going back to school... at age 30+?

[chinook79]

has anyone done it?
I already have a degree... very unfortunately, I didn't put too much effort when I was in school.. so my GPA isn't high enough for grad school/med/law school..
I would probably need to take another undergraduate major..
I have easy job that pays that pays around 60k.. not something I want to settle down for rest of my life..
I am out of school for almost 8 years now... and I'm thinking myself.. if I could be a proud father one day... I've been out of serious relationship for a while now.. no kids no wife and I am not in rush for any of those yet..
would it be worth it to go back to school for 8+ years for another degree+grad school/law/med?
It's not easy decision.. as I would be close to 40 by the time I'm done schooling..
going back to classroom full of young adults 10 years younger than me isn't comfortable either..
As this is probably last chance for me to 'upgrade myself' in terms of education and different career field... thinking of how I might regret if I back out..scares me..
Any opinions?
I just want to see other's opinions.. thanks..

[mr85]

take night classes

[twitchyzero]

what's your current job? now that you have work experience and maturity..why dont you try applying to the professional programs that you were originally interested in?

[ajax]

There's many people your age who take part time classes at BCIT. Maybe you can take a program that is in your field of work.
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[optiblue]

60k per year is pretty good with just a bachelors! $10 says you didn't major in Sciences which is the road to poordom! I was going to suggest BCIT, but you already make more than most of the programs that they offer. Just don't end up as a professional student.

[Euro7r]

Damn man, that's a pretty good salary though per year. At least you make more than the canadian average, so it's not that bad.

In terms of school, there's tons of people that take night courses and most of them are older adults I take these courses with, so you aren't the only one that is out there if that makes you feel any better.

[6793026]

let me break this down for you. i am in the exact same shoes are you, like literally.

grad school or masters should be easy, they don't loko at much your marks as you can just share with them you have more experience now and want to go back, so if you do wnat to go back and try, you shoudl at least try, worse they can do is reject you.

my question to myself is, why do i want to go back to school. Do i need an MBA to advance my career or do i want to change to another field of studies?

I work in sales and my experiences on my resume is what I will use to upgrade me in my career. I do not need an MBA.

My buddy was in the same shoes, however, he worked in IT and did programming and he wanted to get out. He is doing his masters so he can have a second chance to change careers; finance.

Lastly, regarding 60k, dude, 60k is not bad, average FAMILY income is 65 K.... (2007 stats).

[TheNewGirl]

I'm 32 and looking to go back to school in the spring myself for my... third degree. I have been out of school for about 8 years as well. Night school for me personally, I can't afford to go full time and I still haven't paid off my student loan from SFU and I would never recommend that route for anyone.

As many people have pointed out 60K a year is NOT bad. Especially for a single income.

[Mr.HappySilp]

27 and thinking of going back to school too >< didn't good at all before. Good a decent job that pays well not bad I say but doesn't really have any real future right now.

Thinking of going to BCIT to take some part time courses to get a Diploma or take several Certificate and then see what happens.

But looking at the part time courses assuming I do 2 to 3 per term it would take maybe 3 years fastest to complete a diploma >< sigh but the good thing is I have no family atm so I can start now than later I guess.

Anyone know which field is better Computer or Finanical/Accounting? Took a few accounting classes and I must say I don't like them but I don't hate them as well. Computers well I am doing computer tech support now and I do have interesting in the whole CCNA, Network admin. But yea not really sure what do to sigh.

[hotshot1]

I'm taking a few courses part-time at BCIT right now and there is definitely a major difference in average age compared to full-time. My part-time courses have a lot more older, working people.

[ddr]

there are lots of programs that require you have 2 years of post secondary credits, and a degree would definitely be an asset as in your case

once you decide on a program, check to see which courses you do not need to take if you can transfer credits (i.e. electives)

and i always like to take all the options all at once so as to get them out of the way. i.e. libs was an absolute waste of time with extremely subjective professors at bcit (68 vs. 88 in two consecutive courses). hopefully they won't make you take them since i'm sure you'd had your share of electives.

