User Panel
[#2]
As fast as the world is changing, due to technology. Changing careers throughout life is probably an art worth learning. The old ideas of going to school until your early 20's, getting a degree in a field that'd be yours for life is kinda outdated.
I read that 65% of the jobs school aged kids will have ....haven't even been invented yet. Put another way, 65% of the jobs out there today, won't be in 20 years. This isn't unusual, jobs go away. A lot of jobs of our grandparents generation don't even exist today. What is different is the speed at which they go away now. Smart systems, and automation, are changing everything at a faster and faster pace. Couple this with the fact that people will live longer, and the absolute financial impossibility of current pension models to actually pay everyone a "pension" for life. People are going to need to get use to working into their 70's, and eventually maybe even their 80's. Our pensions worked when people retired in their early 60's, we gave them a cake and gold watch, and they were kind of enough to DIE in a few years. That's not happening anymore, and life expectancy will most likely go up significantly over the next few decades. People need to continuously be educated in new career paths. We need to get away from our old educational models (high school, college, career), and adjust for the reality that might look more like high school- college- career- college- different career- college- different career. It might not be a question of "want" to change a career in your 40's or 50's, it might be a "need to" change careers in your 40's or 50's. . |
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[#3]
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This is not the norm unless you're in a podunk rural hospital with a short list of applicants. I am fucked at the ripe old age of 42 trying to get into a hospital as an RT with 18 years of experience. Young , dumb, right out of school, female and cheap is what they are looking for. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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We just hired a new nurse out of school who is in his early 50's. This is not the norm unless you're in a podunk rural hospital with a short list of applicants. I am fucked at the ripe old age of 42 trying to get into a hospital as an RT with 18 years of experience. Young , dumb, right out of school, female and cheap is what they are looking for. Not from what I have seen. New grads in general have a tough time getting in but if the new grad went to a school with a good placement program, age won't have bearing on the hiring. |
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[#4]
Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I'm 39 and working on pre med. Looking to go into cardio thoracic surgery. Neither apply. Thanks for trying. haha, cute. Anyway, 'premed' folks are a dime a dozen. Get back to us when you at least have gotten accepted to some for profit DO school or Caribbean school. Then we can talk, at least one of us, intelligently about the economics of medicine in general, the outlook for a specialty that has seen huge cuts in payments over the past 15 years, the closing of CT fellowship programs, a patient population that is almost exclusively Medicare & Medicaid, the payment trends for .gov insurance, and the solvency of those payers. |
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[#6]
How much of a pay cut can you take, how much will the training cost, and are you wasting a training slot for someone who will work longer.
Its really a waste for someone that's 50+ to go to medical school. |
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[#7]
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I'm 48, I'd like to do something different after 25 years I don't have a clue what I want to do though View Quote I just tuned 49 and "retired" from LE after 27 years (30 if you count MP time). My problem is I worked for two different agencies and I can't collect my pensions until I hit 55. I'm fortunate in that I have some money to live on for a while and I can afford to take a lesser paying job; but I need to find another job/career and I have no idea what I want to do. |
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[#8]
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Title pretty much says it all. I'm doing ok where I am now. I just like to keep my options open, as in a backup plan. I want to be a lion tamer. View Quote sixty? maybe seventy? if you have your own lion, maybe even eighty. |
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[#9]
went from being an Ironworker earning 25$ an hour to a special ed teacher earning 26k a year at 40, rough road to bring my earnings back up.......but worth it.
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[#10]
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I'm 39 and working on pre med. Looking to go into cardio thoracic surgery. Neither apply. Thanks for trying. If you are serious, besides the fact you will be well into your 50's when you are actually out of residency and possible fellowship...you need to know your age means few will want you at their residency for certain specialties.. Sure, you can go into primary care or the like, but for highly skilled specialties, there is some math that will screw you. You will have 10-20 years of possible work life and most of it will be spent trying to pay back student loans. You are not a good candidate to give back to the body of knowledge as you age into an academic post or even start out in one. With the guy who is done at 30, he could have 30 or 40 years, and even if he chases the big bucks, at some point, he could age into an academic career and bring years of experience to new students and research. To be blunt, people who become doctors much later in life have very little chance of becoming certain kinds of specialists. Some of those fields are full of gatekeepers who have to protect those spots for people who statistically have more productive years ahead of them than you would. It can be done, but dont be surprised when you hit a lot of brick walls and everyone starts to ask "Have you thought about Family Practice in a rural community?" If you end up with a 250+ step one score, it might open some more doors. |
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[#11]
In pharmacy school interned with a student in her early-mid 40's.
