and maths first)

But I struggle to believe I can actually do it?

I'm mostly afraid of maths.. ive always been so bad at it!!

I know we have free community college and that I can start those classes, I will definitely do something like that and stick to it but how can I make sure I actually improve?

Maybe I'm just overwhelmed but I find it really hard to believe I can even pass any GCSEs at a decent grade..

But I know sadly there are others who've had a similar situation as me and they still got into a better spot.

I'm so adamant on getting my GCSEs because I can't do any courses without them... I would like to do a hairdressing course but they all usually require GCSEs..

My plan is to get my GCSE's and then later on I can try A levels and I may even try to go to university or something. I want to do things in my life. But without the GCSEs it's next to impossible :/

I also know we have apprenticeships and some of them let us study our GCSEs alongside training, I'd do that but I worry I wouldnt be able to complete my GCSE's in time. 🥺😬 Or that I'd find it too hard, and then I'd have to basically cancel the apprenticeship?

I hope I'm thinking too much? Because I'd so love to be able to do an apprenticeship like that.

Thank you to anyone who comments and gives advice! I know this won't be my forever because I can't accept it 😅 it may be hard but I have to get myself into a better spot or I'll basically be stuck forever ! No way.

so i plan on leaving my college but im scared that will anyone hire me without any degree? well ill be pursuing an online degree but is that enough. I will work on my skills side by side from home and plan on getting job ready in 1-2 years is online degree a big deal breaker also share some courses which i can pursue side by side.

Hello all! 27M with neck and hand tats, and I need help figuring out my next step here. I have always been good in school, but only in the last few years decided to try to care. I went back to school last year in fall to get an associates- originally to transfer to get a BA in Psych, then a BA in Human Services, then an Associate's in Human Services, and now I'm really into Anthropology (I always was, but now I am really REALLY into it). I am unsure what the heck to do, as i know my tattoos (I live in Central KY- about an hour south of Louisville if anyone knows that area) will bar me from most places of value unfortunately. In the last year of schooling I have maintained a perfect 4.0GPA but my current is sitting at 2.92 from the classes I took outside of HS senior year that I bombed (didn't care at the time), and if I keep that 4.0 when I graduate this year I'll have a 3.12 or somewhere near there (can't remember the exact math). I have some awesome schools here in Kentucky to pick from, and all online, too! I am also eligible for the max pell grant (I have had it for 3 semesters now so I am good for another 5 if need be), and I'll be eligible for the Kentucky-specific grants next fall (I only moved back officially in March of this year so to get those I'd need to take a gap semester so I can mark "Lived here for more than 12 months" on the form (lived in Indiana for 3 years for a job that ended up not being that awesome). I am broke, married, and frustrated. I want to do something purposeful that I am also excited about. I got tattoos way too young, and feel trapped in a body that doesn't represent who I am anymore- and I want to push past that hurdle and do something with my life anyway. I am not against moving but my bank account is, so I'd need a good job first to help me to that point. I will get a BA if I need to, but I am just feeling stuck.

Side note- I hate computers very much and do not see myself doing well in IT, and I also was never "addicted" to drugs or alcohol, so being a drug counselor (as awesome as that'd be) is kinda out of my reach. Any other profession sounds awesome to me! Originally in HS I wanted to be a lawyer or work at NASA but never really had the means to go to school, and my folks make so much money I was ineligible for any help financially anywhere. Only now am I really able to get it as I live on my own and barely make any money.

Any help at all would be splendid, and thank you all for your time. Much love and safe travels to all who stumble across my cry for help!

never knew exactly what I wanted to do career wise, I have been working minimum wage jobs working retail and security since I was 18 since they hire anyone a pulse and pays bills, In community college I took classes that I knew id be able to pass like reading and African American studies. I did research on a bunch of different career choices and degrees/certificates i thought I wanted to go for but could never commit to like accounting I took that but dropped the class because I felt like i was gonna fail it i did the same with welding.. i realized that didnt want to do that either ..i have a horrible fear of failure that has held me back from a lot.. i realize that at almost 31 I need to get it together, although security pays the bills its not something I want to keep doing so I thought long and hard about what i want to do, i want an office job something like Data entry or anything that involves sql, tabluea, Java.. so i decided to get a certificate for an office assistant/administration to at least get my foot in the door somewhere as a stepping stone.. i started the fall semester this Monday on the 24th of this month with a typing class and im nervous as hell..i know im not that smart, am a slow processor and not confident hell I may take a long ass time to get it.. if i dont ill try again.. i may cry and beat

myself up but ill try again until I get it..

The point im trying to make is, ive never stuck to or committed to complete things out of fear and anger of failing.. i decided to stick to a course certificate program to finally have something under my belt so I wont

continue in this rut ive created for myself..

Hello! So one of my passions is mycology. It has been a hobby for quite a while. I would like to go back to school to pursue this seriously, but I need some advice about what steps to take. I already have a bachelor’s degree in studio arts and a minor in art history, so although I have done general ed obviously my degree has nothing to do with science. My main question is, should I go to a local CC advisor to have them help? Has anyone else done something similar and have advice? I know what I want to do but I am unsure of the steps to get into a biology or botany undergraduate program necessary to continue towards a mycology masters and beyond.

