Originally Posted by Folie
I was reading a thread and it intrigued me because I had a converstation today withn a friend that was very similar to it. One of the things we touched on, the friend and I, was about "adult students". You know, people who go to/finish college at the age of like age of 25 and older. We were saying how we've met students at our school, we went to the same university, who were 30s and older and many of them didn't finish. 
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| Originally Posted by YLQ
And how old will this person be in 4 years if they don't go back to school? In America, most people attend high school until they are 17. Average life expectancy is around 74-ish years here. Average retirement age is around 67 -ish. Assuming a person gets a job immediately after high school instead of going right to college: 40 - 17 = 23 (# of years they will have worked for lower wages before earning a degree) 74 - 40 = 34 (# of years they will probably live after earning a degree) 67 - 40 = 27 ( # of years they will probably work before retiring) 23 x 19k = 437,000 (amount of money they made in those 23 degree-less years) 27 x 46k = 1,242,000 (minimum amount of money they will make in the 27 years after earning a bachelors degree before retiring) 27 x 19k = 513,000 (amount they will make in those same 27 years degree-less) 513,000 + 437,000 = 950,000 (working degree-less for 50 years) 1,242,000 = 437,000 = 1,679,000 (working degree-less for 23 years and degreed for 27 years) 1,679,000 - 950,000 = 729,000 (amount more in lifetime earnings after getting a degree at 40) Now, I'm not good with math so some of that might be wrong, but it looks to me like Naomi or Methusela should take their 35 year old ass on back to school and get a degree. |
| Originally Posted by Lauren1981
i believe that when we set goals for ourselves it's good to set an age as a deadline for having met that goal (i.e. by the time i'm 30, but before 31 i should and want to be a RN). however i think this topic probably depends on what we consider old. me personally i don't think 35 is too old for anything as far as career changes or going back to school. this goes along with what i said about setting certain ages as deadlines for goals we want to meet. i just got accepted into nursing school and i turn 29 a couple of months afterwards. i'm going for my AS in it and my plan is working for a few years and then going for my bachelors..... if everything goes as planned i'll be finish with my AS by the time i'm 30, before 31 and then i'll work and by the time i'm 33/34 i'll be going back for my bachelors and i should be done with that by 35.... so no i don't think 35 is too old to be in school or go back. somedays i used to wish i would have figured out nursing is what i wanted to do back when i graduated highschool then i would have had my bachelors in it already and i would have gotten it in 2004 when i was 23 instead of a degree in liberal studies but i probably wasn't ready for it yet back then so i'm just thankful that i am able to go back to school for whatever i want and whatever age i want. if 35 was the age at which i went back then oh well. i guess when you get to late 20's or early 30's and it's taken you a little longer to figure out what you want to do or be able to do what you want then 35 doesn't seem like it's too old. but like i said earlier, i think it all depends on what we all consider "old"
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| Originally Posted by Modmom
Well, I'm 40 and I have a very good paying job (have never worked for low wages) and I'm going back to school this fall to get my esthetics certificates. For me I jumped right into the corporate world after high school and quickly moved up in rank and pay. After losing my first child to SIDS, I left the work world to be a stay at home mom. All that mattered to me was spending every moment possible with my children. I've built up an at-home business successfully over the last 15 years designing and selling home decor at trade shows. Its incredibly hard work, but it allowed me to be home with my boys all the time. Two years ago I went back to work part time in an office job. I'm still there now. Now I'm ready for 'me' time. My boys are 13 and 10. My plan is to get my education now so that when my youngest is in junior high, I will go back to work full time in the beauty industry. So to answer your question, you're never too old for schooling. Life throws many curve balls at you. Twenty years ago I would have told you that by 40 I would be in a top corporate position. Looking back now, I know I wouldn't have been happy. I'm so excited to be able to go back to school now. I know what I like in life and I'm very clear about who I am and where the next phase in my life will take me. I can understand, at your age, why you think 40 is too old for many things. But I promise you, when you get here, you'll feel like things are just getting started!! |
