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Investing in Your Education
by Tera Schreiber

In an era when women can enjoy the benefit of multiple careers during their working life, you need only throw a stone in the Seattle area to find an experienced adult woman investing in her education. Women constitute more than half of all students in universities, community colleges and technical programs and, depending on the type of institution, students over the age of 25 constitute 31 to 55 percent of students in higher education.

Most people recognize community colleges as a way to explore educational opportunities. Seattle community colleges offer high school completion, technical training, personal enrichment, professional development, regular college courses for transfer to a four-year university, distance learning and even onsite childcare. In addition, many lesser known opportunities exist for women to invest in their education.

Certificate programs, like those offered through University of Washington Extension, offer a new approach to professional education. “Most University of Washington Extension certificate programs appeal to a post-baccalaureate audience,” says John Stephens, director of academic programs. “They allow people to freshen skills or explore new opportunities in significant depth and can be completed in a year. The format of a single weekly evening session appeals to professionals.” With more than 100 certificates, UW Extension offers classes in mainstream areas such as architecture, art, law and medicine, as well as less common subjects such as therapeutic gardening and songwriting.

Many educational institutions offer professionals the chance to invest in their education without losing step with existing careers. Programs such as the Executive MBA at the University of Washington, and master’s degrees offered by the Leadership Institute of Seattle (LIOS) expect that many of their students will have other career commitments, and classes are formatted accordingly. According to Scott T. Harris, director of academic and professional admissions at LIOS, “Students attend seven modules per year for two years. Each module lasts four or five days and is scheduled either Wednesday to Sunday or Thursday to Sunday so as to minimize the impact on the standard work week.” Many such career-friendly educational opportunities exist in Seattle, making further education easier for professionals.

Why go back to school?

It seems obvious that additional education can sharpen skills to help you advance in a current field, or help you gain new skills and opportunities. However, going back to school can also help take existing skills in a new direction.

For example, Carey DeMartini took her bachelor’s degree in art history back to school to combine it with a master’s in psychology with a specialization in art therapy from Antioch, blending her appreciation of art with her interest in social services. This shifted DeMartini from a career path with a weak market and a tough road for employment, to a completely new career where she now enjoys two different jobs in art therapy, one with children at Childhaven and the other with adults at a psychiatric hospital. DeMartini says, “My art therapy training allowed me to go beyond looking at images to making a difference in the lives of people, which for me adds an important dimension of meaning to my work.”

Likewise, Erin Shade has returned to school for career change and advancement – twice. Working as a researcher in a pulmonary physiology lab, Shade realized that while she enjoyed the intellectual components of the job, she craved more interaction with humans. She left that position, which offered little opportunity for advancement, to return to school to earn a master’s degree in nutritional science. Her degree gave her the opportunity for a challenging and interesting job working directly with cancer patients undergoing stem cell transplants. After four years, Shade is returning to the University of Washington to become a physician assistant, a career in which she can enjoy an even closer relationship with her patients and better opportunities for economic rewards.

While career change and advancement can be extremely valuable, education can offer additional benefits.

Networking. The potential for lucrative professional connections exists in many educational settings. Professors and teachers may be leaders in the field of study. Other professionals who are fellow students may have successful careers and connections. Katie Hultquist, executive director at Passages Northwest, who received her executive master’s degree in nonprofit leadership from Seattle University, says, “Through the program I was able to connect to other executive directors to get essential advice and support during my first few years on the job. I am still in touch with several of my colleagues from the program and continue to call on them for advice and support.”

Learning for personal enrichment. Maybe you want to meet people who are different from the colleagues you work with day in and day out. A class for personal enrichment can be the perfect way to accomplish just that. “Many friendships are made in our classes,” says Erin Brandon, executive director at Discover U. “It’s a great way to meet someone who shares your interests.”

“Sometimes experienced adults undergo transitions that are more about personal growth than career goals,” says Carol Vecchio, co-founder and executive director at Centerpoint Institute for Life and Career Renewal. “They have a desire to live life out loud. Education can be part of that process because education can help us learn more about ourselves and our passions. That time between dreams is a time to embrace the changes and the personal learning.”
With a bachelor’s degree from Harvard and six years working in the high-tech industry, you would expect Tina Tsiakalis to value education – though you might not expect where it ‘s taking her. “After the birth of my son, I realized both the significance of the birth experience and the important role that a doula, or professional labor support person, could play,” Tsiakalis explains. Her inspiration to learn more led her to the Labor Support Course for Doulas at Seattle Midwifery School. After four years working as a doula and volunteering as board president at Great Starts Birth & Family Education, Tsiakalis felt further inspired to enhance her education. “I really want to know all of it!” Tsiakalis says. As a result, she is now attending midwifery school.