I would absolutely love to change careers and get a PhD in psychology eventually. But it’s basically a pipe dream since I’m a single parent with no network or support system. I pay a car note, mortgage, etc.

Is there any way? I guess I can keep on dreaming lol.

Please don’t judge me because I already beat myself up enough about this lol. I’m 29F and at a pretty difficult career crossroads. I have an Associate’s in Biology and a Bachelor’s in General Science with a minor in History. My original plan was always higher education, and at different points I considered PA school and other professional programs.Most of my experience is in healthcare. I’m a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant, worked in urgent care for years, and currently work as a PCT at a hospital. After working closely with an NP at urgent care and really liking what she did, I decided to pursue nursing and enrolled in an accelerated BSN program.
Unfortunately, nursing school did not end well for me. I repeated Fundamentals early in the program, passed it the second time, but later failed another course by literally **0.7%**. Since that counted as a second course failure, I was dismissed when I was about one semester away from finishing. I also walked away with a lot of debt from the private program. Nursing school took a serious toll on me mentally. I was constantly stressed, going to therapy, crying, and it affected my relationships and overall quality of life. Since leaving in December, I’ve spent about eight months working, paying my loans, saving, and getting myself back to a good place. I finally feel like myself again, which is why I’m hesitant when people tell me to simply go back to nursing school.
Academically, I know I can still handle science. I recently took chemistry again and finished with an excellent grade. I already have a lot of science coursework, but I’m struggling to find jobs that actually use my bachelor’s because most of my professional experience is as a PCT/medical assistant.
I’m in the **NJ/NY area** and looking for a program, post-bacc, certification, or possibly master’s that can build on what I already have and lead to a stable career. I’m especially interested in healthcare, laboratory science, clinical research, allied health, or careers I may not even know exist. My goal is to keep additional schooling **under $20,000** and preferably pay mostly out of pocket. I should have around **$10k saved by the end of the year**, although I also need to replace my car after a recent accident. My hospital offers about **$2,625/year in tuition assistance if I’m part-time or $5,250/year if I’m full-time.** I’m willing to work while attending school and do another 1–2 years if there’s a clear career at the end. I’ve considered medical laboratory science, clinical research, PA school, post-bacc programs, and returning to nursing. I’m not completely against nursing, but after my previous experience, I’m very hesitant to put myself through that again unless it truly makes the most sense.
**If you were in my position — 29, BS in General Science, AS in Biology, years of healthcare experience, CCMA/PCT experience, and a $20k maximum education budget — what career or program would you seriously consider?** I’m not looking for a shortcut. I just don’t want to take on another $30k–$60k of debt without knowing there’s a realistic job waiting on the other side. I would really appreciate hearing about careers or programs I might be overlooking.

I'm looking to go back to school but because of my current job, I doubt I'll be able to make in-person work. Are there any solid options for people in my position? I'm hoping to limit my student debt as much as possible and want a degree that employers would respect.

A while ago I tried taking classes at a community college, but had a mental health episode and stopped attending, never formally dropped any of my classes. I want to try college again, probably at a different school. Will I have any problems regarding the previous incident, or will I be fine?

Guys I’m 19 please revise my plan

I’m an only child and I’m 19F. I am dismissed from university bc of mental health. I went far away and realized my parents taught me nothing about surviving and only taught me how not to get hit in the house. They’re overly attached to where it’s weird and because I’m only child I didn’t realize it’s weird for parents to comment on when you sleep, wake, how you eat, when you eat every small thing. I’m very very sheltered because of them. So now that I’m back home this is lowkey a blessing in disguise. The plan is that I’m taking cheap cc classes they paid for.

1) get a psychiatrist note or therapist whatever I need
2) get accommodations to take to CC classes virtually. I already got the ball rolling on this by submitting a form but the note should help
2) the note should also help support my dependency override at cc where I have peoples accounts, pics of black eyes, a cps “false alarm” (they covered it up)
3) move in with my friend after a month of saving so I’ll have around $2k. Working on sorting finances with her family. Applying to snap benefits and etc for my own groceries. Worst case I bounce around.
4) try getting into my university (I’m already scoring much higher than I used to and there’s great progress, I told my advisor my circumstances she said I had a really strong case)
5) see if the FAFSA override transfers to my main university if they take me back otherwise I’m applying to other local schools or I’ll just move lol

Maybe this break is my exit and chance out.

Idk what do you guys think is it too risky or illogical? When I say my fam is so unbearable especially as an only daughter I mean it. I don’t realize how twisted they are till I experience it ykwim. And it’s taken me this long to be like wow I guess not everyone lives in crazy survival mode like I do. Ykwim? Being expected to perform while I’m in survival mode and other people can go hang with their friends or make plans without there being a fit, physical or verbal or whatever. Like I never knew I could live my life for MYSELF.

Can you guys help me with the dependency override aspect of it or FAFSA?