Going back to Uni at 40!

Mark_Glasses

Unless you're looking for a job that specifically needs that masters I don't think it would make a difference. I have a degree that is one of the most desired for my line of work but most people I've worked with have completely unrelated degrees and some have gone on to do much bigger and better things than I have. I know if I did a masters it wouldn't make any difference to my job prospects because normally when I'm rejected from a job it's because my experience doesn't quite align with what they're looking for (which I find a load of nonsense btw).

I do know someone who was in a dead end job and decided in her 30s to do professional qualifications to qualify as an accountant. In her own words it didn't take long for her to start making good money once she was fully qualified.

SadieO

ToonPatriot said:

Why don't you just work full time and study part-time like everyone else in your situation? Open Uni is great for that. For Masters I think lots of unis accommodate it. 
I'm working full time and doing a masters and I can tell you that the reading does not require you to cancel your life. 

This was my siutation too. I did a part time masters in my 30s and continued working full time throughout. I couldn't afford to reduce my work hours. My work were decent enough to let me use flexi time to start late/finish early on the days I had lectures (only once or twice a week) and I just made up those hours on other days of the week. I did the independent studying in the evenings and at weekends, and booked the odd day of annual leave when I had assignments to write. It does take up your time but to be honest at the evenings and weekends I'd mostly be watching netflix, reading for pleasure or bumbling around online, so I didn't really have to change my life too much to accommodate study time! I found it genuinely interesting too, so it didn't feel like a chore! I am sure it would be more difficult if you had caring responsibilities etc. 

My cohort was very small and the other students were also mature, motivated and hard working so there were no issues there.  

I did the course purely for my own interest and as a personal challenge. However, about a year after I finished, I got a new job for which having the masters was a plus point which I had not anticipated. And that job gave me a pay rise of approx the cost of the masters, so it paid for itself in a year! And every year since I've had that better job and salary that I hadn't even known was a possiblity at the time of doing the course! So while I am totally in favour of education for its own sake and personal development, it could also benefit you in the future in ways you don't even know yet. 

DigSunPap

Good for you! Don't be disheartened by the age gap between you and the students, use it to your life expereicne as an advantage. If you don't mind me asking, what course is it you are studying?

socratez

Hi @Red0desert as many others had said, the degree may not actually help unless its specifically for a job. Can I ask what your profession is and what Masters you are going to do? I would in Recruitment and completed a degree as a mature student. The degree definitely helped me but not in the most obvious way. 

User271828

Bit late to the party but for what it's worth I've recently completed a full time MSc in my late 50s. I've effectively retired so it was just something I wanted to do because the subject interested me. Therefore I can't really comment on how useful masters are in terms of employment prospects.

As regards fitting in with other students, I was by far the oldest but never had a problem with that. I had a few conversations sparked by curiosity of why I was there but people were generally friendly and I was usually one of the first approached when it came to forming project teams.

I was initially a bit concerned about whether I'd be able to keep up with the youngsters academically but found that wasn't an issue and I came out with a distinction. Having young people to bounce ideas off I think played a large part in that.

SadieO

Wow, congratulations! And a distinction too - amazing!