Am I too old to enroll in a programme of 3,5 years?

Discussion in 'Business and MBA degrees' started by TeacherBelgium, Jan 5, 2021.

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  1. TeacherBelgium

    TeacherBelgium Well-Known Member

    I came across the Turku online BBA programme that can be completed from home in 3,5 years. It is 210 ECTS or 105 US credit hours.

    I'm interested in this programme but I wonder what the point is.
    I'm turning 25 in March, I have not a lot of work experience aside of having worked as a bookkeeper in the family company and having done 2 internships.

    I have already a master's degree, an associate's degree and after this year a postgraduate diploma.

    I'm at an age where I'm wondering whether another long term study will be worth it.
    Life is short.

    There is an age at which people will bat an eye if you have a zillion of qualifications but no work experience.

    I have been offered decent jobs with the qualifications I currently possess which makes me wonder what the point is of another qualification.

    On one hand I really want to enroll but on the other hand, I wonder whether I will be able to keep a long term vision and be able to keep my eyes on the prize for another 3,5 years.

    They don't offer any online masters that are short, otherwise I would have taken one.

    However, with this bachelor, if I apply,
    How realistic is it if I work at the same time and come home and study full-time for a 3,5 year degree at my age?

    3,5 years feels so extremely long.

    I will be 29 when I would have completed this.

    Should I weigh up the pros and contras of another qualification or just go for it? Or just accept what I have now and not want more?

    I'm so confused :-(

    I'm a European citizen so this would be free for me.

    I'm hesitating between paying 2k$ for the post-masters or taking this one.

    Why is life so complicated :-(

    I need some advice from someone with more life experience I think, on this one :)
     
  2. Acolyte

    Acolyte Active Member

    I got my first college degree at age 35. I got my second one at age 49.
    Diplomas and degrees are really only an indication that you can complete project-based work on a specific timeline to a specific level of acceptable quality. They should also indicate that you have been exposed to (but not necessarily "mastered") some specific knowledge related to your area of specialization.

    The question is, "what do you want to accomplish?" - then do the thing that helps you accomplish that. At some point you have to stop studying things and start doing things. Unless all you want to do is be a student. No college degree is worth anything at all if it doesn't either make you happy (personal fulfillment) or help you accomplish something, even if that is only securing a better paying position. Often a degree is just the "price of admission" to a particular level of job - once you GET that job, your work experiences, referrals, networking, etc. are going to have a much greater impact on your career trajectory than your initial degree.
     
  3. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    You say "On one hand I really want to enroll", what are the reasons for that?

    If you understand clearly what the benefits are, it's easier to compare and contrast the drawbacks with your other options.
     
    SteveFoerster and innen_oda like this.
  4. innen_oda

    innen_oda Active Member

    Most of the questions posed are ones that really only you can answer for yourself. Never forget that people will be much more foolhardy with the time and money of others, than they will of themselves. It's easy for people give an enthusiastic yes or a dismissive no to anything when they won't have to bear the costs of. Part of being an adult is realising every decision in life is about opportunity cost, and that you will always be the ones paying for those opportunity costs. Allowing OTHER people to decide which opportunity costs YOU will pay seems a good way to have a life of regrets.

    My oft-spoken life motto is thus: you are the oldest you've ever been - but also the youngest you will ever be.
    Don't turn away from something you want, just because of what you're worried other people will think. Age, time, money - it only has value to you based on how you can utilise it. Life is short - but only if you use it well. Try sitting in a chair staring into space for 75 years and tell me life is short.

    Also, no offense, but - lol at worrying if 29 (or even 25!) is too old. The only time in life when you'll be too old for something is when you're dead.
     
  5. TeacherBelgium

    TeacherBelgium Well-Known Member

    Well, I think in the first place because it's free. That may be the main reason that I want this degree.

    In the second place, because I really want to have a business degree from a high quality institution, so that my business education will be seen as more '' credible ''.
    I feel like my current business qualifications are not seen as very seriously. They are seen as real but not as high quality.
    The Turku university is a high quality Finnish institution so maybe promotion at work will happen more easily with that degree because it comes from a GAAP accredited institution and is recognized by equis, amba and the whole shebang.
     
  6. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    Nice coincedence. I was 29 when I restarted my studies.
     
