Older guys, back to school?

[gn1220]

Just wanted to see if any of you older guys have gone or are thinking of going back to school. I'll be 31 in june and I really need a career change. The only problem is, I don't have a clue what to pursue. I've thought about DeVry but it seems a little intimidating, with a full time job: 6am-2pm possibly going to second shift: 2pm-10pm and a family. I always hear them say on tv that you can get a degree in 3 years which sounds good.
I've advanced as far as I can at my job now, until I go to a new department which means the change to second shift, but that really doesn't mean a lot. I'm very tired of my manual labor job that any monkey could learn in ten minutes. Not to mention working seven days a week for months at a time. I would really like a career, not just a job. Any tips for someone who wants to better himself?

 

[Dan Thompson]

I went into computer programming 30 years ago, getting my BS degree in Math/Computer Science. I damn near had to keep going school every 5 years or so to keep up with the changes. I just finished a class in December.

I was thinking about what a BS degree in Political Science and History would be like and then getting a MS in Political Science. After that go work for Uncle in some interesting department and maybe get a PhD on the government.

Oh, I am 64 years old.

The trick is to turn your experience into something bigger.

 

[Little6pack]

A Lot depends on what is hot in your part of usa.
You should check out HOT JOBS .com

At 38-39 i went back for my UNIX admin degree 5 years ago.
I was doing the stuff anyway but the company i worked for hid the $$ from me unless i got it.

The pressure was getting intense just brfore the job market dropped up here. Knowing I would not make it because of the UNIX admin glut i switched back to computer operatoins center staff.
Kept all my $$ & now have a job I love.

What else could I ask for minding the computer center, and being on TB while on 2nd shift!

I don't have to deal with the kids or nagging wife & I am off during the day.. Nice driving the GN when all the working folks are slaving away.

 

[GN ERGY]

I went back to school for electronics in 86 at the age of 32. Because every place I went for a job said I needed electronics experience. I'm a Maintenance-Machine repair Tech. I went to ETI for 66 weeks at night and got an Electronics Service Technicians Degree. I'm glad I went back to school. I didn't live near a DeVry or I would of went there. A friend of mine later went to DeVry and he got a good job with a big company that builds computer machine controls.
Tarey D.

 

[Reggie West]

I was a manager in the freight business for 7 years. 3 different companies and I got tired of the field.

I am going to be a teacher out here in CA. It wont happen overnight but I am better now than I have been in a long time. It will take me at least 2 years to get it finished. I will be a substitute in the meantime .

This will be a career for me. I have 6 kids and a wife and I need normal hours. So I know where you are coming from.

 

[Two Lane]

Mike,

Go by your local Community College admissions/placement office and ask them to take their Career Aptitude testing. The most famous test of this sort is known as the "WAIS".

The goal here is to explore your existing aptitudes & interests and match them up with the work characteristics/requirements of various careers/professions.

The best advice I can give you at this critical juncture in your life is: Follow Your Bliss!! Taking the above testing will help crystallize your personal pathways.

Life is blindingly fast from 30-forward, and WAY too short to dread going into work each day, and/or to feel unfulfilled.

You'll be surprised how much energy you suddenly have when you're busy making full use of your time pursuing your chosen dream.

HTH

 

[WFO]

i'm going to school full time right now.i'm taking a 13 credit fabrication/welding course.this is in preparation for a career as a union steamfitter.the welders always work.

btw,i'm 29...the timeline goes something like this:

age 18-22-usmc aircraft mechanic(hydraulics/structures)
age 22-26-worked at a local hydraulics/fab shop
age 26-28-worked as a field sevice tech for a local aggregate equipment manufacturer.got laid off as the market declined.made it thru the first 3 waves of layoffs tho.

i know everyone's saying to themselves "man,he should work on jets,those guys make big bucks".well in short,they don't .$16-18/hr here,maybe $22-26/hr in a big city.and aircraft is a screwy,tenuous industry.i'm banking on going to school until the union calls,and if it takes too long i'll go to work for a rat shop for a couple weeks then call the business agent and get organized.$32+/hr should be enough to live on.

later,sean

 

[turboscott]

31 is not OLD. I am 29 and I am applying to go back to school as well. I am going back for my MBA and possibly become an accoutnant. I like numbers, what would be better? The longer you wait the harder it will be.

My advice is spend some time thinking about what you really enjoy and do that. If it requires going to college I would recommend finding a state school close by offering that program and go there if possible. It will be the cheapest route and a degree is a degree. The name of the school only matters if you plan on going on for a graduate degree, which is even still possible if you get good grades at a state school.

When applying to the school use age as your advantage. Explain that you have learned over the years what you want to do with your life now and that will go a long way in any application process.

I bet if you go ahead with this you will find people in your classes even older than you are. 31 is not old.

 

[1970gsx]

I went back to school at 33 to get my BS. Going through the summers, it took me going part-time, 5 years working a full time job. Now in the fall I'm going back again to get my Pharm D, which is another 3 years full time. I'll have to quit my job ( of 22 years) but in the end will be worth it. So, go back to school now because in 3 years you'll be 34 anyway, so you can either be 34 without the degree you want, or 34 with the degree. By the way, I'm 41.

 

[GN One Day...]

Some courses can be taken care of in weekend classes. Pretty intensive and long days, but you can knock out a class quickly that way. Not many classes are offered that way, which is the drawback. Check with the local colleges.

 

[Lee_Burough]

Hi Mike,

I went to school for another degree when I was 29. Took three years full time for M.S. and a one year internship. Was a good thing.

When I was young, experts expected us to change careers a couple times in our working lifetime. Today's youth will have to change 6 or 8 times because of the pace of change in our economy. That is what the experts say.

I'm on the teaching staff for the University of Phoenix. In that capacity I see that those students with the BROADEST general education have an advantage when it comes to redirecting a career. Your best bet is a broad general education in an area that you have interest. Short of selling yourself on a street corner , following your bliss is a good thing if you can turn it into money.

Unless you dream about history at night, I'd avoid that area because there are many more people with the degree than there are jobs requiring it. Get a teaching degree. Teach shop classes. There is NOTHING as easy as teaching. Financially rewarding and secure, easy hours, great retirement, you can't beat it. Join the National Guard and they will pay for your tuition....In between wars of course

Also, go to a college library and look at their CLEP catalog. Through the College Level Examination Program, you can study on your own in your own time and simply take an exam for college credit. You can easily get dozens of basic courses out of the way without even entering a classroom, and save a LOT on tuition too. DANTES has some of the same type of thing aimed more at the humanities than the CLEP (not to be confused with the CLAP). These progams have special rates for active duty military and National Guard members.

Our mutual friend, Dhauser, will have some good advice on this subject, talk with him.

Good luck!