Back to School, Rodney Dangerfield's 1986 movie of a successful businessman returning to college to work on his bachelor's degree, illustrated many of the nontraditional reasons for continuing a formal education. Dangerfield's character, Thornton Melon, didn't need the usual benefits of learning. Already he was a self-made millionaire. Initially Melon did it to convince his son to continue on with college, but quickly he discovered reasons of his own to be there.
Increasing numbers of professional adults are taking more graduate, professional, and continuing education courses than ever. Their reasons are even more varied than Melon's. It may be for career advancement, changing careers, or simply personal fulfillment. Most people become part-time students, usually taking evening classes. But a few might quit a job, or take a leave of absence, in order to once again become a full-time student.
When I was a college professor, one of my graduate students, a 55-year-old working computer professional, was the valedictorian for the school of graduate studies. This demonstrates that no age barrier exists to formal learning. Many adults continue some type of formal education throughout their lives.
If you're contemplating continuing your education as an adult, there are some things that you should consider. First, if you already have your bachelor's degree, don't waste time pursuing yet another undergraduate degree, even if it's in a field that you're not too familiar with. A second bachelor's degree, even if it's from the same school as where you received your first BS, almost always requires taking additional classes that have nothing to do with your desired course of study. A graduate degree might require taking a few undergraduate courses in preparation. The course work will be more focused and the number of courses will be fewer, though, than if you embarked on another undergraduate degree.
Don't be held back by any insecurities about your ability to undertake graduate education. Many adults believe graduate work is significantly more difficult than undergraduate work when in fact that's rarely the case. Graduate education is typically more focused than undergraduate work, and it places a greater emphasis on analysis and synthesis. Most bachelor's degree holders are capable of doing good graduate work.
After deciding to pursue a graduate degree, your next step is selecting a field of study. The fields to choose from at the graduate level tend to be somewhat more limited than at the undergraduate level. For example, rather than selecting a graduate degree in electrical engineering, you may have to enroll in a degree program in systems engineering.
Students often specialize through the use of research or thesis courses toward the conclusion of their coursework. So, look for a degree program that can be customized with individual courses to meet your own learning goals.
Instead of a graduate engineering degree, you might want to pursue a degree in preparation for a later career shift. The MBA is possibly the most common, as many engineers move into engineering management after a few years. Usually the MBA doesn't require an undergraduate degree in management. Still, it often will require taking several undergraduate courses to lay a business foundation.
Yet, an MBA doesn't have to be the pursuit either. A surprising number of engineers pursue graduate degrees in education. They hope in mid-career to leverage their technical backgrounds into a highly sought-after mathematics or science teaching profession. While the pay won't be as good, a two-income family with growing children may appreciate the more predictable schedule of a teacher.
Simply taking courses with no regard to a degree is fine, but you shouldn't automatically assume that you won't ever want the degree. In many cases it's a good idea to take one or two courses informally, if the school will allow it, to see if you can get back into the formal-education mindset. That saves you a modest application fee and the trouble of withdrawing if you change your mind after taking a course.
Most graduate schools won't allow you to take more than two courses without applying for a degree program. Others might let you take more, but stipulate that those can never be used for a degree. I personally saw several adult learners first take ten or twelve graduate courses without applying and then attempt to graduate. The problem with this approach is that the courses were taken at whim, with no guidance in weaving a coherent body of knowledge.
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