Question:
I am 44 and never went to colleges after high school.
I have ben seriously thinking abt going back and getting a degree of some kind.
My "thinking" is to get some kind of degree that combines business courses along with system/network administration.
Does such a course exits??
If yes...... is that a good "broad" area of education that will afford me a lot of opportunity in the work place?
If no..... what are the choice fields of study now days?
Answer:
You don't mention if you are paying, or if you have employer tuition reimbursement. You also don't mention your location, family status, ability to relocate to go to college, and a whole lot of other factors that I'd like to know before giving advice to an adult.
Having said that, go to a community college and get an A.S. degree in something. If it's related to your current job, great. This is your cheapest start in most situations.
Next, start looking at degree completion programs. Most of these recommend completing your general ed requirements at a community college anyway. There are some less than top-notch programs in this area, so ask around a lot before committing your time and money. Pepperdine has a pretty successful program in the Los Angeles area, and enough people have gone through it that they have a reasonable alumni base.
Figure on $5000 over three years to complete the A.S. degree. Much depends on your state of residence.
I'd estimate $30-50,000 for a commercial degree completion program over 2-1/2 years. A state college night program will be less, but take more time. You'll be fifty years old at the time of completion. It's a good question how beneficial that will be for the fifteen years of employment following that.
