Foreigner
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2009
- Messages
- 8,303
This is an idea I've been mulling for several weeks now. I might like to return to university to finish my undergrad. I originally abandoned it because I felt what I was studying was rather useless, and I still feel that way to some extent, but now that I'm older I see a potential academic path that might be fulfilling. My time spent overseas as an international student transferred some credit to my home university here in Canada, so I'd resume as a third year student. In about 1.5-2 years, I could be done my undergrad, less if I take some summer courses.
When I ditched university, I went to vocational college to get my diploma in Traditional Chinese Medicine. I've done well as a holistic health practitioner. It sustains me, I'm passionate about helping others to heal, and it's highly rewarding. But there's something about that unfinished business of university that lingers in me. People with degrees seem to have more societal status than those with college diplomas like I have -- not that that's my primary motivation for going back. In the United States, the same TCM training I did would've earned me a masters degree in oriental medicine, but in Canada it's not accredited yet, mostly because of systemic prejudice against TCM. In any case, I would really love a degree.
The main thing that appeals to me is the graduate opportunities that lie beyond a bachelor's. I could switch gears entirely and apply to law school, or some kind of other upper level profession that isn't medical. If I finish my degree in International Relations, I could apply to one of several schools in Canada that specialize in diplomacy and foreign relations, something that has always interested me.
But am I just dreaming? I'm in my thirties now, and the idea of mingling with 3rd year undergrads doesn't exactly appeal to me. The tuition would be affordable, about $5,000 per year, which I could easily supplement with my work as a holistic practitioner. So cost isn't the issue, so much as the time commitment. All that essay writing, all that time spent attending lectures... is it practical to revisit that now, when I already have a flourishing career? I'm starting to feel that 30's pressure to already be getting established and settling into the life I've created. Is it perhaps contradictory to backtrack now?
When I ditched university, I went to vocational college to get my diploma in Traditional Chinese Medicine. I've done well as a holistic health practitioner. It sustains me, I'm passionate about helping others to heal, and it's highly rewarding. But there's something about that unfinished business of university that lingers in me. People with degrees seem to have more societal status than those with college diplomas like I have -- not that that's my primary motivation for going back. In the United States, the same TCM training I did would've earned me a masters degree in oriental medicine, but in Canada it's not accredited yet, mostly because of systemic prejudice against TCM. In any case, I would really love a degree.
The main thing that appeals to me is the graduate opportunities that lie beyond a bachelor's. I could switch gears entirely and apply to law school, or some kind of other upper level profession that isn't medical. If I finish my degree in International Relations, I could apply to one of several schools in Canada that specialize in diplomacy and foreign relations, something that has always interested me.
But am I just dreaming? I'm in my thirties now, and the idea of mingling with 3rd year undergrads doesn't exactly appeal to me. The tuition would be affordable, about $5,000 per year, which I could easily supplement with my work as a holistic practitioner. So cost isn't the issue, so much as the time commitment. All that essay writing, all that time spent attending lectures... is it practical to revisit that now, when I already have a flourishing career? I'm starting to feel that 30's pressure to already be getting established and settling into the life I've created. Is it perhaps contradictory to backtrack now?
