Non-Traditional Students and choices

CHOICES...

I think non-traditional students have so many choices to make.

Should they:
1) Go to trade school - limit the training time
2) Go to college - even though it takes awhile
3) Try for a scholarship or grant
4) Take an aptitude test

I know I had a very hard time deciding what to take when I went back to school. Should it be Art Education or English Education? I decided on English at first but there are many reasons why Art may have also been a good choice. Graphic Art or Computer Web Page Design is also a field that would be fun.

Also important for every non-traditional student is deciding whether or not to go back to school full-time or part-time, and whether to attend while working full or part-time.

I am consulting and selling online right now, and there is SO much to learn. There are choices for that, too - where to list your items, what to list, what to charge, etc. etc.

I chose to go to a local car dealership and try to win a jeep today. I only won a choice of prizes online that I have to pay $5 for plus shipping. I think I'll look and see what is there, though. There may be that proverbial knife set or another fun prize that is worth the fee.

Anyway, to get back to the subject, it's all about choices - in life, and as a non-traditional student. I think my advice to non-traditional students would be to take the time to really think hard about whether the choices (in classes) will be ones that you will definitely want down the road.

You may want to try out the career choice first as a helper or assistant, etc. before you invest a lot of time and money in those classes.

If you think you already know what you want, you can go ahead and give it your best try. I think non-traditional students make the very best students AND employees -- because our work ethic and experience really help in the job situation.

I know that I have seen my share of employees that did not have the proper kind of responsibility -- some people I worked with always were absent on Fridays or Mondays. Some pretended to work hard, but really were doing the very least amount of work possible.

Most non-traditional students know what real work is all about. And as a student, the non-traditional kind KNOWS that he or she must get a good result out of his or her hard-earned money, and that makes a huge difference. When Mom or Dad is footing the bill, the money isn't hard-earned.

Most non-traditional students know that they have to PAY their school money back or have earned the money working hard for it. They want to get their money's worth, and that means studying, listening, and working VERY hard.