Why You Should Go Back To College for Science

– Contributed content –

(Defense.gov)

5 Aug. 2020. As a grown adult you may find that you wouldn’t want to go back to college for fear of being ‘too old’. Many people adopt this mentality and refuse to reassess their career and pursue their dreams, simply because they fear standing out against a crowd of young people. Despite this negative stereotype of being ‘past it’, there are actually huge benefits of returning to college to study as an older student. If you have always had a passion for or interest in science but took a different path earlier in life, you might find happiness by going back to school and studying science!

Why study science?

It would be far shorter to list reasons why you should not study science! Look around, and you’ll realize that now more than ever is the time to become a scientist. Whether your interest lies in climate change; medical sciences; space travel and astrophysics; marine biology or something totally different, every single area of the sciences is under immense pressure right now.

So why not study science and be at the forefront of helping our world which is increasingly fragile? You could help protect endangered species! You could help the world understand space travel better! You could help keep the Earth cool and reduce global warming’s devastating effects! The possibilities are endless.

Why study as a mature student?

If you never went to college, or you attended college to study something else, you may wonder why it would be worth returning to study something new as an older person. So much of the college experience is wrapped up in being young; the parties, the relaxed lifestyle and the experimentation of your early twenties. However, college nowadays is so much more than this. As an older student you would be bringing life experience, knowledge and maturity to the table. You could make friends of all ages and collaborate with them. College isn’t all about being young, and it’s never too late to learn something new.

But what about the money?

That’s right – one of the main reasons people don’t go back to college is the debt incurred by doing so. It’s scary. Depending on your school of choice and state of residence, you could incur hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt by returning to college at a later age. If you have a family and/or are a homeowner, this could put pressure on your finances.

If you are concerned about debt, speak to a financial advisor about your options. It is always possible to achieve your dreams, and a financial advisor may be able to guide you through a different way of looking at your future financial situation. For example, studying an impressive scientific subject at college is likely to land you a higher-paying job which can help you and your family in the long run!

If you are concerned about pre-existing debt affecting your chances, see www.dtss.us/debt-discharge.html for more.

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