Do you guys think 42 is too old to start a new career?

[Maximus Optimus]

I'll be done with my associates degree at a technical college here in Dallas in about 2 years from now.

 

[Young OG]

I'll be done with my associates degree at a technical college here in Dallas in about 2 years from now.

No, you're not too old. I'm 39 and I'll be finishing my IT Degree in Dec. I already got an entry level IT job that I started last Sept.

Put in the time and effort. The sacrifice will be worth it.

 

[AureliusMaximus]

Do you guys think 42 is too old to start a new career?

No.
You can do anything you want and you're not old yet ffs. You are in your prime age.
Loads of people start new businesses in their 50'ties and 60ties. Dude give yourself a break and get going.
And at 42 you're statistically also still considered young btw.

 

[dasein]

If the career is theoretical physicist and you aren't named Will Hunting, Chippendales or some type of microsurgeon, probably a little late.

Everything else? It has never been easier to get schooled up and tooled up for a new career. Have even thought of making a change at 57 myself.

 

[Larry Lurex]

I’ve been in grad school for far too long to notice one thing - dedicated adult students are likely to do well, as they bring in experience and attack-angle to solutions that the less experienced tend to overlook. That’s the valuable added-value of age.

However, I’m not saying learning new ways of doing things is easy. In this day and age, still upskilling applies to everyone whether your young or matured.

 

[GaBrotha]

NO!!!!

You're definitely not too old man! lol. The great thing about college is the fact that you can attend at any age regardless of who/what you are as long as your over the age of 16-18 and have a high school diploma. Your degree will benefit you in the end and give you experience in that field that you obtained the degree for. Besides that, you'll more than likely work for another 20 years before retirement considering your in your 40s now.

 

[BMX]

It depends on the job you want but hopefully 'NO'. I'm hearing a lot of people laid off in their 40's are having a difficult time getting hired on in their same career fields today. I made the decision to leave service in 2020 after eight long a$s years because if I re-upped a 3rd time, I would be cresting the 10-year mark and practically entering into indentured servitude at that point until retirement. That and I'm 33 now, going into my medical program this August and will be about 37/38 when I'm done. This is going to be my 3rd and final career. Planned it out back in childhood, though the timing and sequence of events have been shuffled around in reality.

Don't forget some of these jobs and agencies have an age limit like 37 at the time of hire so that they can keep you in long enough to qualify for a full pension at 55-60, whenever they have to retire their employees. Just like the service, you'll be replaced by E-1's and E-2's who will do the same job for much less pay, or GS-5/6/7's in the government.

 

[deadmasterx]

I'll be done with my associates degree at a technical college here in Dallas in about 2 years from now.

Absolutely not. It's never too late to go after your dreams and reach new goals. Keep working hard, make plans and stick to it. With time and patience, all the hard work will pay off.

Remember that you can't succeed without trying, and the ones who didn't even try are the ones who already lost.

 

[JayAce]

Age is just a number. Truly.
You got this, OP

 

[B80]

I'll be done with my associates degree at a technical college here in Dallas in about 2 years from now.

No not all, its all about the value you can prove and bring to a company. If you can get your foot in the door and impress from the start, you'll be fine.

A lot of dead wood out there for one reason or another, just going through the motions doing the bare minimum required to pick up their pay cheque.

 

[Scaramouche]

Dear Max,
A colleague who retired at sixty three,took up medicine and five years later was an intern in one of our Major Hospitals...When I last met him he was a miserable sod as he has always been,surely being happy is more important than persueing wealth or status?...Max shouldn't you sit down and work out what you really want in life,then look at your realistic options.

 

[mrgoodstuff]

Too old to learn?

 

[Maximus Optimus]

I chose the degree strictly based on money. Its not a passion of mine at all but the pay will be good when im done with schooling. I selected the shortest amount of college with the highest amount of pay. Is this a good strategy?

 

[Billtx49]

I chose the degree strictly based on money. Its not a passion of mine at all

Is this a good strategy?

Most corporate burnout cases involve people doing a job they don’t like for too long.
An employee doesn’t need to be overly passionate about his job, but he should at least ‘like’ doing it…

 

[MatureDJ]

It all depends. What is the field you're getting into? In the programming world, folks start being considered "old" at age 35.

That said, we (i.e., in the USA) are going through a demographic trend in which the peak of the Baby Boom is retiring in droves, with a lot fewer young folks ageing the labor pool, so the labor market will be tight, even with the secular trend of hyperefficiency due to the Robot Economy - and as well, we are in a "pause" moment on immigration. If someone is looking to change his career path, now is the best time to do it; I made a similar career change in the late '90s during the Clinton Boom which allowed me to only have to work part of the year as a gig worker, so as to give me the time to LocationMax.

 

[MatureDJ]

Most corporate burnout cases involve people doing a job they don’t like for too long.
An employee doesn’t need to be overly passionate about his job, but he should at least ‘like’ doing it…

There's an old saying: "A bad day of vacation beats a good day of work". That said, a man should work in a field that at least has some underlying "reason for work" that he can do and have professional integrity to do the job well.

 

[RickPound]

I too am considering this. I’m 35, got an architecture degree in 2009 - never went into professional practice and found a good lifestyle and work doing other stuff - but never really built a career for the last 10 years.

If I knew then what I know now, I would’ve chosen a better path than seemingly wasting 5 years getting a degree didn’t use. Luckily, it didn’t put me into debt.

I am is considering law school. 3 years, about 42k a year at the one I’m looking at in my state so I’d be 39 with a law degree.

 

[corrector]

I'll be done with my associates degree at a technical college here in Dallas in about 2 years from now.

I am 45. I am the same age as my folks when I was a kid if I took a time machine and went back to the 8os.