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[JoshuaFH]

I was actually thinking of enrolling to a Delta College near me, maybe going to the SVSU, but I'm not sure, I'm just not sure. Furthering my education and getting out of the house, meeting new people and such, are all positive things, but I'm simply indecisive. The idea for it came from a friend at work when I'm wasn't really contemplating any real future for myself, and I'm simply not sure where to point this kind of future still.

I did fill out an online enrollment thing, but when it asked me what I wanted to study, and the list of subjects is probably a hundred-long or more, I just picked one at random because I haven't put any thought into ANY of the things that are available. I'm already just so extremely daunted by this idea, and I'm just so leery of established institutions and bureaucracy after a lifetime of dealing with the particular kind of bullshit they want everyone to eat equally.

But at the same time, I don't want to be just sitting in the same place, getting lonelier, older, stupider, and less able to change my life into a new direction. I sincerely need some advice here.

[Garath]

Getting additional education is never a bad thing. If you can afford it in time, money and effort, I'd cheer it on without hesitation. It works best however if you do put some thought into it before applying. I'm sure there are people who make it their job to help you find out what you're interested in or what would be a good choice with attention to your work. Maybe your employer has some suggestions? If you're self employed, there are usually some resources, magazines if nothing else, that offer the latest trends.

I personally don't know what delta college or svsu means (different nationality), nor do I have any idea what kind of bureaucratic things they'll put you through. If the alternative is staying how and where you are now it may be worth the effort and headache, that's up to you.

[gimlet]

Yeaaah, at some point you're gonna have to start formulating *and meaning* sentences like "I need to study X because I want to work as a Y".  If you have no earthly idea of what you want "Y" to be, you got a lot of thinking to do.   I guess I'd start with lists of careers, imagine yourself working at each one (and not just the fun parts), and think if that's something you could stand doing 8 hours a day for dozens of years.  Cross reference that with some idea of the job openings and demand in your city and nationwide for each field - you might love making buggy whips but good luck getting one of the handful of those jobs left in the country.

"YOW how will I find out that kind of stuff" - well start with google, but librarians in actual physical libraries often can put you in touch with published info.  Also the colleges should have couselling offices, or career placement, or whatever they call it.   Some are pretty good and some will suck - be a little wary of the for-pay schools giving you too rosy of a picture of the prospects for grads of their courses, but hey it's a place to start.  Ideally go to several, especially at local community colleges.   They should also know supply and demand for grads of their programs, and who's hiring them.  Are those places you want to work?

Try to take some of the career aptitude tests, back in the day I think my school gave everybody the Kuder brand test, and it spit out a ranked list of careers supposedly suited for you.  (They were actually pretty spot on in my case)  Now that list is not the law of the land, but it's definitely a decent place to start especially if you have no idea of what's out there.  The counselling departments SHOULD have that kind of stuff, I'm sure there's some free online but try to take at least one of the pro versions, for one thing hey'll be something the counsellors are familiar with so it'll be easier to talk with them about it.

Then if it was me, I'd start going to job fairs and seeing what's in demand, talking to the guys in the hiring booths, and even contacting the bigger/more pro employers.  Ask THEM about their needs, what qualifications they look for, what they think of grads of that program at College Z that you're looking at, etc.   Do I really need a degree?  Is there some shorter courses with certification?  What's the next steps up after entry level, what does it take to move up, etc.   If you're in or near a reasonably big city look on places like meetup.com for groups that profession X will be likely to go to - go to some meetings, buttonhole some of those guys and ask what their day to day work is like, how to get started, what the career paths are like, what parts of the job suck, etc.

Yeah, I know it sounds insane - initiate conversations with a bunch of people you don't know - eek!  Track down information, etc.  But the payoff is finding something you like to do that pays well and is in demand...  And yea it's still not gonna be like every day on the job is a trip to Disneyland, there's a reason they have to pay to get people to work,  you have to find a compromise you can live with.  And hey, if you find you can't stand job Y, at least (hopefully) you made some money and now know better what you really want...

