Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

I am a mom to 3 boys, aged 4, 6 and 9. All 3 will be in school this year. I am seriously considering returning to school in the fall. I have a ton of credits behind me, but it has been 10 years. I never finished college because we moved so my husband, boyfriend at the time, could pursue his career. I had planned to return, but had a baby, got married and had 2 more babies. I am unsure which direction I want to go, either education or the medical field. Am I being unrealistic in thinking I will even be hired at say 37 or 38 by the time I finish? I do not want to invest time or money if I am going to get nowhere.

I wanted to add, I now live in SC, so teaching jobs are less scarce

Message edited 8/14/2018 9:56:04 PM.

Re: Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

as a teacher, i'd just say go medical. I do think in the teaching field, they prefer to hire younger teachers. I think in the medical field it is very age diverse. i have so many friends in the medical field and they are very happy. in teaching, jobs are hard to find (maybe less so in SC) but most teachers all over get burnt out very quick and are unhappy in their jobs. Also the pay is less for a lot more work. I know like even people who do ultrasounds and other scans (technicians of the machines) get paid way more than teachers and have way less stress. as a teacher your job comes home with you. in the medical field, you might work longer hours, but it's behind you when you get home! good luck! enjoy! i dont know you but im proud of you for wanting to continue your education!!

Message edited 8/14/2018 10:15:31 PM.

Re: Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

i just turned 45 and plan on going back to school in 2019. i keep saying that "i don't want to die a college dropout."

i completely understand what you mean about deciding on a field where it will be worth the effort invested. i'm going to agree with not selecting teaching.

i used to dream of being a teacher. at my age and with my life experience, i don't think you could pay me enough to spend that much time with other people's children.

i say the medical field.

good luck!!

Re: Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

I don’t think it’s ever too late to pursue an education or a goal. I think it’s a good idea and I also believe employers would absolutely hire you. I don’t know which direction you should go but whatever you decide Good Luck with it!

Re: Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

I got my second masters at 34, so I say go for it. I am in education, but it took two master’s degrees and nine years before I got a full time job in a district on LI. I would weigh the pros and cons of education vs. the medical field.

Re: Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

Like a PP said, I would weigh the pros and cons of what to study. Look at jobs and what they pay.

I don’t think it’s too late. Go back to study. It’s never too late to learn.

Re: Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

You havent mentioned WHY you want to go back. Are you interested/excited about learning or is the outcome for a steady job with benefits? Or do you just want to accomplish the goal of having a college degree? Will you work FT when you graduate? If so, What does you DH think? Are you able to pay without loans?

It’s never too late but many Things that you want could be accomplished without the degree as well it really depends On what you see as the end result

Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

I went to law school at 32 and graduated at 35. People change careers all the time and go back to school. We had much older people in my classes. It’s never too late.

Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

are you a SAHM right now? I ask bc I have a friend that went back to school when her kids went to school full time, graduated... but still ended up not going back to work bc their family situation still needed her to be home - getting on the bus, off the bus, school holidays - summer vacation. I think she will eventually get there when their kids are at an age where they can be home alone. Education is never a "waste", but I know how you are feeling... is it "realistic". Its tough.

Re: Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

Go for it! I'd stick to the medical path. If we had all the money in the world, I would go back to school and pursue a different career...but we don't, and so I can't. No regrets!

Re: Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

I know a bunch of teachers in our district that were career changers and were hired in their 40s so I say if education is what you want to pursue, go for it! There is no better job to have when you have children since your breaks and theirs will most likely coincide. As for having to bring work home, many professions need to bring work home or do work on their own time. I can never understand why teachers think that they are the only profession that has this as a requirement. There are very few professions that give you all summer off and every school break as well though! Also, most professions have some degree of stress. This is not something that is exclusive to teaching as well.

With three children that young I am not sure I would pursue anything in the medical field because then you will surely need to find childcare and that might cause added stress when you are looking for a job.

But, you are so young, it is absolutely not too late to go back and get your degree and start a career.

Re: Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

That's definitely not too late!

But I would stick to medical. Even though you won't get summers off, the hours are generally more flexible. I think it might also be easier to enter that field in your late 30's compared with the teaching field.

The teaching field has also been changing so much the past few years so you may not actually be getting into what you think you're getting into.

Re: Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

Def not too late. I have a friend who was unhappy with her job ,she went back to school for teaching. Turns out she couldn't deal with teaching so she went back to school again and this time for Medical billing, she now works in a dr. office.

Re: Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

I’d recommend taking one class at a community college just to see if you get your head back into it. I took some additional courses just to move ahead on my pay scale and I didn’t realize how hard it was to get my head back into the game of reading, writing, etc. on a regular basis with weekly deadlines. And I did this before I had kids! If you can do that, then I think you are good to go.

Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

I do not think you are being unrealistic to consider going back to school- I would highly recommend spending some time thinking about possible careers and try to narrow down what you want before going back to school. The medical field is huge- think beyond doctors and nurses- there are also more flexible careers in allied health- PT, OT, SLP, etc

Message edited 8/15/2018 8:54:22 PM.

Re: Going back to school at 34...am I bring realistic?

I think it would be a good role model for your kids.

I changed careers - I didn’t have to go back to school but I do something totally different now than how I spent my first 10 yrs working.

It’s never too late. Be realistic about your investment and job opportunities/life style afterwards.

Do it! You’ve got this and you deserve to invest in yourself in the same ways you’ve been investing in your husband/family.