As the title suggests I am an adult, 28 years old and married/work full time, who is currently going to a community college in hopes of transfering to a University for Mech E. I still have some courses I need to complete to finish my core curriculum as well as the physics and calc classes at my community college. I was looking up the course load at the college of my choice and I am feeling rather anxious over what all I still need to complete. Quiting work all together is not an option and part time would be stretching it on a long term basis. I doubt I am the only working adult who wants an engineering degree, so there must be people out there who can give me some tips. Also, once I enroll in a University engineering program am I required to take the full course load or could I cut down on some of the classes? I understand it would stretch out how long to get a degree and I am fine with that. Thank you,
I went back to college at 28 after 6 years away, graduated with my BSEE at 30. I was married, with a kid, working full time when I made the decision. When I got back to school I was in classes with an old high school classmate who was changing fields from business to engineering. The point is, it can be done.
It’s going to be hard. I understand that you need to work and I am not sure how your wife can contribute to the finances, but part-time school with full-time work is probably going to be harder and less useful than full-time school and part-time work. And regardless it is going to be a ton of work, I didn’t really have any hobbies during that time, nor did I make any new friends.
I am not sure what you mean by “cut down on some of the classes” but the load is what it is - you can spread it out a bit, but getting out of classes generally requires some demonstration of knowledge like an AP exam. And spreading it out both prolongs the pain AND can push against time limits for completion.
My dad went back to medical school after 7 years as an engineer. My mom worked full time and he worked part time. Certainly part time as an engineer is better than part time delivering pizzas and tuition was a lot cheaper, but the take home message is…it can be done. Good luck.
By cut back on classes I meant am I able to take 12 credit hours instead of the 15-18 that the semester calls out for?
It depends on the college what the policies are in terms of minimum credits per semester. 12 credits are the minimum for full time status for financial aid purposes, but it will result in taking more semesters to complete the degree than taking the usual specified number of credits per semester (at least 15 per semester, often more for engineering majors that have lots of courses). In addition, taking more semesters can cost more, or financial aid could run out after a specified number of semesters.
“I still have some courses I need to complete to finish my core curriculum as well as the physics and calc classes at my community college” - If you have not yet started physics / calc sequences, be prepared for a long road. It’s the heart of engineering, and it will be quite different from your core courses. Do you have an advisor at the community college that could help you lot out the most efficient path?
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You need to find a university that has a well-defined part-time program for students. Many students have to work and cannot take the full 16 credit hour load all the time. If the school has an established part-time co-op program they already are able to adjust their curriculum to the kind of student you will be. It will be possible to do but it is likely to take you an extra year or so to finish.