Back to College: September 15, 2004

Ask the Experts: Should I Complete My Degree in Marketing?
Featured Expert: E. Faith Ivery, Ed.D.

Question: Hi there- I'm 28 and will soon be returning to school to complete the Bachelor of Science degree I never finished. I'm pretty sure I want to study marketing but am concerned about being approximately 10 years behind the other new graduates. I've spent my 20s managing a gallery and in administration at a music production company, so I do have a bit of experience. I guess I'd like to know if I should be concerned about finishing a degree at the age of 31 or so. Is this a field that is harder to break into? Does this field provide job opportunities at all? I have another question: the school I'm looking at offers an adult distance program and is Tier 3 ranking. Will this hurt me? - Maryam

Answer: Maryam, good for you! Great that you are finishing your degree. There will always be a need for sales and marketing related occupations - without sales, you got 'nuttin. Remember, the traditional college student who graduates at 20 years has little or no experience either. You may want to combine marketing with your past experience in art or music. This would give you a head start, especially if you have interest in those fields of work. The "tier" system of college rankings has been a controversial issue. Choose a college not just by a numerical ranking system, but on how the college experience will empower you and suit your career goals. Learning is proactive - the more you put into it, the more you will grow. Just make sure that distance learning and online classes fit your learning style. Otherwise, you may find this format more difficult than expected. - Faith

More Ask the Experts.

My life was rolling along quite nicely. I had a decent little home business selling used books on the Internet. I was happily single and living in my own condo in Davis, California, a lovely university town. Although working for myself involved working many more hours than it ever did working for someone else, my time was still my own. I could take an afternoon off on a moment’s notice, and make it up in my pajamas after dinner, with a glass of wine on the desk.

And then I received one of those letters from Social Security, showing how much money I will be living on when I retire. Having no money in the bank, and not making enough to save a dime, I did the most logical thing a person in my shoes could do to prepare for my retirement. I took a vacation to Mexico and charged it on my credit card.

In This Issue