  7. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    Agreed in principle. Some expections apply, however. I was a very good high jumper in my high school years, but after a pause of 20 years, I learned the hard way that I am too old for this stuff (ouch!!)... :)
     
    Thorne likes this.
  8. Thorne

    Thorne Active Member

    I don't think you're too old, but I question whether this would be worth it since you already have an Advanced Bachelors in Business Administration (the evaluated ENEB degree) that is probably suitable even for government work. If you did the post-masters certificate, it might give you more mileage than a BBA
     
    Jahaza likes this.
  9. innen_oda

    innen_oda Active Member

    True. I guess I should've put in the required caveats that, for example, you are too old to be a fetus once you are born, too old to be a top basketball player at 90, etc etc.
    I was rather hoping that the esteemed members of this board might be able to figure out the unspoken nuances on their own, however.

    Lesson learnt.
     
    Mac Juli likes this.
  10. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    ...ok, ok, I just tried to be funny...
     
    innen_oda likes this.
  11. Dustin

    Dustin Well-Known Member

    Another consideration is about whether your resume seems focused.

    Right now you have:

    Associate's Degree in Legal Studies (20XX)
    Master of Business Administration (2020)
    Postgraduate Diploma in Fiscality and Tax Law (2021)
    Post-Master's Certificate in Data Visualization & Communication (Expected 2021?)

    If you add a Bachelor of Business Administration will that:
    • Give you skills you don't have now?
    • Meet a common requirement of jobs in your chosen field?
    • Tick a box for promotion at your current job?

    I don't get the sense that, from what you've described, a BBA will do any of those things for you - especially given your other posts where you discuss wanting to get into legal tech or management consulting (I think?), neither of which a BBA will help you do. The opportunity cost of 4 years needs to be weighed against where 4 years could be better spent.
     
  12. Mac Juli

    Mac Juli Well-Known Member

    Hello!

    I had the opportunity to enter an MBA programme via "maturity route", without a bachelor's degree. I can understand if someone feels the need to "fill the gap" with a Bachelor to avoid questions!

    Best regards,
    Mac Juli
     
  13. Thorne

    Thorne Active Member

    I dunno, I thought it was pretty funny...
     
    Mac Juli likes this.
  14. innen_oda

    innen_oda Active Member

    They also have the Berkeley/Haas EE: Digital Transformation Cert (based on another thread).

    Seems like a lot of qualifications to suddenly acquire in a space of, what, 24 months? Without requisite work experience, adding yet another qualification to a CV isn't going to provide a boost to employability (on the contrary, I think it starts to detract). Work experience and education should be balanced for best chances of attracting a good employer. Excess in either camp is rarely a positive.

    BUT. If someone isn't looking to shove all of these onto a resume, but is just taking courses for the fun of it, I can't see an argument against that.

    With resumes/CVs, honesty is vital, but that doesn't imply that every single qualification you've ever achieved must be listed. My advice is to always personalise your CV for each job you apply to, which means looking at what your potential employer wants, and customising your CV to that. Obviously, the more varied qualifications and experience you have, the better you can look like the most qualified and experienced candidate.
    If you're applying for a job as an accountant, I don't care about your last temp job bussing tables at The Cheesecake Factory, or your certificate in Mountains 101. When I saw CVs like that, I knew the applicant had spent maybe 5 minutes on their application, making it easy for me to spend 5 seconds putting it in the bin.
     
    Acolyte likes this.
  15. innen_oda

    innen_oda Active Member

    Here, also.
     
    Mac Juli likes this.
  16. asianphd

    asianphd Active Member

    Hi! I am 25 and currently on my 2nd bachelor's degree in Medical Physics (which is a totally new field for me, so the 1st degree quite irrelevant) and I am planning to enroll in PhD in the future in the top university in the US, at that moment I will be about 30 years old. I also conduct semi-independent research, planning to publish in respectable journals and conferences.

    Not guaranteed that my path will be smooth, but I prefer to fail rather than regret it for do not start at all in the first place.
     
    innen_oda likes this.
  17. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!


    I first ever stepped into school when I was 12 1/2 years old. I graduated from High School at 18 and finished my first college degree at 21 while serving four years of active duty in the US Marine Corps. Earned my first Master's at 26, second Master at 28; dropped out of Ph.D. at 30. Now, I am back for an MBA and Ph.D. at 37. By the time I finish both programs, I'll be 40. So, you are not too old to finish your degree at 29.
     
    asianphd likes this.
  18. asianphd

    asianphd Active Member

    Cool story! I agree with you.

    Anyway, I recommend everyone and OP to read this book: https://www.amazon.com/Late-Bloomers-Patience-Obsessed-Achievement/dp/1524759759
    It is an excellent book, it helps me to clear my doubt when I decide to start another degree.
     

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