Career/Academic Regrets/mid-life thing?

potbellypig · July 2014

I've just recently started to think of how I would have loved to pursue a Masters after my bachelor degree, but throughout my bachelor's I was distracted with my relationship and dealing with depression (as a result didn't get the greatest marks), then got married shortly before grad and had two kids pretty soon after, and now I have a full-time job and live in a city an hour and a half away from the nearest campus. I don't resent my current life, but I do think I would have loved to stay in University longer and wish I would have given myself more time to pursue that. I also wish I would have sought help with my depression sooner because then I would have had the marks to at least look into a masters program now.

I'm wondering if anyone here has experienced regrets regarding lost opportunities with academics or careers? How do you come to terms with it?

rockychryslerb2010 · July 2014

I haven't struggled with this too much, but I am doing my masters (MBA) and will finish up in early Nov. I do regret not starting it and doing it before having kids, I often wonder what I was doing with all the free time before kids!

What field do you want to get a masters in? I do my program online, through a reputable business school and do three campus visits throughout the program. I would never be able to do with without the flexibility of online courses. My MBA will look the same as anyone who sits in lectures and gets an MBA. Have you looked into an online program? Or a consolidated executive program? I know I wanted to be finished in 2-3 yrs max, which meant a pretty accelerated program.

potbellypig · July 2014

I have a degree in Pharmacy and was thinking about pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, which is not offered in my province.

jlaOK · July 2014

I don't necessarily have regrets but do wish I would have know what I wanted to focus on while in college. I have a degree in civil engineering which offers a bunch of different disciplines within. I now work in hydraulics which isn't at all what I focused on in school. I often think that it would be good to go back and take some hydraulic classes (or maybe even get a master's) but don't think it is realistic to do that with work and family commitments. I've just decided to instead take as many continuing education classes as I can and gain skills that way.

jtmomma13 · July 2014

Like @jlaOK I too wish I knew what I wanted to focus on while in college. I graduated with a communications degree and I don't want to pursue a career in marketing or PR. I am comfortable at my job but I don't LOVE what I do.

I wish I went to school to do something specific- like in education (counseling or something along those lines), early intervention . And the task of going back to school now that I am a mother is just too daunting for me.

I also didn't have the best marks in college. I just wanted a degree.

mittensonkittens · July 2014

I graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering, and started working. I enrolled in a distance learning program to get a MS right away because I knew it was the "right" time in my life to do it. Halfway though the first semester, I realized that I didn't have it in me to take all those classes. I was burned out and had no desire to do it. I finished that semester, and dropped out of the program. By the time I felt like I was mentally ready to take on a MS program, I was married with kids and it wasn't going to happen. But I don't feel like that door is closed because I missed the "prefect" window. Both of my parents went back to school while I was growing up. My mom switched careers from nursing to elementary education, and my dad got a MBA. We would all sit at the dining room and do our homework together in the evenings. I intend to get an MBA (or engineering management equivalent) at some point through an online program. And those programs are more relevant mid-career anyway. There is an opportunity cost for everything. If you would have gone to grad school at the "right" time, you would have missed out on the things you did do. I know couples who have relocated in order for one or both of them to get another degree. It's not easy, but people make it work.

DiveFrog · July 2014

I was so incredibly focused in college. I never had an issue knowing what I wanted to study. But, I also knew that I enjoyed working so much more than school. I worked as a co-op in my field 30hrs/week for 75% of my college career. I knew if I ever stopped going to school I wouldn't go back anytime soon.

I also knew that I both wanted, and would benefit long term from a Master's degree. So, I knew I would have to do it immediately after my BS. In the end I chose a program that was a combined BS and MS program. The school wouldn't give me my BS degree until I completed both my BS and MS requirements. It took me 7 years, but I graduated with both my BS in Engineering and MS in Engineering Management.

11 years into my Career and I don't have regrets so much as a desire to do something else eventually. I enjoy my job, I have great technical ability and do a good job. But, It is very hard to imagine doing this job for the next 25-30years.

There are a number of other career fields I would love to explore. Perhaps in another 10 years or so I will be ready to embark on a new journey. Go back to college and get a new degree and start a 2nd career.

sweetsunnyc · July 2014

OP- have you looked in to online programs? There are so many fantastic ones out there that are regionally accredited and highly reputable- I would recommend Regis University to start.

I completed my Bachelors in psych and then decided to get in to higher ed. While I was in higher ed, I decided that I would like to pursue advising and career coaching so I completed my MEd in Adult education. 6 years in to my career, I have had a complete change of heart and decided that I would like to teach kindergarten. I am starting a program this fall to get my credential to teach in CO.

Also, OP- Do not let your low GPA keep you from pursuing your goal. Many Universities offer a provisional acceptance while you raise your GPA. I have many years of admissions experience so I know that this is not an obstacle for most schools.

Katelobster · July 2014

I love my field in theory. But in practice, the job prospects aren't great and the day-to-day work is unexciting at best. I don't regret it because it is something I was excited and passionate about, and I have no loans from my MA program because I worked as a research assistant. But like a PP said, I can't do this for another 30 years.

I have been pondering quitting, taking a couple years off to SAH, and going back to be an RN. It's also something I'm fascinated by and passionate about, but after surviving serious illness in my late teens, I wanted to get as far away from the medical profession as I could. Now that I'm older, I have a little more perspective. I know there are a lot of very difficult aspects of that profession though, and the thought of the time the programs would take and amount of student loans that I'd be taking on in my 30s is terrifying. I really don't know what I'll do with my life

MommyAtty · July 2014

Right now, I'm in a funk. So I think I regret every single decision I ever made. I'm not sure how I will get out of it. To be perfectly blunt, payday helps. If nothing else, remembering I'm well-paid for what I do grounds me a little. Especially on days when I want to pitch a screaming fit and quit my job.

groovygrl · July 2014

OP would it be a problem if you got your PharmD from a University in the US? Google online PharmD programs... a bunch come up- including a number of large state schools around the country...definitely worth considering for you! Many ppl go back for graduate education after starting families. GL!

emberlee3 · July 2014

I would start by finding a mentor. Online programs might be an option, but you need to think/plan long term goals, based on the career you desire. I think many PharmDs do a residency after graduating, and you would have clinical rotations.

catahoulatte · July 2014

Yep. DH is working on getting his Masters in art history and wants to be a museum curator one day. If we ever get through that, I'm planning on getting my RN and working with a midwife center. One day. Wish I had known that when I was floundering through college wondering wtf I wanted to do.

groovygrl · July 2014

CatahoulaMom said:

Yep. DH is working on getting his Masters in art history and wants to be a museum curator one day. If we ever get through that, I'm planning on getting my RN and working with a midwife center. One day. Wish I had known that when I was floundering through college wondering wtf I wanted to do.

Just a heads up for if/when you talk to programs about this- you don't 'get' an RN, you become an RN. You 'get' an ASN/ADN/BSN/MSN. You take a test to become an RN when you have the academic qualifications needed to sit for the exam.

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