The world of adult education is an increasingly expanding universe of schools, programs, degrees, certificates and ways and methods of increasing your credentials for a future of higher earnings, job mobility and even just achieving your life potential. And what is Adult education? It is higher education that you are seeking at an advanced stage of life. Whereas you may have plenty in the life skills, common sense and wisdom department, your specific credentials could use some shoring up. With all long journeys, it begins with a step, but this step isn’t towards the outside, it is toward the inside, taking stock of yourself. Before you begin your journey, you should turn inward and ask yourself:
- Why do I want to continue educating myself?
- Is the right program out there for me that fits by goals, budget, schedule, other constraints?
- What do I need to complete my goals and earn the credentials that I seek?
Just to begin, these three basic questions should cover most of the ground needed to assess whether pursuing education again is a valid choice to make in your current stage of life. Let’s take a look at number 1., the first and most important question. With all considered pursuits, one must ask themselves why because this is the primary motivator. To be able to get the most out a new educational path and see it to the end, you need to have a strong why that aligns with your values as a person. One person’s why is not the same as the next person’s per say, but as long as they are well aligned, they can work from individual to individual. What are some examples of the why? Well, the typical why that you may hear when asked about continuing education in adulthood is probably related to money. And that is not necessarily the wrong answer, so long as your motivation to earn more is altruistic such as to help improve the conditions of your family, take care of responsibilities and help others. If it is for selfish and vain reasons, you shouldn’t even try. Aside from that, you may not be concerned with earning more but you want to simply learn more out of an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and an intellectual pursuit unto it self is not necessarily a bad motivator so long as it has a worthy place in your life and is not a superfluous waste of time. A non- material reason for continuing education can be the best of motivating factors but it should be legitimate in terms of values. Even just wanting to manifest as much of your own potential as possible can be a valid reason to go back to school so long as you earnestly want that in your life and you are ready to work hard to achieve it.
So that’s a lot regarding the first question when contemplating going back to school, because really, it’s the most important. If you get that right, hopefully the next one (and the one thereafter) will fall into place. The next question deals primarily with some logistics in finding the right program. Now that you are thoroughly motivated and ready to start, what program should you enroll in? Well, there are some basic factors to consider. After first and foremost determining what is your greatest passion, and how exactly you want to further your education and in what subject, you need to search for the right program for you, based on these major things: Availability, Cost, Schedule, and Convenience. Is the major you’re looking for available out there? Can it fit my budget or can I find ways to pay for it? Can I make it work around my current schedule with responsibilities such as a job and family? Is it convenient enough for me where I can travel to class, take things online if preferred, a hybrid of both and flexible enough options where I will be able to attend class in a feasible manner. With this being said, there are a plethora of programs out there and the right one for you should be waiting. It’s just a matter of doing your research to select the right fit for you. As I hope you will see, this website is here for you.
Lastly, question three deals with a self- assessment to prepare you for your journey. You need to ask yourself if you are ready to handle what lies ahead in terms of class hours, studying, and whatever learning curves that you may be required to ascend in order to find success on your new educational journey. Knowing the prerequisites of whatever program on which you would like to embark is a great start so you can make sure you have the existing background knowledge to begin to start a new journey. Do you have all the course requirements, even if from many years ago? Do you need to brush up on 1 or 2 subjects before you get started to prepare yourself for what is to come? Or maybe you have to familiarize yourself with newer teaching methods and technologies because you’ve never taken class online and you’ve never handed in homework through the computer. All these things are worth considering before you begin a continuing education program because some of them can be a make or break before you are actually able to start. So go ahead and take the time to be prepared so that you know for sure you’ll be able to jump in worry free and just focus on learning again.
Once you’ve covered all essential ground by going over these three questions and answering them to the best of your ability, whether it takes you a day, a week, a month, however long, yet not too long that you let it linger, then you should begin moving forward on selecting the program that fits you best and start learning. You can utilize sites like ours beforehand, to gather information and make an informed choice on how you want to approach your continuing education journey, and even feel free to return whilst you are on your way. But make sure that you are confident in your decision and you are ready to begin. The best way to initiate your education is to be prepared and continue with determination and fortitude to see it through. When you are prepared, you are already building momentum to work steadily on through whatever tasks lie ahead. In the meantime there are some other things to consider to be able have a smooth and successful ride and make it through the long haul.
Know that there will most likely be challenges along the way, but people are great at adapting at almost any age, and being that you’ve come quite a ways in life, you are probably at a stage where you’ve had enough life experience to readily handle whatever may come your way in your continuing education journey. A variety of challenges may appear with respect to academics, financing, scheduling, but if you have the wherewith all to stick it through, these should not prove to be insurmountable, but readily solved, and they should make the goals you achieve and potential accolades you earn that much more worth it. Most schools out there are available to help and are flexible enough to meet people’s varying needs. It is just a matter of communication and reaching out to the right people and finding the right resources to make everything work. Look into the school’s admission department for questions regarding tuition and payment. Seek out scholarship sources and grants from various organizations for the money you need. Even consider working part- time as in a helping or teaching role within a particular program to help cover the costs of attending that school. Seek out whatever department personnel when it comes to your schedule and establish the times that work best for you, and customize your schedule, whether it is in person, online, or a hybrid in order to make the best selection of time with your day-to-day life in mind. Lastly, if you have come this far, you should have the grit to stick through any challenge on the academic side because having the right attitude and never giving up should lead to overcoming any hurdle in the process of learning, but if you need extra help, don’t feel too proud to seek it in the form of attending tutoring sessions, faculty office hours, and other valuable resources that may be out there. Just don’t overdo it on the AI help, and make sure you adhere to any professor’s classroom policy on that anyway.
All in all, if you can come to terms with what was put forward in this article, you should be readily prepared to undertake any new educational journey. Perform your due- diligence so you select the program that is right for you and you are adequately motivated to pursue it and see it through to the end. Also, make sure you have any logistics covered, you have completed whatever perquisites needed and you are mentally ready to go. Along the way if you encounter any challenges, (And there is no guarantee they won’t be there), use your experience at your stage in life to weather the storm, and feel free to utilize any resources available to assist you along the way. And of course, this site can be accessed at any stage before or along the way. Now that you have gained some insight, move forward positively with bright hopes for the future because education is always one of the best investments, and regardless of any outcome, as long as you are continuing to learn and grow, you’ve already won.