[JoshuaFH]

Yeaaah, at some point you're gonna have to start formulating *and meaning* sentences like "I need to study X because I want to work as a Y".  If you have no earthly idea of what you want "Y" to be, you got a lot of thinking to do.   I guess I'd start with lists of careers, imagine yourself working at each one (and not just the fun parts), and think if that's something you could stand doing 8 hours a day for dozens of years.  Cross reference that with some idea of the job openings and demand in your city and nationwide for each field - you might love making buggy whips but good luck getting one of the handful of those jobs left in the country.

"YOW how will I find out that kind of stuff" - well start with google, but librarians in actual physical libraries often can put you in touch with published info.  Also the colleges should have couselling offices, or career placement, or whatever they call it.   Some are pretty good and some will suck - be a little wary of the for-pay schools giving you too rosy of a picture of the prospects for grads of their courses, but hey it's a place to start.  Ideally go to several, especially at local community colleges.   They should also know supply and demand for grads of their programs, and who's hiring them.  Are those places you want to work?

Try to take some of the career aptitude tests, back in the day I think my school gave everybody the Kuder brand test, and it spit out a ranked list of careers supposedly suited for you.  (They were actually pretty spot on in my case)  Now that list is not the law of the land, but it's definitely a decent place to start especially if you have no idea of what's out there.  The counselling departments SHOULD have that kind of stuff, I'm sure there's some free online but try to take at least one of the pro versions, for one thing hey'll be something the counsellors are familiar with so it'll be easier to talk with them about it.

Then if it was me, I'd start going to job fairs and seeing what's in demand, talking to the guys in the hiring booths, and even contacting the bigger/more pro employers.  Ask THEM about their needs, what qualifications they look for, what they think of grads of that program at College Z that you're looking at, etc.   Do I really need a degree?  Is there some shorter courses with certification?  What's the next steps up after entry level, what does it take to move up, etc.   If you're in or near a reasonably big city look on places like meetup.com for groups that profession X will be likely to go to - go to some meetings, buttonhole some of those guys and ask what their day to day work is like, how to get started, what the career paths are like, what parts of the job suck, etc.

Yeah, I know it sounds insane - initiate conversations with a bunch of people you don't know - eek!  Track down information, etc.  But the payoff is finding something you like to do that pays well and is in demand...  And yea it's still not gonna be like every day on the job is a trip to Disneyland, there's a reason they have to pay to get people to work,  you have to find a compromise you can live with.  And hey, if you find you can't stand job Y, at least (hopefully) you made some money and now know better what you really want...

Man, that's alot to say to a guy who's only goal in life is currently "Get out of your sad, lonely rut Josh".

I mean, I've never been good at planning ahead years to the future, and I probably never will be. I already have a job that I tolerate, and even enjoy at times, at the moment. I can understand the motivation of finding a better paying and more enjoyable job, but just bettering myself in some way, and placing myself in a place where I can meet and speak to people, is a much larger motivator.

I like the idea of seeing someone to help me figure out what I might enjoy, I'll accept that as a first step.

[EuchreJack]

Getting additional education is never a bad thing.

WRONG!!!!!
(Unless it's free, then go nuts).

Additional education, traditionally, means more debt with no guarantee of being able to pay it.  The United States Federal Reserve Board Chairman (for those who don't know, he regulates all money in the United States) himself said that Americans getting more education and not getting better jobs is a major problem in the United States.

Course, if you live in some country where greater education guarantees greater income, then go for it.  But make sure you pick a program that you will both like and can make money.  Look at the recent job trends, and determine what areas are short of educated workers.  If you like your current job, look into a degree that will allow you to be promoted.  If not, study something else.  But don't study anything unless you have a clear plan on how you're going to pay for it.

(Personal note: I'm a unemployed professional, so my advice and attitude is generally pessimistic.  Maybe if I was actually able to use my advanced degree, I might be more sunny about education).

But at the same time, I don't want to be just sitting in the same place, getting lonelier, older, stupider, and less able to change my life into a new direction. I sincerely need some advice here.

For what it's worth, I've seem a lot of advertising for local colleges and online courses.  From this sentence, I'm guessing you have fallen victim to their advertising (it sounds word-for-word like a particular commercial I've seen).  Remember: The goal of colleges that advertise is to make money, not help you.

