36,too old to go back to school?

As with a lot of you out there i expect my job is getting me down. I'm 36 now with extensive 'real world' experience and a vast amount of practical experience in many areas of construction and steel fabrication. Is it too late to change direction completely and go back to school?

I have yet to meet anyone who has made a drastic career change and admits to regretting it. Maybe some do. Most seem happy.
If going back to school lets you pursue something that really interests you then don't hesitate. You're only 36 .

After 20 years working outdoors as gardener, landscaper and green keeper and studying horticulture, I had to change jobs as the sun was killing me. I had a few sun spots burnt off, and knew too many people with skin cancer who worked outdoors. Even broad brimmed hats, long sleeve shirts and 30+ SPF sun screen weren’t enough.

I knew I had to get a job out of the sun so I went back to school. In Australia there is an option known as a ‘bridging course’ which prepares you for uni level studies, as I failed and left school in year 10 (4th form) I need to do this to get a uni admittance. I did much better than I thought and when I finish I was offered a position at Sydney Uni (which is one of the harder ones to get into).

Because I decided to follow my passion for social justice, I ended up studying philosophy, psychology, politics, and sociology and attained a degree in criminology. I finished my first degree at 40 after 6 year’s part time study, and now am enrolled in my second degree (graduate law) which will take another 4 to 5 years to complete. That is a completely different direction in careers, but one I really had to make.

Regrets? I’ve had a few...

My wife's a careers adviser - she says it's never too late.

Never too late to learn

I think it's never too late to go back to school and learn new things. I can't speak from personal experience but I don't think you'd have regrets if you did it, infact you would probably have more regrets if you didn't in years to come.

I know it's not quite the same but I have been looking into studying aboriculture in the evenings as i'd like that string to my bow....

I went back to (law) school in Copenhagen at 30. I'd already been through Uni in the UK so didn't anticipate any problems. Had real problems fitting in as everyone was 10 years younger than me and the teaching form was based around you having no other responsibilities than the course itself. (We had 2 tots, a too small place to live and a mortgage to boot)... The stress nearly cost us our marriage and my sanity. The first 3 years meant I needed a year to recover and I never finished and ended up going back to the bike trade, albeit at a somewhat higher level.

It depends on the course, your other obligations and whether or not they are intercompatible. I'm not saying it can't work, because it usually does. But there are a few issues the yea-sayers might not make you aware of.

Grannygrinder":34gnmbmd said:

As with a lot of you out there i expect my job is getting me down. I'm 36 now with extensive 'real world' experience and a vast amount of practical experience in many areas of construction and steel fabrication. Is it too late to change direction completely and go back to school?

Click to expand...

absolutely not :roll:

I made that decision when I was exactly 36. I was working in the construction industry builder/ CH engineer and one day I was thawing my frozen tools out with a gas lamp before starting woork and decided on the spur of the moment I didn't want to be working like this when I was 50.

Went to night school got 0 levels then A levels then joined a HND course at Bristol poly Cabot house . Then managed to get on an Architectural degree course at Oxford Uni and changed my life .

Further education as a mature student is certainly demanding but very rewarding. You have a better idea where you are going and what you want to achieve and tend to be better motivated .

Couldn't recommend it more .

Try doing a pros and cons list , do a 3-5 year projection of what you want to achieve in your life. Set some short term and long term goals and write them down as a program It will focus you and motivate

.Get every College and Uni prospectus you can. You might be surprised at what course there are available you may not have thought of.

Try and anticipate what professions will be in demand in 3-4 years time when you qualify. Thik about salaries and what type of work you would be doing with your chosen profession.
good luck

As a current student with them, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Open University www.open.ac.uk . It was created especially for people like you, you don't need qualifications to start. PM me if you want a chat.

Seriously - get some careers advice from a good adviser. PM me if you'd like some pointers - my wife can send you some links. I wish I'd had good careers advice when I was younger, glad I have it now!