I tried this a few years back, when I was 42. I had left my long-time stable research job to go to a high-tech startup. A year and a half later (September 13th, 2001, to be exact; not a great week) the startup began it’s slide into collapse. I had always taught part-time on the side and enjoy teaching adults far more than teaching kids so I accepted a faculty position in the Computer Science dept. of a local university. After accepting but before starting, the then-current dept. head left and I was asked if I was interested. Seeing this as an opportunity to do something I thought would be a bit different than anything I had done I accepted. I was quite surprised by the extent to which I actively disliked the job, but at least I learned that I don’t ever want a career in management.
I switched from corporate finance with an accounting degree and a CPA to a job in health policy and global pricing and reimbursement after going back for an MA in International Relations and an MBA. Never regretted one minute of it, even when I was doing 4yrs of PT grad school, working everyday for a guy who couldn’t care less about what I wanted to do and interviewing for such a position. I didn’t always like it, but I never regretted it.
Don’t be in the shoulda, woulda, coulda group. I know enough people from both my grad programs that had a house and kids and they all felt that this would be a good lesson in teaching their children sacrifice, perserverance and achievement, not being flaky or mid-life crisis. Matter of perspective I imagine. The one guy basically had a competition with his daughter about who finished their homework first. Either way, you show them you have a goal, you laid out plans to get there, and made the sacrifices to succeed.
I was always a B/B+ student of the “good but can do better” report card to a 3.5 in both programs while working. I enjoyed grad school so much more than UG and 25-27 year olds, because I knew exactly what I wanted. I was 32-36 for grad school and single.
If you know what you want, do it. I’d rather regret going back to school than regret not going back to school. Life is about creating options and opportunities; you create your own luck. Figure out a plan and go back to school. Good luck and enjoy.
My brother and his wife (who have two kids under age 5) worked as a general manager of a bar/restaurant for 18 years. The hours and lack of time with his wife (who also worked there as a bookkeeper at opposite hours to him) and kids finally burned him out. They had three mortgages (two investment properties) and were making a solid six-figure income together, and abandoned it all to get their real estate appraiser and broker licenses. That was a year ago. Unfortunately, they timed this right at the end of the real estate boom, so now they are quickly running out of funds and my brother is interviewing for jobs in the restaurant biz again and has had to dump his investment properties at a loss.
Sorry…just thought someone should post the other side of the coin.
As for me, my wife and I were pro bodyboarders for several year, and at age 35, my career came to an end. I had a teaching degree that was 12 years old as a backup, but we ended up sinking our savings into starting an internet business. People told us it wouldn’t work, but guess what? 8 years late, it continues to work. Take risks! Even if it doesn’t work, it’s better than wondering what WOULD have happened rather than finding out what WILL happen!
I am a PT, with “some sort of Doctoral degree”, as one previous poster put it.
You do not have to go through a PhD program to be a PT.
I will PM you.
Went back to school and completed the last two years of my engineering degree at 33 yrs old. Had 2 kids, car note, a house note and a 3rd kid by the end and only $3000 debt. I worked part time and my wife worked part time. Never regretted it for one second. Now 15 years out of school and I am a VP of a small chemical company. Even had time to complete my first full IM this year. My motivation, I didn’t want to look back at 75 yrs old and say “I could have been an engineer but …”
Go for it if that is what you want.
Very timely post for me. I’m 33 and work in IT, but want out…it’s a job for me and nothing more. So I’m going back to school to become an athletic trainer. Can get a job with only the bachelor degree and I can then continue on with grad school to become a PT if I choose to down the road.
It’s been 13 years since I was in school and can’t quite jump in full time yet, so I’m starting by taking a couple of classes part time this spring semester. Scheduling them either late afternoon or evenings, so they don’t interfere with work.
However, my girlfriend is in grad school currently so she would understand what I’m dealing with, and I have no mortgage or children. It’s a scary thought giving up my comfortable, secure life now to go back to school; but it’s not as scary as being in an unrewarding job that I don’t really like for 20 more years…or spending that large of a portion of my life in a cube.
Interesting subject, I am currently a banker. Finished my MBA almost 2 years ago and am doing okay. Sadly, I kind of want to be a doctor, but its at least another 10 years and couple hundred thousand in debt. Still, I have this nag. Stay tuned.
so,my life is all about change and taking risks. you never know until you try it. i say go for what ever you want. Life is too short to be wishing you did it and never knowing if you could.
Jana, you’re my new hero. People HATE and fear change; even though there is nothing more natural in life. I’ve learned that if you can accept change or even be the instigator of change, you’re going to learn to be adaptable and deal with whatever comes your way. IMO, fear of change is the biggest obstacle to achieving your life goals.
