Deciding to go back to school as an adult is the easy part. Sure, it's a process fraught with complicated considerations, uncertainty and nervousness, but at least it's an either or proposition. In other words, you either decide to go back to school or you don't. There's no in between.

But once you actually do make the decision to begin your education all over again, it's likely to become apparent that the really tough choices lie ahead of you: What kind of program should you enroll in? Should you go full time or part time? And is a traditional or on-line education your best option?

All of these issues, perhaps obviously, are tied together, and it is impossible to deal with one without addressing the others. Because these days, you have more choices than ever when it comes to how to go about pursuing your adult education. And while this abundance of choices will certainly afford you the opportunity to tailor your education to your specific needs, it can also prove confusing. Here, then, is a primer on the three options noted above, the pros and cons of each, and your best bets when it comes to picking the one that is ideal for you.

To Jump or Not To Jump?

Most first-year college students are recent high school graduates, and as such, it makes perfect sense for them to go to school full-time. After all, what else are they going to do? Upon graduating high school, they basically faced two very different choices: Go to college or move directly into the working world. And depending upon which one they chose, their paths were mapped out in very different-but fairly consistent-terms. And for those who chose to go to college, that education, in essence, became their full-time job, at least for the four years that it took to complete that phase of their life.

Going back to school as an adult, however, is less cut and dry in terms of how to proceed. Sure, there are some people who have the luxury of attending college full-time as adults, but this is not the case with the vast majority of people. There are just too many other responsibilities that adults are likely to have, from taking care of either their family or elderly parents, to working at jobs of their own, to all the other commitments that are necessitated by the various components of the infrastructures of their lives. (This is just a fancy way of saying that they tend to have a lot of stuff to do!)

But this does not necessarily mean that all hope is lost. And it also doesn't mean that your options are limited to attending school part-time. In fact, both choices are perfectly acceptable, and they both promise to make your life a richer, more interesting place. It's simply a matter of choosing the one that's right for you.

If you go to school full-time, there are several considerations you'll have to make, including what to do about your job, how it will impact your family and if full-time education is a sacrifice you're willing to make. If it is, then you will be rewarded with an intensive, multi-year program of study that will prepare you rather quickly (in relative terms) for a more rewarding professional and intellectual life upon graduation. There are other advantages, too: You will become part of a community of students, integrated into the corpus of the student body as a whole at the educational institution you're attending. On the down side, you will likely have to make professional sacrifices during that time, as well as accept the fact that you will probably have to pay for the program yourself.

If, however, you decide to pursue college part-time as an adult, you will probably be able to keep the job you already have, thereby making the entire process more affordable. You will, however, also have to be very careful about managing your time: By juggling work and school, you may find your leisure hours significantly diminished. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but certainly one to be cognizant of. Also, many companies have programs through which they help offset the cost of part-time college work for their employees. And there's nothing wrong with minimizing the financial burden of going back to school.

Whichever option you choose, you cannot go wrong. Just make the decision based on your own needs and goals, and you'll be fine.

Virtual Education?

Sure, why not? The Internet is not what it used to be, and in the past five years or so, it has become a legitimate medium through which to get an education. In fact, with ever-improving technology, the Internet-based education experience is more powerful now than it ever has been in the past... and it just keeps on getting better.

But even within this category, you have a number of options. First, there are the online universities. Be careful, of course. The Internet is still, in some ways, analogous to the Wild West: There are people and organizations out there who just cannot be trusted. But as long as you go with a reputable online university, with accredited programs, then you'll be just fine.

Then, of course, there are the on-line, correspondence courses offered by bricks-and-mortar universities. These are really the best of both worlds: You'll get the reputation and stellar academic credentials of a top-notch university, and at the same time you'll get all of that from the comfort of your own home. And with the ease of email, instant messaging, chat rooms and video conferencing, the experience is as authentic as it's ever been.

The Real Deal

There are, of course, some people who just want the true college experience, but who simply cannot commit the time to it. In this case, do some exploratory work. There is likely some sort of a community college around where you live before you make any decisions, take a few classes there in order to see if it really is for you.

In fact, taking classes in that kind of environment may very well serve to change your entire outlook. And if you find that you truly do want to pursue a degree in your field, you may be able to justify going full-time, simply based on the positive experience you had over the course of your time taking those first few classes. The important thing is to always remain open to change, and to possibility, and to the unexplored road. Because once you decide to go back to school-in whatever capacity suits you best-the sky really is the limit. And the more open you are to whatever may come your way, the more you'll benefit from the experience.

Get out there and start looking around. The world of education, especially as an adult, is a rich and wonderful place.