Degree Not a Choice?

Dear Liz,

I am 27 and I work in a small financial-services firm. I started
college after high school and completed a year and a half of courses
before I left school to get the job I still have. I was promoted from
a clerical position to a secretarial position a year ago. Last week,
my manager sat down with me and said that I need to finish my degree.
She said "It's not optional." She basically said that I have to have
the degree or be in school working on it in order to keep my job. The
company will pay fifty percent of the tuition. Is this legal? It
doesn't seem fair since I'm doing a good job now.

Thanks,

Martine



Dear Martine,

It's legal. You know, when adults are asked their biggest regret in
life, the most common answer is "I wish my parents had insisted that
I continue piano lessons." As a kid, these folks got tired of
practicing scales and so on, but as adults they wish they had stuck
with it.

You're in a similar situation. Your boss is doing you a huge favor
imho. You DO need the degree, not only to advance professionally but
to hold steady. You will be thankful that you went back to college,
years from now - I can almost guarantee it! A generation ago, lots of
people didn't go to college. Today, a four-year degree has the
professional value that a high-school diploma did back then. Whatever
your life situation is now, you'll be glad to get the degree under
your belt at your age rather than waiting until your life is more
complicated down the road. The fifty-percent tuition reimbursement is
the icing on the cake. Your boss's message might have been delivered
more sensitively but it's good advice nonetheless. Dig in now and
start taking classes asap; you'll be glad you did.

Last note: be sure to schedule an appointment with the Registrar's
office before you register for any classes at the college you choose.
Call or write your old college to get your transcripts sent to you,
and bring those to the meeting in the Registrar's office. The more
credits you can get accepted from those classes a few years ago, the
better.

Best, Liz