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  • LAVA Moderator: Shinji Ikari

Am I too late for an education?

I've been think the same thing lately cause I'm 22 and have spent my life since 14 taking care of my sick mother supported the house but was also lost doing heroin all the time for nearly a decade of my life. I did well in high school graduated I was on the honour roll a lot of the time and always put 110℅ into whatever it is I did. Now I'm on Suboxone and got my life together and although I always dismissed school because of money issues now I'm supposed to be coming into an inheritance from my dead father well hopefully I am contesting his will in court right now since my father was a bastard and took his only 2 kids out of his will to be a asshole but its supposed to be a sure thing due to the fact we live in ajurisdiction where the courts have the most power over changing a persons will and we are his only kids stuck supporting their mother all these Years cause the dad decided one day he didn't want family.
Anyways enough of that stupid story I have always dreamed of learning and practising medicine and now I finally think i may have a chance at doing so if I use this inherited money smart. I know its gonna be a long fucking road that ain't easy but what is easy you know I want to make a difference in the world and want to strive for a dream for once in my life. Do you guys think its practical for me to want to pursue my dream of being a doctor or whatever field I choose in medicine at my age?
 
As said it is Never too late. I went to college for the first time when I was 45. I hated school when I was a young person however found I Loved learning once i got into college. I sadly had to stop after 3 years due to some serious health issues that stem from my Hepatitis C and I really never thought I would say this but I so miss school.
Give it a try.
You do not have to overwhelm yourself i know i went to community College and since i am REALLY bad at math i only took the Reading and writing placement test and took classes that did not require math. I also only took I think it was 4 classes to satisfy the FAFSA ( government Grant ) This way i did not over do it just going back after so many years away. My daughter went back and they never told her she could do this and she took both tests and ended up with far more classes and it overwhelmed her to the point she quit after a semester. So take it slow talk to your adviser and find something that really interests you.
 
Also make sure you realize that learning about chemistry/biology/biochemistry or whatever is not the same reality as practicing it. With a B.S., you will be qualified to be a lab technician only (and even then good luck getting a job). As a lab technician you will be doing other people's work, running gels over and over again. If you get a PhD you will spend most of your time writing grants and managing lab techs. I just want to make sure you understand that just because you are interested in chemistry/biology or even if you're good at it doesn't mean you'll enjoy actually doing it. A lot of long hours and a lot of stress and very little recognition or pay even when you succeed.
 
Good for you for deciding to go back to school to make something more of yourself. Here's something important to consider. Time and cost are a huge factor in education. I started college in 2007-08 and 6 years later in 2014 I'll be finishing my masters in a few months (I'm a year younger than you are). So lets say you do go for the full doctorates, you could have up to 100,000USD in debt from your bachelors maybe another 50k for graduate school (if you go) and maybe again another 100,000USD for a doctorates. So in the end you'll potentially wind up with 250,000k in debt. I had a blessed financial situation where I received some scholarships and help from my family so I wasn't as impacted by the debt factor. However since you mentioned you have a family the time and financial burden may be too much of a strain on yall at this stage in the game.

I think you would get just as much value out of an Associates degree or vocational training in a specialized field as you would a bachelors degree. These days diplomas are a minimum requirement and don't command that much authority in the job market. You have good skills that are in high demand right now so I'd just focus on developing those.

IMO

Bachelors degrees are there to get jobs you cant with a GED
Master's degrees are for those who want to teach or change careers
Doctorates are for lifelong academics and researchers
 
I graduated at 36. Note that I went in to learn something fun and already had a career, but it was worth it.

One issue is that you'll have to get loans or pay yourself. I did half and half. Paid off two loans but have two large ones to go that I will have to pay off for a while.

Don't go to a shitty tech school or a diploma mill. Hiring managers will laugh you out of the office with a degree from University of Phoenix or Devry. I've been a part of the hiring process and I've seen it first hand. Get a real degree.
 
I notice the OP is in a different country to me and with the US and UK having massively different academic systems and attitudes towards higher education im not sure what my experience counts for, (I was a mature student aged 29 when I graduated from Uni) so I will not go into detail but all I will say is if you want it that bad it will happen! It IS hard work as a mature student and they are very lonely years (as mature students are in the vast minority in most universities) but it is NEVER too late for an education.
 
Nah man. Go to school. Be the change you wish to see. I believe in you man.

Once your done, never look back.
 
I'm 26 right now and planning to return to university for a 2nd degree within the next 2 years. I'm no longer interested in my current field, and I know I want to pursue pharmacy instead, which is completely unrelated to what I do now. So aside from having different work experience up until this age, you and I are in the same boat! I'm extremely confident that I can successfully obtain a pharmacy degree and become either a pharmacist or move onto to graduate school in pharmacology; age is not a factor for me, and it shouldn't be for you either. It's not too late.

However, I advise you to think hard about what career you want after university. It sounds like you're interested in pursuing graduate school and research, which is very admirable but also very risky. Just think of how many professors there are to grad students. Academia can be a very competitive cutthroat environment. My interest is definitely in pharmacology research, however I'm going for a pharmacy degree to ensure I have a decent backup career as a pharmacist in case I can't make it in academia. To be safe, consider an applied sciences degree such a chemical engineering, which can lead to many great career opportunities immediately in addition to providing you with a background for graduate school in pure chemistry. A pure science bachelor's degree, while still impressive, is much less valuable in the job market than an applied sciences degree. I guess this is where age does factor in a bit - you can't afford to make a mistake that sets you back several more years, whereas an 18 year old can.

Good luck!
 
Mate, it is never too late to pursue an education. :)

Go for it, my friend!
 
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