Worked with a Indian guy that had went back to pharmacy school to graduate at near 50 years old, but his previous degree satisfied general required courses and knocked a few years off. |
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[#12]
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'thanks for trying". haha, cute. Anyway, 'premed' folks are a dime a dozen. Get back to us when you at least have gotten accepted to some for profit DO school or Caribbean school. Then we can talk, at least one of us, intelligently about the economics of medicine in general, the outlook for a specialty that has seen huge cuts in payments over the past 15 years, the closing of CT fellowship programs, a patient population that is almost exclusively Medicare & Medicaid, the payment trends for .gov insurance, and the solvency of those payers. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I'm 39 and working on pre med. Looking to go into cardio thoracic surgery. Neither apply. Thanks for trying. Anyway, 'premed' folks are a dime a dozen. Get back to us when you at least have gotten accepted to some for profit DO school or Caribbean school. Then we can talk, at least one of us, intelligently about the economics of medicine in general, the outlook for a specialty that has seen huge cuts in payments over the past 15 years, the closing of CT fellowship programs, a patient population that is almost exclusively Medicare & Medicaid, the payment trends for .gov insurance, and the solvency of those payers. You sound suspiciously like someone who knows whereof he speaks. Why are you posting in GD? |
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[#13]
I've heard the excuse from people, " I'm too old, I want to do X career, but with school and training I'll be Y years old by the time I'm able to do it" My question always is, how old will you be if you DON'T go for it? |
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[#14]
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'thanks for trying". haha, cute. Anyway, 'premed' folks are a dime a dozen. Get back to us when you at least have gotten accepted to some for profit DO school or Caribbean school. Then we can talk, at least one of us, intelligently about the economics of medicine in general, the outlook for a specialty that has seen huge cuts in payments over the past 15 years, the closing of CT fellowship programs, a patient population that is almost exclusively Medicare & Medicaid, the payment trends for .gov insurance, and the solvency of those payers. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I'm 39 and working on pre med. Looking to go into cardio thoracic surgery. Neither apply. Thanks for trying. Anyway, 'premed' folks are a dime a dozen. Get back to us when you at least have gotten accepted to some for profit DO school or Caribbean school. Then we can talk, at least one of us, intelligently about the economics of medicine in general, the outlook for a specialty that has seen huge cuts in payments over the past 15 years, the closing of CT fellowship programs, a patient population that is almost exclusively Medicare & Medicaid, the payment trends for .gov insurance, and the solvency of those payers. Nevermind. It's just the Internet. |
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[#15]
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If you are serious, besides the fact you will be well into your 50's when you are actually out of residency and possible fellowship...you need to know your age means few will want you at their residency for certain specialties.. Sure, you can go into primary care or the like, but for highly skilled specialties, there is some math that will screw you. You will have 10-20 years of possible work life and most of it will be spent trying to pay back student loans. You are not a good candidate to give back to the body of knowledge as you age into an academic post or even start out in one. With the guy who is done at 30, he could have 30 or 40 years, and even if he chases the big bucks, at some point, he could age into an academic career and bring years of experience to new students and research. To be blunt, people who become doctors much later in life have very little chance of becoming certain kinds of specialists. Some of those fields are full of gatekeepers who have to protect those spots for people who statistically have more productive years ahead of them than you would. It can be done, but dont be surprised when you hit a lot of brick walls and everyone starts to ask "Have you thought about Family Practice in a rural community?" If you end up with a 250+ step one score, it might open some more doors. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I'm 39 and working on pre med. Looking to go into cardio thoracic surgery. Neither apply. Thanks for trying. If you are serious, besides the fact you will be well into your 50's when you are actually out of residency and possible fellowship...you need to know your age means few will want you at their residency for certain specialties.. Sure, you can go into primary care or the like, but for highly skilled specialties, there is some math that will screw you. You will have 10-20 years of possible work life and most of it will be spent trying to pay back student loans. You are not a good candidate to give back to the body of knowledge as you age into an academic post or even start out in one. With the guy who is done at 30, he could have 30 or 40 years, and even if he chases the big bucks, at some point, he could age into an academic career and bring years of experience to new students and research. To be blunt, people who become doctors much later in life have very little chance of becoming certain kinds of specialists. Some of those fields are full of gatekeepers who have to protect those spots for people who statistically have more productive years ahead of them than you would. It can be done, but dont be surprised when you hit a lot of brick walls and everyone starts to ask "Have you thought about Family Practice in a rural community?" If you end up with a 250+ step one score, it might open some more doors. I completely understand the situation I will be facing. However, I just made a choice not to compromise at the beginning of the journey. If things change along the way that is fine. To compromise from the beginning, to me, would be the same as not trying. Thank you for your input. |