Special accomplishments. Just being in school may give you unique opportunities to accomplish great things. Shade experienced this unexpected pleasure firsthand. “The research for my master’s thesis required me to do complicated statistics and computer programming – both weak areas for me. Yet, I did it well! My thesis work was published in a peer-reviewed journal and was widely reported in popular media all around the world!” Shade says.

Learning about what’s hot. Educational opportunities, especially in personal enrichment classes, often follow cultural interests. “We are always looking for new ideas. We watch for the new exercise craze, what people are reading, what Oprah is talking about, what is hot right now – and we turn those things into classes,” says Brandon, to explain how the approximately 150 classes per month are created at Discover U. You can stay on the cutting edge of culture or feed your desire for a new hobby by participating in such programs.

Considerations

While going back to school can be a great option for many, student life is not for everyone. Any educational program requires a fundamental commitment of time and money. Sometimes personal experience in a job or working as an apprentice can be more valuable than a formal education. Sometimes the career advancement you seek does not require additional education. The decision to invest in your education should not be made lightly.

Vecchio suggests that those who are considering a return to school ask some questions of themselves including, “What do you need to learn in order to achieve your goals? What is your own personal learning style? How can you make choices that work for you, your ways of learning, where you are in your life? Programs have many different approaches. The program you choose must fit your personal style and values. Finding the best programmatic match will give you the best chance for satisfaction and success.”

With the Puget Sound area’s many educational options, you will have the luxury of being able to choose from a variety of programs and venues. For example, you can choose a live classroom or a virtual classroom. “Online programs support people in their lifestyle choices, allow them to avoid dealing with transportation, and give them the freedom to organize their schedules with more flexibility,” explains Stephens from UW Extension. Many online learning courses are offered asynchronistically, which means that students have a window of opportunity for completion of assignments and participation in the virtual classroom. Despite the lure of taking exams in your pajamas, you may find that the benefit of networking in a classroom overrides the convenience of an online course.

Other factors to consider include choosing a program that suits your commitment level. If you are still exploring your options, you can take an introductory course before committing to a master’s program. If you are continuing to work in an existing career, you will have different programmatic needs than someone who quits a job to attend school. Your choices may also be influenced by family commitments, economic resources, or industry standards for your chosen field of study. Be sure to engage in this level of evaluation before making a commitment to any program.

What to expect

If you do return to school as an experienced adult, what will be different than the stereotypical college experience? You likely will not rush a sorority or live on campus. But beyond the obvious, what else can adults expect?

Wisdom. Life experience and greater focus may work in your favor in an educational setting and on a new career path. “Having my own children and being married gives me an entirely different perspective and, I hope, makes me less judgmental and much more able to understand life’s various pressures and glitches,” says Liana Montague, who graduated from Wellesley College with degrees in history and anthropology, and spent 13 years in a variety of roles, working with women and teens in volunteer and professional roles, and on her own marriage and parenting. With kids in elementary school, Montague returned to school herself in the clinical psychology program at Antioch University Seattle. While she always had an interest in this area, she felt she needed more life experience to be a credible and successful clinician. With that experience, she feels confident that she will bring more to her education and the career that springs from it.

Age differences. An experienced adult returning to education in a traditional program may feel out of sync with other students, who are often in their late teens and early twenties. You can find one of many programs that cater to experienced adults, either in the type of class offered or in the format. You can also find programs that host students with a broad range of ages. For example, Tsiakalis’ class at Seattle Midwifery School hosts students ranging in age from their twenties to their fifties.

Impacts on relationships. “If you have a partner, having him or her support your plans to return to school can make all the difference,” says Shade. Your partner may suddenly find that school becomes a priority and cuts into the time you used to spend together, or the financial obligations of school may become an area of stress. If your partner does not completely support your educational goals, these pressures may take a toll.

Adult responsibilities. Many adults in school balance other adult responsibilities with their education. Montague says, “Being an adult learner has certainly made me much more conscious of time, simply because I am now balancing the schedules of my family and the rest of my life. During my undergraduate education, I only had to worry about my own world and had the luxury of time. With the existing time pressures, I feel guilty reading a book for pleasure or even reading the paper or writing e-mails, because I know that I have schoolwork to do.”

Whatever your situation, the Puget Sound area offers a smorgasbord of educational opportunities. If you believe additional education is right for you, but lack confidence to take the step, listen to some sound advice. “Trust your experiences,” encourages Vecchio. “As we gain more experiences, we can do more than what we think we can do.”

Tera Schreiber is a freelance writer in Seattle who has enjoyed advanced education that has led to multiple career transitions, all of which have been cherished experiences.

Copyright © 2006 Caliope Publishing Company

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©2006 Caliope Publishing Company