Making the transition into the technology field…back to school or self teach?

[theoneadamk]

I am 32 years old, and I have been doing freelance English teaching for the past three years. I have a bachelor’s and master’s in English, and so far I’ve only been able to find part-time contracted jobs, such as private tutor and adjunct college instructor jobs. I am not a K-12 certified teacher, and don’t have a strong interest in going back to school for public school teaching. And yes, I am one of those people who ponder what I can do with my English degree besides teach. I just don’t want to be another liberal arts major working retail or waiting tables in his mid 30s and early 40s.

I have some basic exposure to HTML and Abode from my master’s program. But I am looking to sharpen my technical skills, so I can possibly find a job where I can combine my writing background with the technical skills to which the 21st century office environment dictates.

I am trying to decide between learning through self taught online modules or returning to school for a Technology degree. My local college offers a B.S. in Applied Technology, which is like a personalized bachelors to which I can select the technology coursework/concentration of my interest. A lot of my credits from my previous bachelors would transfer over, so I would only need to take the core classes. Plus, I wouldn’t have to take an additional Math classes. Courses of study of my interest include ones that focus on HTML, XML, SQL, CSS, PHP, InDesign, Java, and Python.

I know there is the issue of learning these skills in an artificial environment, outside of the real world career setting. But by studying in a structured setting with deadlines, it would force to be stay focused throughout the learning process. Since, I already have a bachelor’s degree, I am not looking to complete pet projects just to make grades, but rather to take what I’ve learned and develop that into personal portfolio, which I can present to a future employer to showcase my technical skills. I eventually want to transition into a technical writing or document editor position, and nowadays, it seem like even the entry-level coffee gopher office jobs require some technical ability.

This is my first time posting, so I just want to get the opinions and advice from some of the experts on this forum. Considering my situation, would returning to school for a personalized bachelor’s degree in technology be beneficial or a waste?

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