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[#16]
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I completely understand the situation I will be facing. However, I just made a choice not to compromise at the beginning of the journey. If things change along the way that is fine. To compromise from the beginning, to me, would be the same as not trying. Thank you for your input. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I'm 39 and working on pre med. Looking to go into cardio thoracic surgery. Neither apply. Thanks for trying. If you are serious, besides the fact you will be well into your 50's when you are actually out of residency and possible fellowship...you need to know your age means few will want you at their residency for certain specialties.. Sure, you can go into primary care or the like, but for highly skilled specialties, there is some math that will screw you. You will have 10-20 years of possible work life and most of it will be spent trying to pay back student loans. You are not a good candidate to give back to the body of knowledge as you age into an academic post or even start out in one. With the guy who is done at 30, he could have 30 or 40 years, and even if he chases the big bucks, at some point, he could age into an academic career and bring years of experience to new students and research. To be blunt, people who become doctors much later in life have very little chance of becoming certain kinds of specialists. Some of those fields are full of gatekeepers who have to protect those spots for people who statistically have more productive years ahead of them than you would. It can be done, but dont be surprised when you hit a lot of brick walls and everyone starts to ask "Have you thought about Family Practice in a rural community?" If you end up with a 250+ step one score, it might open some more doors. I completely understand the situation I will be facing. However, I just made a choice not to compromise at the beginning of the journey. If things change along the way that is fine. To compromise from the beginning, to me, would be the same as not trying. Thank you for your input. Hey man, I wish the best of luck! You're trying to get what you want out of life, something most people don't do. They just make excuses why they can't do something, then back up their excuses with a lot of rationales. Ultimately they succeed in convincing themselves to do nothing. Don't be one of those guys. Ultimately its ourselves we have to live with, a little negativity on an internet forum, from a couple of anonymous posters, is probably the least of your challenges. Don't let them put doubt in your mind. I'll leave you with this, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”--Theodore Roosevelt Good luck! |
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[#17]
Right before I retired, at 58, I got my teaching masters and now teach technology to 7th and 8th graders. Now at 60, I am thinking about a computer science doctorate (already accepted to program, just deciding). One is never too old to learn and continue working or changing careers.
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[#20]
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Right before I retired, at 58, I got my teaching masters and now teach technology to 7th and 8th graders. Now at 60, I am thinking about a computer science doctorate (already accepted to program, just deciding). One is never too old to learn and continue working or changing careers. View Quote That's awesome! You are right about "never too old" to learn, when you stop learning you start dying. You're also right about changing careers. It's an art that a lot of young folks need to adopt. Do you think you'll go on to get your doctorate? |
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[#21]
Quoted: That's awesome! You are right about "never too old" to learn, when you stop learning you start dying. You're also right about changing careers. It's an art that a lot of young folks need to adopt. Do you think you'll go on to get your doctorate? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Right before I retired, at 58, I got my teaching masters and now teach technology to 7th and 8th graders. Now at 60, I am thinking about a computer science doctorate (already accepted to program, just deciding). One is never too old to learn and continue working or changing careers. That's awesome! You are right about "never too old" to learn, when you stop learning you start dying. You're also right about changing careers. It's an art that a lot of young folks need to adopt. Do you think you'll go on to get your doctorate? |
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[#22]
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[#23]
I'd consider changing to a military career if you didn't have to stay in if you wash out of ranger school or bud/s and I wasn't so deaf. I figure at 29 I am likely never going to see that happen anyway. I am actually in far better shape now than I was 10 years ago and would've never made it at 18-20.
