Education delimma

[Rowan]

What profession do you want to study for? How many years to reach the end of the line with it?

TBH i can't see anything being an issue, 27 is still really young mate. I have a friend who began training to become a Vet around the age i am now, which takes a good few years i think and he succeeded. He done all this when living abroad in Canada and was well into his thirties.

Determination is all you need, Not sure why you feel you need to buy a house now? a few years wont make a difference.

I just sold my house that I purchased with my ex, and in 8 months it increased in value by $140,000. This is how things are around Melbourne at the moment, house pricing is at an all time high and the median price for a small 3 bedroom home is around $425,000. If I buy now , its a great investment for the future and somewhere to live and call home, if not I will be stuck paying far more for something of the same caliber, further than I would like to move.

Find a Trade.

I have a degree, basically $50k thrown away cause I don't like what I learned and I also just suck at it tbh.
Find a trade you enjoy cause trades are needed. Idk how much they are needed in AUS but I assume they are gonna be needed in the future somewhat.
Become an apprentice maybe.

What was your degree if you dont mind me asking?
I conisdered a trade, but 4 years of crappy wages goes against my plans, and I wouldn't enjoy it. The purpose is for my to expand my knowledge, not bank account. Trades are in high demand in Australia though.

It's certainly not too late, but it'll be a financial burden that may delay other things you want to do like buying a house or moving or whatever. You really have to ask yourself what it's worth to you. Like not feeling like you're living up to your own potential may a be a good reason but I couldn't say the respect of others is worth much to me. If you're going to make major changes in your life make sure it's for yourself, and not to look good to other people, or to make them see you as an equal, because that isn't fulfilling long term.

I see your point about the motivation of studying to relieve the feeling of inferiority being unfulfilling long term. But Its more like icing on the cake, it is more for my own well being than how I appear to others. I totally understand why the respect of others is worth sweet f all to you, thats why I like asking your opinion on things. Nihilistic views devoid of any emotional bias are more often than not straight to the point. Love it.

I personally never bothered to finish a degree, but I can't say I've ever felt inferior to people who have. College was a lot like high school, rewarding effort and obedience far more than it does intelligence. A degree doesn't make someone smarter or more knowledgeable, they just have a piece of paper that proves what they know. If you just want to study shit for the sake of knowing shit yo, can do that on your own time. A university is a good place to find a lot of information pertinent to a field of study but you can still find pretty much all of that information on the Internet.
Job wise, I wouldn't want the jobs most people in universities are going for. Could I be a doctor if I wanted to be? Absolutely, but do I want to work insane hours in a hospital dealing with matters of life and death for 50+ hours a week? Fuck that noise. I've got a nice cushy desk job where people leave me alone, I work reasonable hours, and I get good benefits and good pay. What do I care if a doctor thinks he's better than me? What do I care if a stranger on the street thinks a doctor is better than me? In my case there's no good reason to go back to school for more, even though I could. Just something to think about.

I guess whats been going through my head is that if I were to die tomorrow, would I be satisfied with the things I've learned and things I've done in my life? The answer would be no. Not just because im obviously only 27 and yet to experience more of what life has to offer, but because I think theres things that I should be doing now. A sense of urgency has come over me being 27. I feel as if I have wasted valuable time, and that I need to get things in order now before I regret not doing something again in the future. A quarter life crisis??

As someone currently enrolled in higher education at the age of 30, I can definitely say that it is never too late to go back and get a degree. I know, that is such a cliché thing to say, but it's true. It isn't like colleges and universities are going to just disappear al of a sudden. But my suggestion is this: Start off slow. Go online and see about taking a single course at a university. Some schools will sometimes offer such an opportunity for free, to entice people to attend part/full-time in the future. Around here, the elderly really go for this deal, because it helps keep their brain in shape. Anyway, it will give you a chance to learn about something you are interested in or want to know more about. If it works out, and you do decide to venture back into the halls of knowledge, the school may even give you credit for that free course, provided you pass it. Also, online schools are another option. And not just from accredited universities, either. Most MOOC websites feature courses from accredited schools that also grant those who pass the course the credit hours for passing. Before I went back to college, I participated in a few MOOCs to see if I still remembered the stuff. And then when I did sign up for classes at the university, I was able to use those courses to help pad my credit hours and I was essentially a 2nd year student in my first semester of higher education.

Online is my only option, as I cant afford and dont want to leave my job. Since I do get 3 months off per year, it is a good job to have if I ever needed to attend a university for short bursts of time, I could do so without jeopardizing my position. Its cool to know that youve started your journey in your 30's. I might look into seeing if theres any options like those that you've mentioned in terms of starter courses that help get me into a university.

Here are my main concerns summed up;

1. I want to study but don't want to quit my job > Needs to be online
2. Fees are really high from what I've seen for some courses (upwards of $25k per year)
3. I'm concerned about spending 4 - 6 years of my life studying something I might not be good at/interested in whilst amassing a huge debt.