At the age 41 can you fulfil your dream to become an engineer? 17

[maturestudent14]

When I was young during school holidays I was helping my father in his engineering business where I started developing interest in engineering.

Unfortunately, after my school graduation I went to live with my uncle in another country. I couldn’t have an opportunity to go to college to fulfil my passion to study engineering due to fees were very expensive.

Now, after working in catering industry for more than 20 years, I have started to get bored and I don’t have self motivation in that field anymore. I’m thinking again about go back to college and study engineering.
But what is bothering me now, I think age is not on my side, I might be too old for that. I know other professions such as doctor, lawyer, teacher, architect, etc you can still be employed at mid forty from college and work past your retirement age.
-But, to study engineering in that age is too late? Bear in mind, by the time I will obtain all necessary qualifications I will be 44-45 years?
-If the top question is YES which engineering? I’m intended to study Chemical, Mechanical or Electrical engineering. You can mention other branches of engineering as well.

I'm aware of the equality legislation but that it doesn’t stop employers not to hire you because of your age.

 

[maturestudent14]

Latexman,

Especially with my age. If i was 18 years old, i guess it could be much easier to decide.I would go straightaway to something i like without hesitation. Because if you had made wrong decision still you have time to study something esle.

For me, i have to select what i like first and then look other things

 

[kacarrol]

When I was in university we had an older guy in our class. He did very well, I think that being an older student lends you more focus, you are less likely to go on alcoholic binges with the young crowd. I also work with a guy who went back to school and obtained his degree later in life (mid to late 30's?). I have also seen a lot of older people immigrating to this country and find it easier to go back to university and get a degree and start over then to try and continue with the profession they had in their place of origin.

While not an engineering anecdote, several of my friends who took nursing in university and college always talked about a group in their class that they referred to as "the moms". This was a group of older women who decided to go to school later in life. My friends always talked about how dedicated they were to learning, this group always sat at the very front of the room. Again lending to my thoughts that people who go back to school are more dedicated to getting a good education.

What I'm trying to say is, I've seen a reasonable number of older people switch gears and still land a job. I'm in mechanical engineering, just for reference. If I were ever an employer I would look favourably on someone who went back to school, that takes courage and dedication, good qualities in an employee I think.

Hope that helps!
K

 

[ornerynorsk]

You must do what you love. Even though we have all experienced situations where we must do a job that we dislike in order to put bread on the table, one must strive to be happy in their occupation. Life is short, and to be contributing with purpose, and enjoying it, is a blessing.

Age 41 is not that old. The advantage that you have that younger people do not is this - life experience. You hopefully have greater discipline, maturity, intuitive reasoning, and general knowledge than people half your age, and those things can serve you doubly well when competing in a job against a 20 or 22 year old, and employers know this.

Good luck and best wishes!

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[IRstuff]

" Surely, the OP is not the first student to be undecided on their career major going into university, and some thought, planning, and an advisor's experience may have a favorable outcome on the student or the course choices if the OP is forthcoming with their dilemma."

Of course not, BUT, and it's a Big BUT, in the case of UC Berkeley, an undeclared major has no priority in major-specific required courses, meaning that until you do declare, you might not get the courses you need/want.

TTFN
faq731-376

Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529

 

[Latexman]

Interesting, at NCSU "each prospective engineering student registers for classes in a common first year, which includes two engineering-specific classes, E 101 - Introduction to Engineering and E 115 - Introduction to Computing Environments". Actually, it's more like a common fall semester. They went this way because their statistics indicate "Almost half of students who consider studying engineering in college don't know in which kind of engineering they will major." It's the same today as it was in 1975.

Good luck,
Latexman

Technically, the glass is always full - 1/2 air and 1/2 water.

 

[cry22]

in Brooklyn, they'd tell ya: fuggetaboutit - I would, because engineering sucks, even when you love engineering.
I am thinking of putting a sign on my tomb like Zorba the greek: "Here lies an Engineer who hated engineering, engineers and.... architects" in reference to "here lies a crete who hated the cretes".

