Did any of you head off to University after leaving the org (page 2)

stillajwexelder

Well I hope it works out for you Scully - Batchelor of Science would be well worth having

"I feel a strong sense of never having reached my academic potential and having been restricted in many ways by this. It feels like a scary thing to do at the age of 38 but it also feels kinda like it's now or never for me to get off the working merry-go-round and take the plunge." Now's the time to take the plunge. We've all learned there aint no bonus years after some big Ammageddon coming to us. Better 38 than 43 when I started. You cant go backwards but you can go forward. Its fun being the old guy in the class. We have such a jump on all these kids who have no clue about life. It is both easier and HARDER on some level. You will love it. Go do it. Who prevents you? Only you perhaps? I've just reached a milestone, I've gone from being a Pioneer Elder, blah blah blah, to being someone a friend of mine was warned against associating with! All because I don't attend meetings any longer. These people are hypocritcal, pathetic janitors and window washers. Screw the TMS, go get a real education. Enjoy it,,,,,, GUILT FREE!!! W.Once

Cady

Absolutely go for it!! For one, you have an incredible motivation and appreciation for a college education that few of the other students will have. That gives you a great edge. And for me, sitting in class with passionate discussions while it pours outside - it's living a dream. Your age can work for you, too; at 27 I feel old on a campus where only 12% of the students are 25+, but having been in the "real-world" for a bit longer than the typical 18 yr-olds gives me a level of responsibility that haven't necessarily developed quite yet. It's definitely paid off: I have an awesome job as a research assistant in a wonderful lab that's very well-respected.

wunce_wuz

Did any of you head off to University after leaving the org

...Before leaving.... Less than 90 days after leaving Bethel I started college and most of the elders in my then congregation thought it was a good idea for me to do so.

When I was at Bethel it was observed that the new guys that had college degrees prior to becoming JW's got the better jobs... a fact that was not lost when I left.

divejunkie

I'm thankful that my dad had the foresight to send us to college against the will of his fellow elders. Though is true that he gave us a 4 year limit to spend there and that our choices were limited to an institution that was close enough to home so that we didnt' "go away to college". That also limited the choices in careers.

So I got my degree, and so did my sister. However, mine was in something that would have never been my first choice, and I settled for what was available.

Lady Lee

I was forced to drop out of high school so never graduated
I left the JWs when I was 33 and with no HS diploma took a couple of college courses in Sociology and Psychology to see if I could handle a college career. Passed them both
Enrolled in a 3 yr Social Service Professional program and graduated with Honors Quite a feat since it had been 16 years since I was in school, had always been told I was a dummy and I had two kids to take care of on my own
Got the college diploma and decided to go on to University and graduated with a BA in Applied Social Science.

Was it worth it?

Absolutely!!!

More and more people are going back to school to work out a second or even third career. I thought I would be surrounded by a bunch of kids but for almost every class I took at least 1/3 in college and over 1/2 in university were older students.

And I found my life experience was incredibly valuable in helping me to understand the course materials. It helped open my mind to new ways of thinking and help provide a framework to understand much of what I had lived.

Simon

Yes, it's definitely worth it.

I started with the Open University in the UK last year initially to get a diploma to increase our Canadian immigration points but have already signed up for more courses to finish the degree.

Do it, you won't regret it.

under74

It took me a little while but I went to college and then graduate school. I started out just taking 1 class at a community college. Then I enrolled full-time and was able to keep working at the same time. I didn't know exactly what I wanted but I realized I could actually learn and it really changed me. I went on to a 4 year college after that and then grad school but I think the best part of my education was in community college where I realized I could actually do it.

Just try it out by taking one class. It's intimidating at first but you get over it soon enough.

zagor

Absolutely!!!, best experience I’ve ever had. I've just got my exam results few days ago and I'm graduating with first class honours in Computer Science and Physics. (After long pose - started studying 11 years ago and then stopped under pressure, idiot). Thought of doing masters but my professor tells me that with my grades I should perhaps apply to go straight for phd, I'm not sure if he is teasing me though, probably is, , but its a helluva feeling. I would love to do at least Masters, which I’ll probably do if I can balance work from home and further study.

PoliticallyNeutered2

From Zagor:

"...professor tells me that with my grades I should perhaps apply to go straight for phd, I'm not sure if he is teasing me though, probably is..."

I think he is telling you the truth. I've done a little reading in the book "Getting What You Came For" about graduate schools. From what I recall reading about the history of the Master's degree and its relationship to the Ph.D., it sounds as if those with good enough grades can often skip the Master's degree. After I read of its history, and if I were going to pursue a Ph.D., and if I had the qualifications, I think that I would skip the Master's too, unless it were a requirement at an institution which I had researched well and at which I strongly wished to research. Reading a little about the history of the Master's degree (at least in the U.S.) was enlightening for me...