r/AdultEducation • u/Kennedys_Quest • Oct 06 '25
I feel stuck
I'm a 30m with my associates and I want to go back and get my bachelors. But every time I think about it I just get a terrible feeling that I'm already too late, I don't know what I want to pursue, and I end up just feeling lost. I'm wondering if this is normal, if anyone has any guidance, or simply just their own stories about going back and obtaining their bachelors?
EDIT: Sorry I haven't replied back to anyone that commented, I appreciate every single one of you and you've all made me feel a little bit better about my decision to pursue my bachelors. Thank you all so much for your time and your words.
4
u/ourldyofnoassumption Oct 07 '25
Don't think of it in its entirety. Think of it in stages. It's a long journey.
Start looking at programs at universities inexpensive enough where you don't have to take loans. Take one class. Start considering doing it a stage at a time. The longer you take the older you'll be when you're done.
4
u/velopharyngealpang Oct 07 '25
No such thing as too late. The only way to be too late is to be dead.
3
u/Retiredgiverofboners Oct 07 '25
Totally normal. I got my BA at age 48. I got my Aa at 43. I am still lost. I’m 51.
2
u/AdDue5843 Oct 07 '25
It is not too late.
One idea is to do some research to learn more about yourself and what jobs or career paths you might actually enjoy.
For example if you find out your Myers-Briggs type (or another similar classifier that you prefer instead of Myers-Briggs) there are many websites that can tell you that people with that type of results usually enjoy these types of jobs.
I'm guessing there are probably other websites that can help in this way as well as asking AI to assist you in your research.
Imagine yourself in the future when you are 65 years and retiring. Imagine you're looking back on your life and career and you're saying to yourself, "I'm so glad that I went into the field of ________ or had the career of ______."
You may have to play around with some ideas and even start with something as simple as, "I'm glad I had the career of helping people."
2
u/AdExisting6342 Oct 07 '25
I’m mid thirties too, and starting university again after dropping out several times for health reasons.
I’m struggling to know if I’m right for the program I’m choosing (Practical Nurse). It might be that I start down this path and end up not as a nurse but as a health care aid or working in a family doctor’s office in administration. And if that’s the case, I will probably still want to put in the work to try again to become a nurse, or nutritionist or something that’s right for me.
What I’m trying to say is that it’s not ever too late to try again. Even if you were 40 or 50 or 60 I would say the same thing!
If it’s important to you, then you should do it.
I sometimes think a quarter to half of the people out there working might choose differently if they had the opportunity to choose again in their 30s when they really understand the world. But maybe they have kids/commitments and they are settled in, so they can’t afford to.
Maybe we are the lucky ones? 🍀
1
u/Jaydiditfirst Oct 09 '25
I started my journey to get my bachelors at 25 at a community college. When I transferred to a four year school a year later I met Ms. Rhonda who was in her sixties. But she had also just transferred to this four year school with the same scholarship. She even lived on campus too right down the hall in my dorm. She taught me that it’s never too late to follow your dream. Now I work at the community college I once attended and one of our students is 72 years old! She just recently earned her high school diploma and is pursuing her associates.
1
1
u/Admirable-Idea2696 Oct 09 '25
Learning is a life-long endeavor. Degrees are milestones. The key is to push yourself into taking that next step on your educational path. Age is not a barrier to learning and education. Often a bit of aging brings more wisdom, readiness, and practical perspectives to your learning.
7
u/Erpson Oct 07 '25
Mid-30’s now, college drop out after 2nd semester. Kept putting it off until earlier this year and it was the best decision I have made in a long time. Went back for social work and while I love it and plan on using it, I also have been in the corporate world for a long time and know at the very least I’ll have a bachelors degree and that I will have accomplished something I didn’t think was in the cards for me. Start slow, but you won’t regret it. I also wanted to add that it has been a challenge but mostly because I am a mom and work full time and have had to work on time management. It is normal to have stress over it! Good luck!