Need advice for going to college

[The Grand Nudger]

You don't -need- a law degree to do either of those things.  Still, get one, if you want one..I just wanted to bring that up.  I don't have a degree in polychem, biology , or agronomy....but that's the field I work in, as a (semi) state funded researcher, no less. Useless college age shits bring me their ideas..I make them a reality and collect the data...they collect the kudos. Can you imagine telling someone to dig a trench and having them ask "how"............: curses the earth :

(the spell is broken..I can;t pretend to be a redneck farmer anymore I guess)

I'd say dive into that, dive into what you want, and then you'd know how important it is, and how much you should expend towards the other thing..the degree.

[Jenny A]

No its not too late to go to college. But law school is a post graduate degree (I'm assuming you are in the U.S.), so if law school is the goal you are looking at seven years.  Unlike grad school, you won't be able to work your way through law school either. You'll have to borrow and borrow and borrow.  And the income of lawyers is declining while the cost of law school is going up.  So no I would not recommend law to a 29 year old, I worry about 19 year olds considering law.

Yes I have a JD and practiced 10 years. Yes my hubby has a JD too and has been practicing for 30 years.  We've done pretty well, but it doesn't look so great for new lawyers and hasn't for a decade.

How many credits per semester should I take on if I want to do my undergrad in less than 4 years? I have decent income at the moment. My business is busy May, June, July and December and extremely slow the other months. I know that after I get done with my undergrad I could probably put 20k a year towards law school. But I don't really want to make big bucks. I want to get involved with politics and some kind of advocacy work for either the environment or civil rights. I don't need a lot of money to be happy. I currently make 60k and feel very comfortable. Sorry for all the questions

Most undegraduate degrees require at least 12 credits per semester to graduate in four years
You choose the right 12 cedits you can graduate in four years on that. But, check to see what percentage of students graduate in four years at eachome college.  It's a telling statistic.

Twenty k is perhaps half maybe less than what you'll need per year to get through law school.  It will take many more hours of your time per credit than undergraduate school. Whatever your undergraduate homework load is, count on doubling it in law school.

[KevinM1]

The problem with choosing law is that there's already a shitload of lawyers in the system as it is.  It's a career filled with people not working the kind of law they wanted to do/studied for because supply exceeds demand, all of them with years' worth (10-20, depending on their loan structure) of student debt.

I strongly suggest you work backwards on this one.  Instead of going to college, and then post grad, and hoping you'll land the job you want once you're done, find an advocacy group you admire and would like to join.  Look up their openings, or, even better, talk to them.  Ask them what kind of positions they have, what those jobs entail, and what skills and education are necessary for them.  And if they say that you should become a lawyer, keep in contact with them as you progress through school.  See if they have any internships available during your quiet months.

Finally, if you're working full time, don't expect to get your Bachelors in four years.  It's just not going to happen.  Why?  Because not all classes are offered every semester.  Also, mid-May and mid-December are finals.  Like Jenny said, the workload is a lot crazier in grad school, so don't expect to work through that at all.

I'm not saying this to dissuade you, but to prepare you.  29 isn't too late for anything.  I took classes with 40, 50, and 60 year olds.  No one will look at you funny, think you're a loser, or anything else.  Reality isn't a 1980s college humor movie.  Also, employers are used to people changing careers in the course of their lives.  It's actually becoming pretty common for people whose kids are grown and out of the house.  29 is nothing.  You're still, almost, a kid.  

The big question isn't whether you're too old, but whether you're willing to put in the time, effort, and debt to do it, and if it's worth it in the long run.  

Being a lawyer isn't glamorous.  My oldest brother is a lawyer.  He studied to be an intellectual property lawyer.  He doesn't do that.  He does personal injury, wrongful termination, and police liability litigation.  He also worked on the state's big tobacco case (against the cigarette companies).  He's pretty successful for a non-partner.  Has been doing it for ~15 or so years.  He works a full 40 hours a week, and brings work home every night and on weekends.  He's also still paying off his student debt.

Again, not trying to dissuade you, but I want you to have a clear idea of what you're thinking of jumping into.  That's why talking to an advocacy group is very important.  If you can help people, make good money doing it, without having many more years worth of debt with just a Bachelors degree, then that's the smart play.  That's why Rhythm said the same thing.

[Brian37]

So I am 29 with a HS diploma. I really want to college and get my undergrad and possibly law school. Am I starting too late? Does anyone here have experience going to college later in life? My plan is to have heavy semesters when my work is slow and just a few credit during my busy times. Just give me the facts of what I am being unrealistic about. And thanks!

Keg party!........ Wha?

In all seriousness, nothing unrealistic one bit about wanting a degree. Pick your school wisely and research multiple schools not just one. Maybe find someone with a law degree and ask them how they went about applying. Funding is hard though for more and more. Research as many Grants and scholarships you can get for your particular degree. But be extremely careful with financing, there are lots of scams out there, a State college or University would be able to point you to lagit sources.  Never hurts to visit a real college in person. I wouldn't go with any TV add colleges.