[saucywoman]

I would love to go back to school but I live on my own and couldn't afford it or afford to quit my job to do it... AND I don't know what I'd want to pursue :s oh and I'm 27 if that matters. To the op I guess in van 60g may Not be that much but if I was making that I myself would be happy
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[TRDood]

What degree do you want to do that will add value to your career prospects?

Is your goal achievable? Does it increase your probability of scoring a job that's more than 60k yo START?


For me, I am 90% certain that I will stop at MA. A PhD in economics for 4 years does not pay off in the long run unless I have a very innovative idea.
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[RollingStone]

IMO, its great if you're going back to school to study something you love but if your going back just because you think you can make more money with an extra piece of paper = fiasco waiting to happen (like the guy above who doesn't even know if he likes computer science vs accounting). If you don't love what you do, you will never succeed.

If money is all you care about, go work for a successful business owner and start your own business when you're ready. I know many business owners who make 100K+ year and none of them have any degrees whatsoever.

And at college, nobody gives a damn WHO you are let alone how old you are. Thats just you being insecure.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by RollingStone

IMO, its great if you're going back to school to study something you love but if your going back just because you think you can make more money with an extra piece of paper = fiasco waiting to happen (like the guy above who doesn't even know if he likes computer science vs accounting). If you don't love what you do, you will never succeed.

If money is all you care about, go work for a successful business owner and start your own business when you're ready. I know many business owners who make 100K+ year and none of them have any degrees whatsoever.

And at college, nobody gives a damn WHO you are let alone how old you are. Thats just you being insecure.

Do u love your job? Do you think about your job even when you are off work? Do you love the job so much to point you even do it for free?

I am sorry but I do not want to think about what I do at work once I am off. I might look at the latest news about computers, softwares.

Or put it this way in short everyone needs to eat, pay their bills etc etc. There is nothing wrong to pick a career that will make you the most money if you have almost the same interest in different fields. Say there are career path that you like. One will make you avg 60k per year and have lot's of room to move while the other one maybe 30k a year and you are stuck in a dead end job. Most likely u will chose the first career.

A lot of people these days think Hmmmm accounting, CGA, CA I can make money with so therefore that's what I want to do later on in life. But how many people out there actually enjoy their job that they do.

Always remember just coz you a certain career/type of job doesn't mean that's what will want to be in life.

[slammer111]

I'm doing BCIT night/weekend classes right now. My job is paying for it so I am taking as many courses as I can get my hands on.

I'm not trying to jump fields per say (more like changing domains within my own field) but employers want to see relevance. Which is why I'm taking Project Management and CAD.

The great news about taking night courses if you are younger (say below 35) is that you can totally destroy the class average as your mind will generally be sharper.

OP, we're pretty much in the same boat.

As many people say, doing Law/Med for the sake of "getting a better job" is not the right way to go. If you are thinking of those (for example), talk to some lawyers and doctors first. It isn't all prestige and glory.

[dave123]

Originally Posted by chinook79

has anyone done it?
I already have a degree... very unfortunately, I didn't put too much effort when I was in school.. so my GPA isn't high enough for grad school/med/law school..
I would probably need to take another undergraduate major..
I have easy job that pays that pays around 60k.. not something I want to settle down for rest of my life..
I am out of school for almost 8 years now... and I'm thinking myself.. if I could be a proud father one day... I've been out of serious relationship for a while now.. no kids no wife and I am not in rush for any of those yet..
would it be worth it to go back to school for 8+ years for another degree+grad school/law/med?
It's not easy decision.. as I would be close to 40 by the time I'm done schooling..
going back to classroom full of young adults 10 years younger than me isn't comfortable either..
As this is probably last chance for me to 'upgrade myself' in terms of education and different career field... thinking of how I might regret if I back out..scares me..
Any opinions?
I just want to see other's opinions.. thanks..