[JoshuaFH]

But at the same time, I don't want to be just sitting in the same place, getting lonelier, older, stupider, and less able to change my life into a new direction. I sincerely need some advice here.

For what it's worth, I've seem a lot of advertising for local colleges and online courses.  From this sentence, I'm guessing you have fallen victim to their advertising (it sounds word-for-word like a particular commercial I've seen).  Remember: The goal of colleges that advertise is to make money, not help you.

For clarity's sake, I haven't watched any commercials whatsoever in what is probably years now. That quote is my own words, but your quote makes me ever more worried about it.

[Garath]

Some comments before you go completely paranoid. First of all a reply to EuchreJack's quote of me. Education is still not a bad thing. The possible debts etc are, but try not to confuse the two as always coming together.

Now, I don't know the education system where you live, here there is actually a pretty strange thing going on. Public schools get less money if they get results because, the reasoning goes, they're doing well, they don't need extra money to improve. Bad schools get a lot of money because they have to put a lot of money and effort in improving their quality. In other words, it pays for them to be 'decent schools'. Not so bad that people won't enroll their children (or themself, depending on the level) but not that great that they get a budget cut. Uniform mediocrity.

Commercial schools need to get results. They need to
a: keep their fees low enough to gain enough participants for a course. On the other hand, they do keep them as high as they can.
b: retain a quality level or face public denouncement and possible ruin. Public schools with very bad results get an investment, commercial ones go bankrupt.

Try finding an educational body with a good reputation (may take some research, but can be quite fun. Some people write very funny reviews) and reasonal prices. The fact that they advertise doesn't mean they're evil or out to cheat you. Only businesses convinced they can get away with it tend to really cheat you.  Look up if they donated a lot of money to politician campaign funds maybe. The cheapest may not be a good choice, though low prices don't have to mean low quality. It's just like any other big purchase you would do, like a car. If you find a good, but too expensive organization, don't hesitate to ask their opinion where else you could best go to next.

[EuchreJack]

Yeah, sorry for the pessimism.  I've done a little research (United States Department of Labor job growth statistics), and here are some reliable careers that need some college education:
Computers
Health Care
Science
Social Work

If any of these interest you, I'd suggest checking them out.

Some comments before you go completely paranoid. First of all a reply to EuchreJack's quote of me. Education is still not a bad thing. The possible debts etc are, but try not to confuse the two as always coming together.

I dunno, debt and education generally go hand-in-hand.

But local and state colleges aren't terribly expensive.

Now that I'm not drunk, I'd suggest attending a local college for a semester and taking foundational courses.  Ask the local college what courses are most likely to transfer.  You might even be able to afford a local college without incurring debt.

If you don't mind my asking: What do you do now?

[Azthor]

Getting additional education is never a bad thing.

WRONG!!!!!
(Unless it's free, then go nuts).

Additional education, traditionally, means more debt with no guarantee of being able to pay it.  The United States Federal Reserve Board Chairman (for those who don't know, he regulates all money in the United States) himself said that Americans getting more education and not getting better jobs is a major problem in the United States.

Course, if you live in some country where greater education guarantees greater income, then go for it.  But make sure you pick a program that you will both like and can make money.  Look at the recent job trends, and determine what areas are short of educated workers.  If you like your current job, look into a degree that will allow you to be promoted.  If not, study something else.  But don't study anything unless you have a clear plan on how you're going to pay for it.

(Personal note: I'm a unemployed professional, so my advice and attitude is generally pessimistic.  Maybe if I was actually able to use my advanced degree, I might be more sunny about education).

But at the same time, I don't want to be just sitting in the same place, getting lonelier, older, stupider, and less able to change my life into a new direction. I sincerely need some advice here.

For what it's worth, I've seem a lot of advertising for local colleges and online courses.  From this sentence, I'm guessing you have fallen victim to their advertising (it sounds word-for-word like a particular commercial I've seen).  Remember: The goal of colleges that advertise is to make money, not help you.

One would like to believe education and culture have bearings outside the solely financial implications. I will not claim that the monetary finality is not first and foremost, as it stands, and it certainly should weigh heavily behind one's life goals, but restricting education's purpose to that end alone and nothing else is a few steps taken too far.