[bennyboy]

No its not too late to go to college. But law school is a post graduate degree (I'm assuming you are in the U.S.), so if law school is the goal you are looking at seven years.  Unlike grad school, you won't be able to work your way through law school either. You'll have to borrow and borrow and borrow.  And the income of lawyers is declining while the cost of law school is going up.  So no I would not recommend law to a 29 year old, I worry about 19 year olds considering law.

Yes I have a JD and practiced 10 years. Yes my hubby has a JD too and has been practicing for 30 years.  We've done pretty well, but it doesn't look so great for new lawyers and hasn't for a decade.

How many credits per semester should I take on if I want to do my undergrad in less than 4 years? I have decent income at the moment. My business is busy May, June, July and December and extremely slow the other months. I know that after I get done with my undergrad I could probably put 20k a year towards law school. But I don't really want to make big bucks. I want to get involved with politics and some kind of advocacy work for either the environment or civil rights. I don't need a lot of money to be happy. I currently make 60k and feel very comfortable. Sorry for all the questions

Oh.  If you have an income you're comfortable with, that changes everything.  You'll have to check out the schedule of universities first, as I'm suspicious your busy time might be exam times.  You should also actually go to some universities and talk to them about various options-- off-season testing, correspondence courses, etc.  If you strike them as a mature person, you might find them fairly willing to accommodate some special requirements.  Some universities like having mature students, and they understand about real life.  Some may not care, I'm not sure.

And I'm not sure how it works where you are, but when I was in uni in Canada (a pretty long time ago now), law was a graduate degree. So you don't really need to worry about that for a few years anyway.

[Won2blv]

Again, not trying to dissuade you, but I want you to have a clear idea of what you're thinking of jumping into.  That's why talking to an advocacy group is very important.  If you can help people, make good money doing it, without having many more years worth of debt with just a Bachelors degree, then that's the smart play.  That's why Rhythm said the same thing.

I appreciate the honesty. I think that I might just go for the undergrad to begin with and then weigh my options after that. I don't want to be a lawyer because of some kind of movie screen depiction of it. But I really do think that I have skills that could make me a very good lawyer. I also believe that I can do a really light summer semester too that could work with my summer work schedule. That way it can help me get a few more credits in. The only thing I'm worried about is traveling. I like to travel a lot and I know that if I am going to college all year and working then I won't be able to travel at all

[bennyboy]

The only thing I'm worried about is traveling. I like to travel a lot and I know that if I am going to college all year and working then I won't be able to travel at all

Universities have holidays, too. Plenty of them.

And one thing to remember-- except for exams, attendance at university isn't mandatory at all. You could make arrangements to borrow a classmate's notes, and talk to your profs before your trip to see if there are any important assignments coming up.

[The Grand Nudger]

I appreciate the honesty. I think that I might just go for the undergrad to begin with and then weigh my options after that. I don't want to be a lawyer because of some kind of movie screen depiction of it. But I really do think that I have skills that could make me a very good lawyer.

You're an anal retentive that doesn't need much sleep, takes copious notes, and enjoys writing impersonal briefs?  

[KevinM1]

The only thing I'm worried about is traveling. I like to travel a lot and I know that if I am going to college all year and working then I won't be able to travel at all

Universities have holidays, too. Plenty of them.

And one thing to remember-- except for exams, attendance at university isn't mandatory at all. You could make arrangements to borrow a classmate's notes, and talk to your profs before your trip to see if there are any important assignments coming up.

I don't agree with universities having plenty of holidays. The one I went to - UNH - did not. It was usually just 2-3 days for Thanksgiving and a week long spring break sometime in the last couple of weeks in April. That said, the break between fall and spring semesters was about a month long (mid-December to mid-January), and the summer break even longer (mid-May to early September). Of course, UNH was said to stand for the University of No Holidays rather than the University of New Hampshire, so my experience may not be the norm.

I do agree that for the vast majority of undergrad classes, the professors don't care if you attend. What matters are assignments and exams. Unlike high school, your grade in any particular class will be based on only 3-5 things total in most cases. So, there's no bombing a test or doing a shitty job on a paper and still getting an A. That's where the pressure comes in. Assignments and exams cover a lot of material and represent a big chunk of your grade. And in my experience, make up exams or assignments are usually granted only in cases of emergency.

But, yeah. The general assumption is that students are adults who will figure out their time management and do the work. Their success at that is reflected in their grades.

[wiploc]

Am I starting too late?

No.

Does anyone here have experience going to college later in life?

Yes.  

Just give me the facts of what I am being unrealistic about. And thanks!

You will probably enjoy it more and learn more than you would have earlier.