Unemployment, the market, inflation; bad news everywhere.
How many of you, in your fifties, think returning to school is a good move at this time and age? If you have done it, are you going for a degree or a new trade?
It has been some time since I lost my job (looked everywhere but can’t find it) and it appears the current conditions will not show signs of improvement anytime soon… according to some of the same experts that did not see it coming. (No quotes)
Please share your thoughts and experience if you are middle age and planning or have returned to school. Or if you prefer, you can be the devil’s advocate.
I teach at a college and 90% of the students are in their early 20’s.
About 5% are in their late teens (quit high school and took a GED test instead…usually very bright kids who felt they were wasting their time in high school).
But the other 5% are over 30.
I currently have one woman who is about 55 or so. I have a man who is in his early 60’s. I had a woman last year who was 66, had had a heart attack and when she recovered, decided she wanted her college degree before she died.
Have had several students in their mid to late 40’s and one of my best students was in his mid-50’s. Older students generally come prepared to class, ask pertinent questions and do very well in their classes. Perhaps they are more focused and have stronger motivation? I don’t know for sure.
I think it depends on what you study…if it is a passion, or if it is furthering your career, it certainly seems to put them back in the job market. Yes, it gets a bit tricky to compete with young graduates, but it also puts them on an equal playing field.
But to be honest, I think the biggest advantage is the sense of accomplishment and they feel good about themselves again. It is amazing to see how confident they (older students) get as they progress and I can well imagine they will do very well in interviews, as they feel like they are at the top of their game.
If I were an employer, I would give them a shot at the job!
BTW, after the initial shock, I find the older students tend to mingle quite well with the other (younger) students in class. In group activities and assignments, they are quite popular, but treated just the same as any other student.
Geezer here. I went back to school a couple of years ago, and got my Masters (graduated within a few weeks of my fiftieth birthday). I did it to shore up my current career, rather than start a new one.
To answer your original question (do I think it’s a good move for you?), I’d need a little more info. If I were out of work, and saw little demand for my current skills, I’d probably head for some sort of vocational training. Something like welding, an A&P license, crane operator*, truck driver, etc. I’d be trying to train for a job whose product can’t be transmitted through a wire.
*I used to be a crane operator; It was a “battlefield” promotion. I assume some sort of certification is required today.
I’m mid 50s, and wondering whether better computer skills would help me. (I’m in writing/editing, and all my experience is paper-and-ink based.) Need to see what classes are available in January, I guess. Sigh.
Early 40’s, and I am attending grad school for a career change (I’m going into Education, hooray!). Most of my cohort is mid 30’s to early 40’s, and I think we all realized that chasing the elusive buck for da man wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Plus it’ll be difficult to ship teaching jobs out of country (but I’m sure someone out there is looking into doing so just the same).
I’m 43 and I’ll be graduating with a BS in a week. There are lots of older students in my classes, and often I’m not even the oldest.
Yep. I forget how old I am sometimes, and there really are people of all ages. I felt self conscious at first, but after I had a few classes under my belt I rarely noticed the age difference.
My law school class included a guy in his 60s–he’d always wanted to go to law school, so he finally did. He was a popular student, and his life experience provided valuable insight to other students.
We also had a woman who was in her early 40s. She had a special needs child, and was motivated to attend law school after constantly battling the state to provide appropriate education for her child.
I say if you’re in a position where you can afford it, and you want to go to school, then do it.
not sure how relavent this is, but in Japan you see this pretty often, especially as an English teacher. I’ve only taught adults once or twice, and the classes are always a lot of fun (especially cause I have 'em do the same games my elementary school kids do, only if anything the adults get into the games even more it’s funny seeing some low-level salaryman take so much pride in beating his boss at a game of Simon Says or Battleship or something :D) but my buddy regularly teaches an adult class at his high school. It’s very common here for older people to go back to school to take English classes.
Just remember, you won’t be alone, and while it might be a bit weird for you at first, you’ll get into it. Also, most importantly, it’s always good to learn more, exercise your brain and whatnot. I’ve heard it’s one of the best ways of preventing alzheimers, too (as an added bonus, hehe). Older students can be great cause they actually want to be there, they want to learn what you’re teaching, so they won’t be distracting, or talking all class, etc (beleive me, I have some students who, if I walk into class and see them sleeping on their desks, I thank the gods that I won’t have to deal with them. The Japanese aren’t good at disciplining students in class).
I’m in school right now and, at 39, am one of the older people in all of my classes. I’m going for an MBA in hopes of making myself more marketable when I finish in about two years or so.
it’s funny seeing some low-level salaryman take so much pride in beating his boss at a game of Simon Says or Battleship or something :D) but my buddy regularly teaches an adult class at his high school. It’s very common here for older people to go back to school to take English classes.