| Originally Posted by InspiredBlue
If you graduate at 40, you have 25 or so working years ahead of you before retirement. So, no, that person will not have spent "most of their life" doing whatever it was they were doing before they went back to school. Since you are classifying anyone who graduates at 25 or up as OLD, I take it you are pretty young. So I wonder what you are after? A legitimate reason to say that the "adult students" shouldn't be there? This thread reeks of ageism and ohmygoshlookatthepoormisguideduneducatedoldpeopleb reathingmypreciousair. |
| Originally Posted by InspiredBlue
If you graduate at 40, you have 25 or so working years ahead of you before retirement. So, no, that person will not have spent "most of their life" doing whatever it was they were doing before they went back to school. Since you are classifying anyone who graduates at 25 or up as OLD, I take it you are pretty young. So I wonder what you are after? A legitimate reason to say that the "adult students" shouldn't be there? This thread reeks of ageism and ohmygoshlookatthepoormisguideduneducatedoldpeopleb reathingmypreciousair. |
| Originally Posted by Folie
I think in theory, it's a good plan. I just think life doesn't always work that way. Like are they granteed 46k out of the box? Not really.... |
| Originally Posted by Folie
I'm not. Adult student as a term starts at 25. Mature student - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I misread it. You have to begin at 25 to be an adult student. I think people feel I'm saying don't do it, which I'm not. I'm just saying it's not my train of thought. Even if I were to dislike my career later in life, I doubt I would go back later in life to totally change careers. I plan to get an MA in another year or so, but within my field and am hoping a future job will fund it, and that will probably be it. PhD is too much time and work for me. If you want to go back, it's up to you. However, I feel, for myself, the cons outweight the pros.
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| Originally Posted by COBI
I also think with regards to advance degrees, "real life" experience enhances the experience significantly. |
| Originally Posted by Folie
I'm not. Adult student as a term starts at 25. Mature student - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I misread it. You have to begin at 25 to be an adult student. I think people feel I'm saying don't do it, which I'm not. I'm just saying it's not my train of thought. Even if I were to dislike my career later in life, I doubt I would go back later in life to totally change careers. I plan to get an MA in another year or so, but within my field and am hoping a future job will fund it, and that will probably be it. PhD is too much time and work for me. If you want to go back, it's up to you. However, I feel, for myself, the cons outweight the pros.
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| Originally Posted by Lauren1981
i don't think anyone is feeling that you're saying don't do it. the way you put it out there is that 35 is simply too old to go back to school or be in school because by the time they find a "real" job they will be 40 which is then insinuating that 40 too old for anything as well. you're opinion is fine but you have to understand that things have changed so much. i know since the recession i have seen SOOOO many people go back to school regardless of age. there are many MANY factors that go into someone going to school right out of college or not starting til late 20's to mid 30's. speaking for myself, i got a bachelor's degree that i can't do shit with back in 2004 because i spent my college career going wild because i was finally on my own. thinking about what i wanted to be later on wasn't a huge priority when i got to college and by the time i figured it out i just wanted to graduate. why? BECAUSE I CAN ALWAYS GO BACK. whenever i want. hell, my mom went back at 45 for her master's and i absolutely love the fact that, despite her age, she went back to school for something she always wanted. also, there are those that may have not had the means financially to attend college before they became "adult students" and others may have had families or babies to take care and college didn't fit into their schedule. so, there's nothing wrong with how you feel for yourself but the way that it was put out here in this thread is going to offend some people. you don't know, there could have been some 35 year olds reading this thread who are starting their first year this fall and then they're reading a thread where someone is saying 35 is too old.....
just something to think about. |
| Originally Posted by Folie
If that's the case, I hope I didn't offend anyone reading this.
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| Originally Posted by Folie
If that's the case, I hope I didn't offend anyone reading this.
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