Obtaining an engineering degree while working full time?

Hello,

To outline my situation, I am 28 years old and I spent the greater part of my early 20s doing drugs and partying. I chose not to go to college because I didn't think I would be successful due to my habits. Long story short, I got sober and found myself a decent job. I have been in the same role for about 3 years now. I have always had excellent performance reviews and have found a way to become pretty valuable.

I honestly never thought I would go to college but the company I work for has a generous tuition reimbursement program. The reimbursement program would essentially put me through an entire bachelor's degree (and masters if I wanted) for free. Since I stopped doing drugs, my free time has been spent watching TV and playing video games and it has been pretty unfulfilling. I have a pretty sharp mind and I can't help but feel like I should be using it.

Some additional info: -- I have to continue working full time for tuition to be covered. -- I have to obtain a b- or the course will not be paid for. -- I work graveyard on a compressed work schedule. This means I work 12 hour shifts and work 4 nights or 3 nights of the week alternating each week. -- My current role would likely apply as experience later on when applying for engineering roles in the same industry. -- I work in the semiconductor industry. -- I am an assembler (I build the big machines that process wafers) -- I am likely to become a test technician before obtaining a degree (more potentially applicable experience when applying for engineering roles)

So I guess my questions are: -- Does my current work schedule seem reasonable to start in on a degree? -- How long can I expect to be going to school for with the time I have available? 5 years? 6 years? 8 years (yikes)? -- What should my strategy be? Should I put a larger workload on myself while working on prerequisites? Maybe slow down as the courses get tougher? -- Am I overestimating the combo of experience in assembly/test + degree? Does my experience need to be in engineering to be valuable? -- I can imagine this will be difficult and exhausting. Realistically, what is the success rate for people that attempt to complete tough degrees while working full time?

Submitted February 14, 2024 at 03:51AM by ___--Get-Pitted--___ https://ift.tt/7GhZa5z