Do I Let My Bosses Know I am Returning to College?

Hi! I hope everyone is having a safe and Happy Independence Day! I am 45 yrs old and work in the criminal justice field (County Attorney's Office) as an audio/video discovery coordinator ($31k/yr). I am wanting to return to college to obtain an AAS in Management. This is a start in reinventing myself. My education background is 54 semester hours in criminal justice, peace officer academy, real estate licensing classes and hundreds of hours in continuing ed. classes. My work history has been close to 20 yrs in criminal justice (non-management) and 2 yrs in management in various positions with a few different CJ entities. Other than that, is 6 yrs as a Realtor.

I plan on returning to school this Fall and just wonder if it is something I should inform my supervisors of? My first thought would be, YES, because it shows them that I am bettering myself by furthering my education. I have been with the CA's office since 2007 and we have only had one evaluation and that was a county wide, county initiated performance based pay incentive instead of an across the board raise. It was a one-time payment that amounted to almost $1k before taxes and other deductions for me because I excelled in all areas and scored really high. We are starting our fourth year without a cost of living adjustment. After getting involved with Dave Ramsey's program, then finding out about Dan, I am ready to get away from this stagnant j-o-b.

Any words of advice on if I should approach my bosses letting them know I am returning to school? I know Jack Canfield says in The Success Principles to tell everyone what your intentions/goals are, but I just wondered what your opinions are? My office is full of attorneys, legal assistants and the 3 of us that are coordinators. The supervisors (I have 3 in my chain of command) over me consist of 2 attorneys and 1 non-attorney supervisor. There are only 2 supervisors in our office of 50 that are not attorneys, so my room for a management position in our office is limited. I am honestly not that interested in either of their positions and they have no upward mobility. I will surely have to leave once I get the degree, which I certainly have no problem doing. Once I have the degree, I will have much more opportunities than just in criminal justice which I am getting burned out with.

Thanks for your input!

Thomas

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Permalink Reply by elaine bright on July 4, 2011 at 1:32pm

some thoughts.....

1. you do not mention what you are going to school to get your degree in and how long will it take you to get the degree while working fulltime? The answer to this might make a difference in how your department processes this news.

2. Has anyone else that you know of your department or previous employees been in the same situation and how was that news handle once it became public knowledge? If it was welcomed news, then I would not hesitate to tell my supervisors. If not welcomed news or this employee was given an hard time then delay spreading the news. If no past history, maybe test the waters with a balloon such as ask supervisors over lunch or a coffee break what they thought of that school or some how brooch the subject to see what they would think if someone were to do that in your department. You might say a friend or relative was thinking about it and was wondering if they should say anything about it at work and as supervisor what would you advice them to do.

3. You probably will eventually have to tell your supervisor or supervisors because there is going to be a conflict in schedules between work and school that you will have to take time off or work different hours to attend a class or work on a class project.

4. It is hard to keep a secret so you will be on pins and needles until the word gets out.

5. Once you tell your supervisor, you need to be able to tell them where your priorities are. They are going to want to know that you will still show up to work and that going to school is not going to efffect your work performance.

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Millegan on July 4, 2011 at 3:14pm

Those are all great points Elaine.

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Millegan on July 4, 2011 at 4:07pm

Thanks Robinson. I definitely won't second guess myself. This is something I MUST do and is one of my goals. I wish you the best in your continued education and future also.

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Millegan on July 4, 2011 at 6:17pm

I apologize for this being under Marketing and Promotion. I think my bookmark for the site was under that forum. Feel free to move it to the right topic. :)

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Permalink Reply by Matthew Davis on July 13, 2011 at 5:34pm

Yes, tell them. An important project may come up where you'll have to lie to get out of work if you don't! If it's known that you're in school, it might prepare them more for unexpected schedule changes. I recently told my bosses that I would be returning to school for a BA. They were thrilled and encouraged me to do so! They didn't ask what I would be studying or where I would be attending. Even if they did, I would have told them I'm going to study music which has nothing to do with where I work. I can't see them being mad at all for furthering my education, no matter what it is.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Robinson on July 13, 2011 at 7:18pm

Except possibly for extenuating circumstances (I can't think of any), I would go ahead and tell your supervisor. Apparently, you work around plenty of college educated people, so I don't see why there would be any resistance. Exercising initiative and seeking to improve oneself is not typically frowned upon in most company environments.

Although I have taken plenty of college courses over the years while working for various companies, the companies always provided tuition assistance, so there was obviously a reason the company needed to know if you wanted to get their financial assistance. In my case, the companies I worked for considered additional education as benefiting the company provided it was somewhat related to your job, even if in a peripheral sort of way. However, they would not pay for something like a basket weaving course. (If I were taking something like that, I wouldn't tell.)

In your situation, it appears your company does not offer financial assistance. Nevertheless, the educational principle is the same. You're exercising initiative and improving yourself, and since the company is not paying, they shouldn't be too concerned about what you're taking your classes in provided it doesn't interfere with your work.

Good luck and best wishes!

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Permalink Reply by Adam Rico on July 14, 2011 at 12:04am

The previous replies are great Thomas. I'm curious, does your current employer have any sort of Tuition Reimbursement Program? If so, can you use that program to have them pay for your school? Most organizations want their staff to develop their skills and pursue higher education. So I don't see a reason not to communicate your intention, especially if there is the potential to have them pay for it. Best wishes.

Adam Rico

www.workyouenjoy.com

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Millegan on July 14, 2011 at 6:52am

Thanks for all the great replies. To answer the question about tuition reimbursement, no they don't. After all, this is a county government entity that I work for and as far as I know, they have never offered it.

This degree could definitely help since it is in Management, so that should not be a problem.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Slater on July 16, 2011 at 10:08pm

I would still encourage you to explore tuition assistance that would be available if you were to take classes From your description of your co-workers and supervisors, it seems they lean toward an appreciation of education. I was Faith Coordinator for the County of San Diego for several years and they had tuition assistance as part of their benefit package. Of course, that was before budget cuts.

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Millegan on July 17, 2011 at 5:53am

I really wish they did Paul. I have checked into it and it was shot down a few years ago by county commissioners. We actually have even had lay offs, so it looks like I will be on my own as far as financing college. Another county I worked for in the 80's and 90's had it and I was able to take advantage of it there which was very nice.

Thanks for the encouragement and support.

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Permalink Reply by Chad Smith on July 18, 2011 at 9:32pm

I would only tell them if they offered tuition reimbursement, otherwise NO. The only people I'd tell are the people closes to me outside the office. I’m 45 as well and am also taking classes this fall but mine are paid for and offered to me by my employer. In my case they know because they offered. I’m hoping this will motivate me to continue and finish getting my Bachelors. And no, I will not tell them I'm taking any more courses.

I'm guessing you want to "Move On" and use your education to get a better position. It sounds like from you description that there is no room for advancement. That is why I'd not tell them.

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Permalink Reply by Bernice Coles on July 19, 2011 at 5:03am

I would say no....not yet. If the positions in your office are "limited" (like they are in my office--we only have 6 people on our staff) there is really no where to "go"....but out for you as you mentioned. Ask yourself this question. What is the benefit of telling my bosses that I am going back to school? You are burned out and ready for change. Why should they know? The word may get out, but I wouldn't press it.