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[#24]
Quoted: None of those things requires holding a job. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: ................... love learning new things, challenging myself and keeping the brain active. None of those things requires holding a job. |
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[#25]
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Fairly sure I will. Retirement was fun for a year, but I found that I really did like working and love learning new things, challenging myself and keeping the brain active. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Right before I retired, at 58, I got my teaching masters and now teach technology to 7th and 8th graders. Now at 60, I am thinking about a computer science doctorate (already accepted to program, just deciding). One is never too old to learn and continue working or changing careers. That's awesome! You are right about "never too old" to learn, when you stop learning you start dying. You're also right about changing careers. It's an art that a lot of young folks need to adopt. Do you think you'll go on to get your doctorate? Go for it. I'm very interested in mechatronic engineering, artificial intelligence, smart systems, and cognitive theory. |
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[#26]
I enrolled into a technical college at 41.
Got my first job in IT at 42 as a casual temp network support associate. I graduate this summer, and my temp position became a full-time network engineer position with benefits in December 2014. Never too old. ETA: I was in LE for 16 years too. |
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[#27]
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Maybe not, but more money means more toys! View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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................... love learning new things, challenging myself and keeping the brain active. None of those things requires holding a job. Most people work at jobs, because it's practical, and people have convinced them that it's just the way it is. It's the few who dare to do what they love, that end up not working jobs. They're the ones who don't fit the mold. The ones we admire. They're the ones whose life we aspire to. If you view your life's work as a job, that's the first clue that you're not really doing your life's work. . |
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[#28]
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I enrolled into a technical college at 41. Got my first job in IT at 42 as a casual temp network support associate. I graduate this summer, and my temp position became a full-time network engineer position with benefits in December 2014. Never too old. ETA: I was in LE for 16 years too. View Quote “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” |
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[#29]
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[#30]
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Think was 49 and quit being in IT and started flipping houses. At times it has been hard but enjoy it more, get to carry a gun all day and answer to no one. Completely different fields and at times scary. The biggest advise can offer is cut out unneeded expenses, (cable, car payments and etc..), before getting started. I cut my cell phone bills from 275.00 a month down to under 100.00 and started watching all money spent. View Quote I'm 42 and have been in IT for 20 years. Tell me more about flipping houses? I'm in KY so hopefully that won't make me a competitor... |
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[#31]
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You won't be a cardiothoracic surgeon until you are well into your 50's... if you get accepted to a cardiothoracic residency. Good luck. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I'm 39 and working on pre med. Looking to go into cardio thoracic surgery. You won't be a cardiothoracic surgeon until you are well into your 50's... if you get accepted to a cardiothoracic residency. Good luck. That is correct. Thank you. |
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[#32]
The problem with retraining for a new career is you will be starting at the bottom of said career. For example the guy who got an engineering degree at 45. Most engineers are well on their way making good money and if they have talent holding high positions. Starting out in engineering at 45 would suck.
I guess sometimes people hate what they do so much that it's worth it to them. |
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[#33]
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Maybe not, but more money means more toys! View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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................... love learning new things, challenging myself and keeping the brain active. None of those things requires holding a job. True, but toys are only toys. |
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[#34]
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I enrolled into a technical college at 41. Got my first job in IT at 42 as a casual temp network support associate. I graduate this summer, and my temp position became a full-time network engineer position with benefits in December 2014. Never too old. ETA: I was in LE for 16 years too. View Quote From LE to IT. You sure are a glutton for punishment. |
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[#35]
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it isn't the training. it is how much of a pay cut can you take starting at the bottom again. I have been pondering that same thing for a few months now. Am 44, just got my BS. My field doesn't need a degree to get where I am obviously or I wouldn't be here. I have done this work for 15 years and am quite good at it, but my degree made me look at other possible choices. however I have no experience in that line of work. Attempting to move over, looks like a 20k-40k pay cut, with the upside of making 20k-30k more than I make now in about 5 years. There is no chance to make the extra in 5 years doing what I do now. might eek out another 10k over the 5 years staying put. it would be a very painful move, with some good upside later. if you can take that pain, Or your new field pays better starting out, then go for it. View Quote 46 here. I'm not making what I make now right off the bat anywhere I am qualified to work. I make good money, but can see being bored in a few years. Good thing I only work 3 days a week, because I can do anything 3 days a week. |
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[#36]
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[#37]
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[#39]
Quoted: From LE to IT. You sure are a glutton for punishment. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I enrolled into a technical college at 41. Got my first job in IT at 42 as a casual temp network support associate. I graduate this summer, and my temp position became a full-time network engineer position with benefits in December 2014. Never too old. ETA: I was in LE for 16 years too. From LE to IT. You sure are a glutton for punishment. Taking classes at local technical college paid $33K as a casual labor network support associate.