I'm sorry to say 60K a year aint gonna buy you a house in Vancouver (or the burbs).

Take the plunge and do it, it's never too late. I know 2 people that went to singapore to do their mba. They are making major major money now.

I wouldn't recommend doing another bachelors (you shouldnt have to, just ace your grad school entrance exams).

Go for grad school or a specialization program. PMP is not bad if proj management is something you want to do.

[BlackV62K2]

I'm almost in the same boat as you but late 20s instead of 30+. I went to AI of Vancouver when I was done highschool, finished with their Programming diploma and got a job working as a software engineer for the last 4 years. I think now it's time for a career change as I dont see myself doing any SE type job as a career anymore. Throughout the years I got less and less motivated to advance.

I've been thinking about getting into Business/Finance at either BCIT, SFU or UBC. Since none of my AI courses can be transfered to BCIT, SFU or UBC, I'll basically only have my high school grades to go off of.

I don't think I have the grades for direct entry in the 1st year business/commerce program for SFU or UBC. So I may have to go through Arts and transfer into their 2nd year. I know I have the admission requirments for Financial Management at BCIT.

So I'm not sure what's the best option to go with.

[carsncars]

If you're considering MD, think long and hard about it. Assuming you go back to school full time, it'll take you 3 years at best (well, perhaps 2.5 but they only matriculate once a year) to complete your first undergraduate. Then 4 years of medical school (assuming you get in on the first try). However, there's still a ways to go until you're an attending--you'll be earning $45K/year for 80-100 hours a week as a resident for a few years. All in all, you're probably looking at 11+ years until you are earning what you're earning now. Maybe.

By no means is it a bad decision to go medicine, but unless it's your passion (i.e., you're not doing it for the sake of a "better" job), there are some big questions you need to ask yourself before committing.

A similar argument applies to law, the exception being that if you have significant experiences from your time in the workforce and have a decent undergraduate GPA (3.3-ish), you might be able to squeeze in as a mature student without redoing your undergraduate degree. Still, there's 3-4 years of law school, and then you'll probably end up articling for a while.

I wouldn't go either of these routes unless you're genuinely interested in law or medicine. If you're primarily looking for an increase in pay, IMO there's easier money to be made elsewhere, especially considering the time spent in school (lost wages) and cost of tuition.

What field are you in at the moment? Is there opportunity to move into management? Depending on your current experience, field, and your interests, an MBA might open up some doors for career progression. Ditto for graduate studies. As long as your undergraduate GPA is reasonable, you'd be surprised where these will take you. These would represent a less dramatic career shift, but don't require you to redo your undergraduate degree and may (in the case of an MBA) be able to be taken part time or in the evening.

Then again, MBAs aren't the door-openers they used to be. Have you looked at opportunities for lateral movement in your field now, so that you can gradually shift to a different job with more opportunity for promotion?

[DaFonz]

At 30+, you can be considered as a mature applicant for law school which means that your GPA doesn't really factor as much. Depends on the law school so just look at their requirements.

Another option is to get an MBA from a GOOD school. If you get an MBA from somewhere like SFU, you will be wasting your time. The value of an MBA isn't in the skills you learn (you learn some stuff), but the network you will get.

[fa48]

Regret is the worst feeling of all, if you strongly think you should go back to school, this is the right time to do so.

[eclipseman]

I was also out of school for 9 years or so, and went back at 28 (will be 30 in a couple months). Have always been interested in getting into the Entertainment industry, so I went for 3D Animation and Visual Effects. Graduated a few months ago and am now working on feature films as a digital compositor.

Bottom line, find something you love to do and pursue it.

[dave123]

If you got the $$$, motivation and smarts.

Go here:
http://www.insead.edu/home/

I shit you not, you will make major cash after you grad here. I'm talking about life altering money.

[twitchyzero]

the question really depends if OP has kids..or is planning to have kids in the next little while that you are in school.

also changes the story if OP has a fiance/wife without a stable income