For Adults Heading Back to College, Getting a Degree Can Be a Long Road

When Chytchua Muyco graduated from high school over a decade ago, attending college didn’t feel like an option. Her family couldn’t afford tuition, so her aunt helped her find a job working for San Mateo County. It was a good, stable job that paid well, but Muyco soon discovered its limits. Her supervisor told her she was smart and organized, but that if she wanted to advance she’d need a college degree.

“So that’s why I went back to school, to figure out what job should I do where it’s fully utilizing my potential,” Muyco said.

There are a lot of college students in Muyco’s position. Over 40% of California community college students are over the age of 25 and are already working adults. Many go back to school to expand their opportunities — like Muyco — but it’s easy for financial obligations, lack of child care and work demands to get in the way.

Muyco was in her early 20s when she started at College of San Mateo (CSM). She couldn’t afford to stop working, but she looked for jobs that had flexible schedules. She also wasn’t sure what she wanted to do — initially she thought she’d try to become a doctor. That dream faded with her first biology class, which she didn’t love. She dabbled in economics, psychology, political science, taking one or two classes a semester.

Muyco was pursuing school, but at the same time her financial obligations — rent, car, food, sending money to family in the Philippines — were more real to her than a degree. She would often drop classes when things got hectic at work. In the midst of it all, she got married and moved to Newark, which made for a brutal commute to school and work. But she never gave up on school completely.

“I initially thought my skills weren't good enough to pursue something like engineering,” Muyco said.

With the help of supportive professors at CSM, she found she liked math and was good at it, too. She decided to pursue chemical engineering. Once she found her passion, there were more tough decisions to make.

“I realized that if I had kept just taking one or two classes, it would take me forever,” Muyco said. "So I had to really sit down with my husband and talk about finances and really decide to just go full time.”

Muyco’s husband, William Ung, has always supported her dreams of further education, even when it’s been hard to make ends meet living on one salary in the Bay Area. The couple met when they both worked for San Mateo County, and neither had a college degree. Ung was taking classes at San Jose State University, slowly plugging away at a political science degree. But, unlike his wife, he’s never found the thing that drives him. He knows it’s not always easy to find an inspiring career.

“I wanted to afford her the time to find what she was passionate about,” he said. “And then when she finally found it, to pursue it. I never want her to look back and say, ‘I wish I had tried this or I wish I had done this.’ I want her to look back and say, ‘Well, we did everything we could.’ ”

When Muyco and Ung decided to have a child, she took two years off from school for the pregnancy and the first year of his life.

“I was actually ready to quit school,” Muyco said.

Thirty-six million Americans — 4 million of whom are Californians — have attended some college, but don’t have a degree. They drop out for all kinds of reasons, but the strain of juggling family responsibilities is a common one. Worse, many students who leave college without a degree have racked up student debt, but haven’t found more job opportunities because they never got the degree. These students are one of the groups most likely to have trouble paying back their loans.

Muyco doesn’t have student debt because she and Ung have carefully planned their finances around her school costs. After her son was born, Muyco still had a few units to complete at community college before she would be transfer-ready, and it all seemed like a lot. But then she thought about what her life would be like after her son grew up, when he didn’t need her as much anymore. She wanted to have her own passions and a life beyond being a parent. And she thought about the model she’d be setting for her son if she quit.

“I wanted to be an example to him and show him that, even if there's all these obstacles, whether it's financial or time, if you really want to pursue something, it can be possible. It might be difficult, but it's possible,” Muyco said.

Becoming parents put even more financial pressure on the family. Muyco and Ung finally decided to move in with Ung’s parents in San Mateo to save money and shorten their commutes. They know they’re lucky to have that option, but living with extended family presents its own stressors on their relationship. On top of the fact they are sleep-deprived and don’t get to see each other much.

“We inevitably argue because we’re both tired,” Ung said. “I try to always let her know that this is only a temporary thing. And I try to tell myself that, too, when financially it’s a struggle, when I don’t get to see her.”

“I’m very fortunate in the fact that my husband is very supportive,” Muyco said. “But also, he realizes that when you finish, it opens up more doors.”

Researchers at Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce estimate that two-thirds of jobs today require at least some college. But getting a college degree as an adult is notoriously difficult for all the reasons Muyco has faced — adults have to work, take care of families, and the road is often longer.

For Muyco, the end is finally in sight. She transferred to San Jose State University this fall as a junior in the engineering department.

“I never thought I would transfer,” Muyco said. “It’s pretty amazing. I just kept taking classes, but I never thought I was going to get to this point.”

The classes are harder now, and more expensive, but Muyco is determined to finish. Looking back on the journey so far, she says, “Having my son, because I had so much support, was not the most difficult part. I think it was staying motivated and reminding myself that if I just keep chipping away at it I’ll get to that point when I’m done.”

Her husband is looking forward to that day, too. They’ve spent so many years hustling, managing schedules, coordinating rides and scrimping that he can’t even really imagine it. He’s not sure what life will look like. He just keeps reminding himself — and Muyco when she’s struggling — that it’s a short-term pain for long-term benefit.