Reply #3: Probably sound like a heretic

[supernova]

But I think that you can have a second or third... fourth career. :P

But motivations matter, I think. I think you have to go into something because there is an intrinsic pleasure to it. You have to have an affinity for the work and then let the paychecks come. But simply going after a paycheck primarily doesn't work.

The church I used to attend, the minister was in her late 50s by the time I knew her. After spending most of her early adult life as an elementary school teacher, she got her MDiv. in her late 40s early 50s. She divorced, decided to become a minister. She found funding and raised her daughters while she went to grad school at Duke, not a cheap place. She said it was very difficult and at times and she wondered in her worst moments if it was worth it (while at school). But after serving at churches where she was the head of education and the assisstant minister, she finally found a church (us) that wanted her as the primary minister. That was her dream and she achieved it, even in mid-life. She finally retired from our church at around the age of 70. She only stopped then because her health was declining (diabetes related complications.) Otherwise, I think she would have kept going because she enjoyed working with people that much.

I think as we get older the idea of having meaningful work in our lives becomes more important. It gives us a great boost to getting up and getting out the door every morning.

Now, I know that school is a lot more expensive than it used to be and graduating with another degree with tens of thousands of debt can be daunting. I don't have an answer to that, but I will say that maybe more of us should look for alternative forms of training. :shrug:

Full disclosure: I'm in my late 40s and have already experienced some age discrimination (I have worked in IT). I am looking at totally changing careers by becoming a chef and candy maker. I need training and am trying to find cost effective ways to do that. My ultimate goal is run my own business so that I can have some control over what I do.