hi all

just wanted some opinions on this, what age is to old to re train i am late 40,s and want to change career i feel stagnant and bored with what i am doing now (retail)
i have some good colleges around but dont want to feel a fool applying


help please

*works at a university*

The oldest student I know of is 92

Well you have to be realistic. Getting hired for anything over 40-50 is difficult, if you have no real experience in the field other than training. The easiest way of doing this may be to be retrained by a present employer. For instance, I had only one employer during my working life (I am now retired.) I worked for the U.S. Gov't. I probably had five or six distinct career fields during my time there and I receive either formal or on-the-job training at each of those changes. From my observations, it seems that far more people making a mid-life career change do so by going into some entreprenuerial endeavor and set up a business which they own themselves. Risky business to be sure, but having done this myself on a part time basis (I had a hobby business as a photographer, a quite successful one) I can assure you that your boredom will likely be replaced by panic.

Jon

My mom is a teacher, and didn't even start teaching u ntil she was nearing 50.

When my youngest sisters were in sixth grade, we had just moved to a new area, and my mom volunteered in their classroom. She came home one day, and went "Pfft, I can teach better then this woman!", and went down to the community college the next day and signed up for classes.

Why not go take a few classes, just to keep it interesting? As bad as the economy is, you probably can't afford to full out quit your job and go back to school, so just go sign up for a few classes. Whatever. Even if you never end up with a full out degree, at least you got to learn some new stuff.

I'm in two classes right now, and there's a pretty solid mix. There's a woman in my Hospitality class that just turned 40, and there's a kid in my Comp class that isn't even out of high school yet. So you get a little of everything.

I don't think there is ever an age that says you cannot have a new career, but being realistic there are some things that you just won't have the opportunity to do once you have hit a certain age. Alot of employers look for experience, which is where the hard part comes in. They will say "Oh you are great for the positition but we have decided to go with someone with a little more background." Oh goodie..the never ending circle of needing experience but no one is going to give you the opprotunity to get any!

I would say that if what you have in mind to do is reasonable, absolutely go for it. It is tough out there though and there are so many people who have the education and experience and still cannot get a job. Keep your expectations very real, and perhaps like the above posts suggested, enroll yourself in a class or two to get back in the swing of things and see where it takes you.

I am 35 and I am starting a new career right now. *fingers crossed*

I know a dance teacher of mine that quit teaching and closed her studio as well as her professional company at the age of 50. She entered law school and was practicing law by age 55. That was one of the bravest most inspirational things that I have ever seen someone do and always makes me believe in myself.

I started a new career at forty-five. I wanted to be a dance teacher (ballet)and so I started out on an internship basis (meaning no pay) by assisting in classes, then my SO offered me my own class. After a year I started attending teaching certification classes over the summer for two years. I'm attending my last training session this summer after which I'll be certified to teach through the advanced level in five performing dance genres (though I don't plan on teaching all of them, I wanted to be certified in all so that when I hire teachers in my own studio some day I'll be able to recognize good ones).

My goals now have been fine-tuned: I plan on continuing to teach ballet and soon I'll be adding Bollywood as well. I've been studying studio ownership and hope to start my own studio in about five years when my husband retires.

I'm also writing a book!

As for applying to college - who cares how old you are when you apply? NEVER let what someone else thinks hold you back from pursuing your dreams! Good luck to you!

thank you all for your good advice

i have looked at all the different courses on offer and was suprised at the amount of adult learning that was available to fit in with my other comittments i think as you suggested take my time get into slowly and then focus on where i want to be

thank you all again and look forward to anymore good advice if i get stuck

It depends on what new career you are considering:

Health care is one burgeoning field, but traditional careers such as nursing do demand some degree of physical stamina. Needless to say, as many nurses are approaching retirement, the demand is very high. However, in the early 2000's quite a few schools of nursing in the US closed: There weren't enough nurse instructors to staff them!

As the need to cut dependency on foreign oil increases, so does the need to develop alternative sources. Engineering, if you are good at math and sciences, would be a good basic degree to have. It seems like a lot of federal money is going to go into developing the green energy sources, and there will be a huge market for people with training in engineering and technology.

You might want to consider contacting your state's employment office: Most of them do career counseling and aptitude testing for free, and it might be a good place to start to find out what you have potential for.

Another thing I would consider doing, before even going to the state employment office: Write down what you like and what you dislike about your present career, to get an idea of what you want to be doing.

Hey
Dont ever feel its too late to change careers
I teach ata college in Glasgow & our student intake has age ranges from 16 -60
Go for what you want or you will regret it

Karen x

You are never too old - go for it and good luck