When is toooo old to go back to school ?

[LaurieJim]

Hi Gang,
I have decided I would like to go back to school and get my LPN , have always loved nursing and taking care of folks.
We are stil going to keep our electrical lic. as we sometimes get service calls but nursing has always held my heart and something I wish I would have pursued when I was much younger , am I too old now lol ?

I will be in classes with people who are my childrens ages or younger , guess I am just afraid of stepping out into the private sector and working as I have always been self employed.

When your a parent , you put your childrens education above you own and pay for it the best way you can and now I really want to do something for myself and help others in the process.

Please share any thoughts about this or if you have been down the same road , I think that we are never to old to expand our knowledge but just need to hear from others on this subject.

Laurie

 

[anniemac]

I think it will be great. I think you will be surprised how easily you can integrate into the 'going back to school' life. Go for it!

 

[bvu2011]

I am 45 with 4 children and 3 grandchildren. I just completed my Bachelors in Psychology, but not without a struggle because I still have children at home. I have endured a long four years, the first two for my associates degree, then worked the next two with a double major in psychology/human services and a minor in sociology for my bachelors.

I will have to say I am very happy for my accomplishment, but it cannot be done unless you are dedicated.

I also do not believe that going back to school requires an appropriate age, but the passion which one feels strongly about in pursuance of higher education. I wish you all the best!!

Donna

 

[Jasminebed]

You are never too old. LPN is a two year course I believe. Your classmates will accept you, perhaps even admire you (basing this on other people I know that went back to school midlife). You will possibly encounter age bias when it comes to hiring though! Don't know why they think some young person is going to work there for the next 40 years until retirement... an older person will usually stick around. We're done raising our families too.

I don't know what it's like where you live, but here most nurses are hired part-time. It offers hospitals more flexibility in scheduling, and reduces the amount of benefits they pay.

Your state undoubtedly offers some free career counselling, and meet with enrollment officers from your college of choice. Sometimes you will have to write exams if you have been out of school for a long time to prove you've retained that high school math!

 

[BingoT]

Never Never too late.
Go for it
You with your sweet charm you will be a great LPN.
But one down side of it here is that most LPN's work in Convalescent Homes & it might be the same in your area.
Hospitals pay better.
Good Luck Laurie
Love Ya

 

[Mousey]

You are never too old if relatively healthy and mentally sound. LOL A friend's husband, who just turned 57, recently became an LPN. Wasn't easy for him, but it's something he'd always wanted to do and when his job at a mill was phased out a few years ago he started college.

 

[Nifty29]

My wife was a personal carer for 10 years before doing her nursing at 33.

She actually found it easier to study as a mature age student and she made good friends there.

I say its too late when you're dead, and not before.

 

[skiny]

In spite of the fact that I had fairly good grades in high school and found most classes too easy, I quit anyway. It was the 80s and it seemed like I had better things to do. When I was in my 20s I went back. It's really not a big deal. The first day might seem a bit awkward but then you realize that it's the first day for the rest of the class too.

I became pretty good friends with my teachers which doesn't seem nearly as weird when you're an adult yourself. One of my teachers told me that their oldest graduate was 88. She always wanted her high school diploma and I guess she figured she was running out of time. I'm pretty sure you're not quite 88 yet so I'll have to say it's not too late to go back to school.

You'll learn new things. You'll make new friends and you'll achieve your goals. I don't think it's ever too late for that.

 

[incrediblestuff]

I had a small taste of "night school" (a form of adult education) and it was very refreshing.

Everything i hated about school as a kid, was absent
(smelly kids, bullies, hot girls (distraction pur sang) and annoyingly stupid teachers)

And there i was for once in my "school days" surrounded by folk that actually paid attention and actually came up with valid questions every now and then.

SO that for one is a good thing, i think learning is always fun, especially if your actually doing it out of your own interests.

Also, when my grandfather was still alive, he took me apart one day when i had left school, and didn't want to go back, how he had been secretly ashamed almost all his life for never finishing school (due to WWII interrupting his education, and straight after that having to take care for his growing family and as such working a lot, prevented it) so he secretly attended night school (well secret from the family /friends anyway) and was sooo proud when he finally finished it!

That made me go back to finish at least the most basic of my degrees

Like Nifty said, your too old when your dead.

Your whole life is supposed to be a learning curve of some kind, sometimes learning new things, sometimes refreshing the old database, and i applaud you for doing this

 

[Orbmail]

Go for it

Definitely recommend going back, I started back at 35 for a six year course, half way through now, great range of ages doing the Science and Technology degree I'm doing from early 20s to late 50s...
Good for your mind and confidence, best of luck with it, you certainly won't regret it

 

[LaurieJim]

Update on my school !!

Well I decided not to go in to nursing after all but going into real estate later on which I also love , as of now I am freelancing as a loan closer for some major loan companies , which is so much fun , except for the hours , I go to clients homes with the loan docs , do their oaths , they sign and I notarize said docs , then fed ex or ups them to the said lending company by 10 am the next morning and get paid 125.00 for 2 hours work , not too shabby.

This will help with my schooling when I decide to pursue it , so right now I am not complaining the work is great and I get paid for it.

The course was a beotch and the background screening lengthy , they went back 28 years on me, did not know they could go back that far.

Laurie