Well guys, I need some of that advice you are all so famous for

I am 26, and I was married very young. We had 2 kids, and I never went to college. Now that my kids are 5 and 6, and I have a new woman in my life that loves and supports me, I am considering going.

Ideally, I would like to work my arse off and go to medical school. I've always wanted to be a cardiologist. But even if those plans change, at least I would find some direction in my life.

Positives: I'd have some direction in my life! Set a good example for kids.

Negatives: Time and money. Balancing kids and school and work would be hard and very stressfull.

Am I missing anything? Any advice for a BOTL?

That's a hard one. From what little I know, Medical school and the first years can be long and tiring. Can you swing living expeneses, children expenses, school expenses, cigars? Doc would have better advice on getting through medical school.

How about a good MBA or Law program. It's a shorter experience if you go full time. But they may not be your thing.

But whatever you do you need to follow your heart (no pun intended). Don't get stuck in some job just because it's the easy way. If you're truly thinking of taking a new direction, do something you love. It's an experience many of us do not get.

I'm still in school, and I'm 28 with two kids. I find it difficult to balance but extremely rewarding.

I have two bits of advice for you:

1) Make sure you have a definite goal in mind. The sacrifices necessary will only seem worth it if you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I don't think that going back to school is the right thing to do if you are looking for direction. I see it more as a way of moving in the direction you already know you want to pursue. In other words, know what you want before you begin and you will be more motivated and have a stronger sense of purpose. If you were 18 and had no family, then using college as a means of finding direction would be more plausible.

2) Make sure your wife and family are on board. Some days, I don't see much of my wife and kids. My wife wants me to accomplish my goals, though, which means she is willing to put up with my absences and workload. If she were against what I am doing, I would have given up long ago.

Good luck no matter what you decide.

I also married young and we had 3 kids. One day I decided that tuning pianos was not going to make me happy so I went back to school. 6-years later I finished and began residency and after 4 more years finally finished.

In that time I practically never saw my wife and kids. Up at 5:00 to school and maybe not home until midnight or later. Residency is another story altogether.

If you really love your family you will consider this long and hard. Should you decide to do it I wish you the best of luck because you're going to need it

WOW! There's a book called "Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow." I'd say that if you can find a way to do it (4 years college + 4 years med school + I'd guess 4 years residency) then do it. If you don't want to spend that much time, I think physician's assistant is 2 or 3 years of school after college and then you go to work. (We have a friend that's one.) Or become an RN, which I'd guess would be within the 4 years of college. (All the numbers assume full-time which may or may not work for you). There are probably lots of other medical choices out there. As well as on-line forums galore.

Whatever you do, don't go to UW, i hate there football team.

Really though, good luck if you decide to go to college. Sometimes (a lot of times) I wish I was still in school. It was like a 4 year vacation. It might not have seemed like it at the time because I went right out of HS, but now that I have to go to work on regular schedule, pay bills, and do the whole life thing, I see how I had it made going to college and learning. I would love to go to grad school, but I see how hard it would be now that my life is established.

Good luck!

Thank you all for the advice. Looks like I have a lot of thinking to do.

Doc, how old were you when you started school?

Idesign, of course it would be UW! Especially if I decided to go for medicine. They have a great medical program. Of course you Oregon people would never give us props fopor anything. And by the way, how many national championships do you guys have? I forgot....no really I did....seriously, how many....I'm waiting...

VIVA LA HUSKIES AND WILLINGHAM!

Another way to look at it is that, even if you totally pursue cardio, you'll still have to start out by getting a college degree. And the first two years of that can be done at a community college, which would probably be less disruptive to your life.

quote:

Originally posted by saulphx:
Another way to look at it is that, even if you totally pursue cardio, you'll still have to start out by getting a college degree. And the first two years of that can be done at a community college, which would probably be less disruptive to your life.

Fo sho Saul. I am planning on doing that regardless of what direction I decide to go. Great minds think alike huh?

Dear Seahawkfan;

I applaud you for wanting more for yourself and your family. Studying at 26 or older is a much different experience than at 18 when you are thinking about getting laid as much as ANY class you are in. OK, that's what I was thinking about... If you have the support on the home front and the will power, you are at the point in your life when you CAN make that kind of commitment and follow-through.

When I changed careers at 38, it was too late for med-school (which would have been my dream). My kids were too big, the mortgage needed to be paid and it wasn't going to work out. I found something that satisfied my yearning for advocacy. I still consider nursing, but only occasionally because I feel very challenged and fulfilled by what I do.

I say go for it!
Andy

That's a long road to start. Start with college first and see how well you do there. Ever since about the mid 90's, admissions into med school has become much more competitive than it used to be. So if you find yourself struggling in the basic required classes (chem, phys, org chem, etc) then it will be extremely difficult to get into med school straight out of college.