Now that's off my chest, you could be a kitchen consultant, as mike noted, you know a lot about kitchens, you could be laying out and choosing (specifying) kitchen equipment for architects.
No need for a college degree for that, high school level, some CAD, on the job training and you made it.

 

[ornerynorsk]

Quit sugar coating it, cry22, how do you really feel about it!?!

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[moltenmetal]

If it's your passion, do it. But don't forget your head either. You're hoping to enter a profession which is already oversupplied, with a disadvantage as far as employers are concerned. Sure, you're more mature and you have some life experience that will be useful on the job- and you probably will do well markswise because you won't be as distracted as the kids in your classes are. But prospective employers will look at you for perhaps 2 seconds before they worry about how much salary you'll want the year after they hire you. That's the reality of the situation.

I agree with previous posters who suggested you study somewhere with a structured internship or co-op program. I'd go one step further and suggest that you do not do this UNLESS it is at such a university. It will give you a higher quality engineering education, a list of job experience prior to graduation, and a little money to offset the enormous cost of foregoing fulltime employment through those four years as well as the tuition etc. But more important than that: you will get real, current and hands-on experience with what engineers really do rather than just what you imagine or remember your dad doing.

 

[Sparweb]

When I went back to school, (I took a 2-year break) I found myself in a class with many older guys. Most of them had been laid off from a factory job, and were using the severance to put themselves through engineering to get a better job. I liked hanging around with those guys a LOT more than the kids who had no life or job experience at all, even though they were only a couple of years younger than me. The older guys weren't so keen on the math (helps to have a young mind I guess) so I helped a lot of them with the statistics and calculus. They in turn taught me how to change a clutch. Fair exchange.

If some country-folk wisdom is helpful here: Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right.

Good luck to you!

STF

 

[steellion]

The concerns about age discrimination and salary are valid, but if it's what you want to do, go for it! 41 is not too old; after 4 years in school, you could work as an engineer for 25 years before age 70.

 

[kylesito]

Engineering is as much a state of mind as it is a formal education. You are either already of the engineer mindset, or not. It's not a hobby that you can learn.

Sounds like you already might have this realization. And if you feel up to starting school again, then education will obviously teach you the tools you need. But at the heart of it, a person is either of the engineer mindset or they aren't.

PE, SE
Eastern United States

"If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death!"
~Code of Hammurabi

 

[Latexman]

You have to have . . . The Knack

Good luck,
Latexman

Technically, the glass is always full - 1/2 air and 1/2 water.

 

[cry22]

ornery
Truly wish I had gone to law school instead of engineering, real arguing, real convincing, new cases all the time.

 

[FACS]

The only thing stopping you is your belief and negative support from other people.

Pretend you didn't ask this question.

Ignore anything that may suggest you can't do this.

Do it ...... Do it..... and this way, you will answer your own question.

If you don't do it, you will never know; and you will regret Not doing something more than trying and failing.

Forget about this thread, and go do something.

Charlie

http://www.facsco.com

 

[eng2407]

WHere are you form and where are you planning on studying?

 

[ornerynorsk]

Do or do not, there is no ~try, want, wish, if only, etc~ . Yoda, modified to the situation.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

 

[moltenmetal]

FACS: most people advise having a careful look around before jumping into something serious with both feet. The OP is doing what an engineer should do: seeking information from different sources, analyzing it and then using it to guide an important decision.

 

[FACS]

moltenmetal,
I gave my opinion, if it offended you, sorry about that.

Charlie

http://www.facsco.com

 

[HamburgerHelper]

Your ROI is going to suck unless you can find an employer willing to subsidize your schooling. There are jobs, especially field jobs, that involve problem solving and engineering and often are filled by anyone that can show that they can do it, degree or no degree. Also, oil and gas is hiring anyone that can fog a spoon right now. So, getting into rig work or even just starting out in design at a consulting firm wouldn't be as hard as you might expect right now.

 

[moltenmetal]

FACS, you didn't offend me at all, and you are absolutely entitled to express your opinion here. The OP will have to decide between our opinions, which differ on this a fair bit.