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The question, more or less: "With an eye to filling the gaps afterwards, where to go or how to conduct a mid-life skills assessment and identify areas of ignorance?"

I don't have a post secondary education, having left high school in grade 11. I'd like to rectify that now; I know there are holes in my learning. However having worked alongside with, directed, and trained a number of graduate students I know the skills I've gained in my 25 years of work experience are sizable and with merit. (Computer and technical fields, specializing in system administration and geographic information systems with a few small forays into programming.)

It wouldn't really be appropriate to start off at ground zero, 1st year computer science for example, but if I tried to launch in at a higher level I'd probably drown in some pothole or other of missing assumed knowledge. I'm wondering if there's a place or service a person could go to and find out what they don't know. Preferably online because I live thousands of kilometres from any major urban centre.

I don't have a particular end game in mind, other than some sort of computer degree or high level technical certification because that's where I have the most skills to trade on. I don't give a hoot about letters after my name, but others do, so lets get me some. A bit ago I didn't make the short list on a job I applied for, "high school drop out" being heard louder than the years of experience. Soon after the successful candidate asked me for advice on how to do the work. :-/

So, on topic? If not, where might it be on topic?

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  • reasonable enough question, I did this, went to University as an adult after dropping out of school at 14. There's a couple of things worked well for me.
    – Kilisi Mod
    Jul 31 '16 at 14:14
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The Workplace would be the place to go to ask "Would it increase opportunities in my career to get a degree after 25 years"

If answers there made you think that it was something you wanted to do, I might go to academia and ask if anyone has suggestions about programs that will give you credit for life work towards a degree.

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I would Change the question to:

"How to best fill my educational gaps, and is this worth doing?" or "Is it worth my time to fill my educational gaps after 25 years?"

And then go to the education SE, as I feel like this is a Topic they will definitly know better and might have answered this already.

After 25 years, don't get a degree get certificates. That is if you haven't already.

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  • Education tends to deal more with how to be a postgraduate than with educational choices and resources. I'd go for a computing topic, personally, since that's where you'll find folks who can opine on what they have and have found useful....
    – keshlam
    Jul 22 '16 at 11:00

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