You might consider attending Community College (CC) to get an AA degree. This basically says you took English, Math, Science, etc. If your CC offers you to specialize in a section like Math & Science, you will probably want to go that route. Aim high in those courses b/c obviously you'll have to take most of the Chemistry classes and probably Calc 2/3 as the highest math.

One word of caution: If you do go the CC route, when you transfer to the Univeristy, take it slow! Classes in the University are often MUCH harder than CC. The advantage though is that CC education is CHEAP! For reference, here's a current statistic:

(Assume you are an in-state resident)
DBCC $ / Credit Hour = ~$60.83 (est. $1460/24 credits)
UCF $ / Credit Hour = $99.40 (with fees)

Classes are typically 3 to 4 credit hours each, so you do the math. Which also reminds me- FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH FINANCIAL AID AND FAFSA! TURN IN THESE FORMS EARLY! EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY EARLY! The earlier you turn in FAFSA, the more likely you are to get scholarship money like grants (which you'll hopefully qualify for).

Of course, you could just go straight in to the University. Consider both options though. I see you have a family and obviously time is an issue. CC's are a bit easier to work around since they might offer night classes.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: piller,

As an RN, I would like to followup on Saul's earlier comment. To be perfectly honest, I didn't become an MD because I screwed around too much in college and in reality did not have the "iron a$$" and sheer discipline required for medical school. But, I knew from my summer jobs as an orderly at a local hospital that I loved patient care -- I had finally found my direction. So after much thought, I realized that nursing was what I was going to do. I was 24 at the time (in 1974) and single, so I did not have the family thing to worry about. I never looked back and would do the same thing all over again. As an RN you have a lot career options. You can work as a staff nurse in wide variety of settings (medical, surgical, critical care, OR, ER); you can get advanced training and become a nurse practitioner, and see patients of your own. In some settings you are "supervised" by a physician but for all intents and purposes they are your patients. You could also become a nurse anesthetist. Or like me, you could become a bottom-feeding low life healthcare consultant. I might add that I spent 23 years on active duty as a Nurse Corps Officer but that is another thing altogether. If at all possible, get a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) which will open more doors. There is a great shortage of nurses today and many schools have programs that allow you to work and earn your BSN at the same time. The money isn't bad but I did not go into it for the money. I also have an interest in IT and as it turns out that is a wonderful combination these days. Anyway, feel free to email me. I'll make sure my email is on my profile.
Best of luck to you.

You've gotten a lot of good advice already, so I'll add once cent more compared to my usual nickel...

College graduates usually make more money than non-grads, so any degree can increase your earning power over the next 40 years.

County college is a good place to start, but an associates degree may load you up with courses that won't transfer to UW...keep that in mind becasue you don't want to "pay for the same real estate twice."

Family must be on board from the get-go, otherwise you risk losing them.

Do it! Find a way. Make the sacrifice. You'll be glad you did when you're 40.

Don't listen to Andy...I bet he never got laid in college...

Something that worked for me:

I was working full time when I went to school and made it a point regardless of what was going on to do some form of exercise each day. It helped with stress relief and kept my energy level up.

Maybe in you situation make it a point everyday do to something with your family.

I always thought that a little time to unwind was better than continually cramming my brain.

Good luck. It will be worth it.

quote:

Originally posted by seahawkfan:

quote:

Originally posted by saulphx:
Another way to look at it is that, even if you totally pursue cardio, you'll still have to start out by getting a college degree. And the first two years of that can be done at a community college, which would probably be less disruptive to your life.

Fo sho Saul. I am planning on doing that regardless of what direction I decide to go. Great minds think alike huh?

LOL, SHF

SHF,

Go for your dreams! Start the process and see where it takes you. You may wind up going a different route half way through, but it will be time and money well spent.

I started in college as an electrical engineer. For the last thirty years I have been a commercial photographer!

JC

Thanks everybody for the advice, encouragement, and honesty.

As it stands now i plan on at least starting at a CC and going from there. Whatever I decide, it can't hurt to get some schooling.

Seahawk fan I would say that you should seriously consider taking online classes through your CC. The schedule makes them very appealing and it sounds like they would work well in your situation. I've taken a couple recently and they allow you to work on the class when you have the time to, allowing you to be available more for your job and family. In all honesty, they also seem to be slightly easier than a regular class which could be a plus if you've been away from school for a while and are now taking the college plunge. You might even consider something like the University of Phoenix or some other online university, although I'd personally just do the classes through your CC. What ever you choose good luck. I hope it all works out for you and you end up happy regardless of what you do .

Oh I almost forgot! Make sure that you go talk to a counselor or financial aid person at your school. With you having a family they'll probbaly be able to throw something your way. Even more so if you're the soul provider for your family. Good luck!