I was at a double century over the summer and asked several participants if they did tri. The response was ALWAYS the same, “hell no, I don’t know how to swim.” Here are these people who I thought enjoyed pushing the envelope and yet they let something as simple as swimming stand in their way.
what is a PT? you bloody yanks and your language…
When I gave up my 22 year career this was the one question I asked and responded to myself. Will I regret not doing this when I’m 60? The easy answer was “yes”…so I quit my job and packed my entire life (age 43) into my Jeep Cherokee and moved “jobless” from VA to FL.
4 years ago I sunk all my money into a business I knew I could do but knew nothing about. I started that business with $600 in my bank account (after buying the business). I’m now VERY close to being a millionaire. The goal is to retire in 5 more years (age 56) by turning the business over to my manager to run, while my wife and I travel the world… or… sell the business outright and then travel the world.
Physical Therapist
My daughter is a PT with a Masters Degree that she earned in 5 years!! She’s VERY smart : )
And what is a physical therapist? Is this different from physiotherapist?
And what is a physical therapist? Is this different from physiotherapist?
Same thing Fulla. Sort of like you call it an “aeroplane” and we call it “airplane”. You call it “aluminium” and we leave out the second “i” and call it “aluminum”. Get it? I had to train my Aussie wife how to massacre the Queen’s English when she moved over here. Ha, ha.
Sure man. Spent 20 years working on the Street with a three bedroom in Trump International, a jag and a benz.
Followed by a career change where I spent four years making license plates.
Fuck you Elliot Spitzer.
Multiple careers is more and more the norm these days. I left teaching high school and being involved in public education (my second career) when I was 35 because I could see burnout coming.
Be realistic about the monetary aspect of the change. One good aspect of leaving teaching is that your future career won’t be a big step down in pay. It will still be very tough, though, if you have to take a few years off and out of earning money and be paying for school at the same time. It will take a while to make up for those lost years. If you take out substantial loans, you may never break even from a purely financial point of view.
Depending on whether your spouse works/how much she earns and how well you can cover the family costs while in school, I’d say you should definitely consider it. Being in a job you don’t like can really make life miserable.
Talk it through long and hard with the spouse so you can both live with the decision in the end, either way. This kind of change could either revitalize your marriage if it makes you a happier person, or destroy it if your spouse resents the stress you put the family through.
Great stories! As for me, spent 17 years with same restaurant company, 2 days before my first child was born this July I got knews that my brain MRI was not good. Work at the time was killing me as well. Just getting tired of the restaurant biz even as the part owner. Ended up getting a brain biopsy and everything came up negative…Thank God…I quit my job, gave up a $250k buyout for leaving my contract 2 years early and got into land development and real estate. Didn’t get to train much thru my ordeal and actually gained 20 pounds in stress…and for once in my life at a race (70.3 Worlds) with no training, just enjoyed being alive. I love my new job and will never look back!!
just “touch” your hottest student and the choice will be made for you.
Dude, I’m in the same boat as you. I’ve been teaching now (only for 5 years though) and I want to get out. I love my Pre AP biology kids, but my 8th grade general science kids are so apathetic it kills me. This is my first season to do tri’s but I’m hooked. I coach wrestling, and my problem is I’m giving up every weekend from November to August with my coaching duties. I loved doing it as recently as 3 years ago, but I’m married and have had 2 daughters since then. The oldest has her birthday during our junior high state tournament, and the youngest during our week of National Cadet Duals. I don’t want to miss birthdays and want more time to train. I also feel like with the work I’m doing I should be in a job where I’m rewarded more (financially.) My problem right now is I DON’T KNOW WHAT I WANT TO DO. I don’t mind working my butt off at a job if I’m going to be able to provide a good living for my family. What does a guy do?
Sure man. Spent 20 years working on the Street with a three bedroom in Trump International, a jag and a benz.
Followed by a career change where I spent four years making license plates.
Fuck you Elliot Spitzer.
This hits too close to home ! I was a broker and then equity floor trader for about eleven years before the market melted down and then I lost my impending commodity trading job on 9/11/01 (A big “Fuck you” to the Arab Muslims who did this). The major firm I worked at was targeted by the SEC and lots of high priced attorneys, as we had traded all the monster IPO’s of the late nineties. I was fortunately not called to testify as the bullshit accusations flew. Afterwards, I did not know what to do,considering that trading is unlike anything most people would ever imagine. At age 35 with a home and kids, I built an internet business that attained some levels of success, but totally owned me until this year. Business ownership in the internet space had rewards, but way more liabilities and dissapointments , and I never made an equivalent income to that in my trading career. I was fortunately recruited by a large and novel business earlier this year. I am helping bring commercial account receivable insurance into the U.S. market as a regional sales manager. This position is a totally unrelated financial position in comparison to working on Wall St., but it is rewarding as I am learning corporate finance and management from CFO’s and CEO’s of large corporations.
3 times now. Biologist to IT to Mom. 
It’s been an interesting ride and I’ve loved it all. Am now lowly cashier at a pharmacy, but loving the low stress life.