Preparing to Go Back to College

Thinking about going back to college, pursuing professional certification, or advancing in your career? Congratulations! This is an important decision and you've made the first step by beginning to research your options.

Before getting into some of the other options more directly related to traditional college education, here's one of those options you should be sure to research: DreamDegree. DreamDegree offers six week courses that can help you learn what you most want or need to learn for career success, all at half the cost of average bachelor's degree programs. These courses cover topics like accounting, history, psychology, philosophy, and more. Be sure to check out DreamDegree, whether for satisfying prerequisites, for moving towards a degree, or for satisfying your own curiosity.

Returning to college benefits

By participating in continuing education courses, you can increase your earning power, advance your career, or pursue a personal interest — but the best reason to return to go back to college is the one that resonates with you.

Your education is yours. This is one time when it's OK to be a little selfish!

Common fears for continuing education

Especially with the ever-increasing array of online learning options, there's more flexibility than ever before when it comes to higher education. Nevertheless, you may get cold feet. Don't let it stop you; it's completely normal.

Common misconceptions include the following:

• You have to be "young" to go to college
• You need a lot of free time to do well
• You've forgotten everything you learned

Going back to college: you're not alone

As the saying goes, returning to school is just like riding a bike. You'll be amazed at how quickly you adjust! You're also in good company. As of the 2003 Census, 37 percent of all college and graduate students were 25 or older. In addition, 60 percent of all students worked while attending school.