Network engineer at the local university starts at $41K. So far, a "bad" day in IT doesn't compare to all the BS and low pay in LE. |
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[#40]
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16 years in LE only paid $31K. Taking classes at local technical college paid $33K as a casual labor network support associate. Network engineer at the local university starts at $41K. So far, a "bad" day in IT doesn't compare to all the BS and low pay in LE. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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I enrolled into a technical college at 41. Got my first job in IT at 42 as a casual temp network support associate. I graduate this summer, and my temp position became a full-time network engineer position with benefits in December 2014. Never too old. ETA: I was in LE for 16 years too. From LE to IT. You sure are a glutton for punishment. Network engineer at the local university starts at $41K. So far, a "bad" day in IT doesn't compare to all the BS and low pay in LE. I'll bet nobody even pukes on you. (on an average day, of course) |
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[#42]
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When you can no longer learn? View Quote You do realize, don't you, that there are millions of people in this country who say, the day they graduate (usually from high school) "I'm out of school, now, and I don't have to learn another fucking thing for the rest of my life."? And they don't. |
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[#43]
Quoted: I'll bet nobody even pukes on you. (on an average day, of course) View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I enrolled into a technical college at 41. Got my first job in IT at 42 as a casual temp network support associate. I graduate this summer, and my temp position became a full-time network engineer position with benefits in December 2014. Never too old. ETA: I was in LE for 16 years too. From LE to IT. You sure are a glutton for punishment. Network engineer at the local university starts at $41K. So far, a "bad" day in IT doesn't compare to all the BS and low pay in LE. I'll bet nobody even pukes on you. (on an average day, of course) I did get a cut by a cardboard box when I was unboxing 700+ Cisco wireless access points late last year. |
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[#44]
I'm 35, My carer has gone from Youth Pastor through my twenties till the church decided that splitting was a good idea, to starting and loosing a business and chapter 7. Then to restuarant management.
To now becoming a group Health Insurance broker. It is hard but it can be done. By faith and God given determination you can do better you just have to fight for it. |
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[#45]
I'm 43. I'm studying for various computer certifications, trying to get into networking/IT in some capacity. I wish I had done this out of high school instead of wasting years in military/law enforcement/security. The tech stuff is fascinating. I spend much more time browsing tech forums and related YouTube videos than I do about guns these days.
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[#46]
I'm 34 and while not that "old" I have been in the same field for over 10 years. Realized it was for the birds and just started back to College, it's been different and kinda weird, but I think it will be a great thing in the long run.
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[#48]
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Dont discount the time value of money. Compare a public school teacher vs family practice doctor. Who makes more over their lifetime? Most would guess the doc, but some models show the teacher, with a modest savings and investment strategy, makes more because of difference in educational costs, age when you start earning an income, and the value of benefits. Taking a huge cut now to hope to make more in the future may be a very bad move for you. View Quote Any links to said models? |
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[#49]
Be forewarned, there are many large corporations that offer positions that you might qualify for (or even be the most qualified)...."but those jobs aren't for people like you".
Don't take it personally, it is a matter of positional harmony based on age (you aren't awesome enough to upset the status quo). |
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[#50]
Met a guy a few years ago who was mid 50's and was in his first year of surgery residency. Had mid. life decided to go to medical school and become a surgeon. Good on him that's a hell of an age to be a freaking student again and go through that.
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