Here's the scenario:
In part because of drinking and in part because of the economy, I have sunk very, very low on the economic totem pole. In the 90s I was making $15 an hour. My high income was pretty close to 60K in the late 90s/early 2000s. Sunk to a low in employment for a couple of years, then got a good job for 17-21 bucks an hour. Quit that job (a story for another time, perhaps), had another 18 months of pretty much 0 income, and am now at the bottom of the food chain at a job where I make $11 an hour. I dislike this job so much, that I have even entered the company as "Hell" on my cell phone, LOL!
No one will give me a good job. I have 25 years experience in my field (graphic design, the printing and corrugated industries, teaching/public speaking and affiliated fields), but I do not have a degree. Experience used to count for something?a lot, actually?but I have found that I have been routinely passed over by people with less experience, who hold a trendier portfolio and a piece of paper in their hand.
Because I'm over 50, I'm really, really thinking of my Twilight Years?retirement, and the end of life, and I'm realizing that if I stay on the course I'm currently on, I will die with a broken spirit, depressed, living in a box somewhere. And so, at 51, I'm going back to school.
I am struggling with this decision! I am scared! I have questions! Am I doing the right thing?
I could ramble more about my fears, indecisions, and questions. There are SO many people in my life who are NOT supporting my decision to go back to school, and I am direly hoping that I am making the right choice.
What do you guys think?
In part because of drinking and in part because of the economy, I have sunk very, very low on the economic totem pole. In the 90s I was making $15 an hour. My high income was pretty close to 60K in the late 90s/early 2000s. Sunk to a low in employment for a couple of years, then got a good job for 17-21 bucks an hour. Quit that job (a story for another time, perhaps), had another 18 months of pretty much 0 income, and am now at the bottom of the food chain at a job where I make $11 an hour. I dislike this job so much, that I have even entered the company as "Hell" on my cell phone, LOL!
No one will give me a good job. I have 25 years experience in my field (graphic design, the printing and corrugated industries, teaching/public speaking and affiliated fields), but I do not have a degree. Experience used to count for something?a lot, actually?but I have found that I have been routinely passed over by people with less experience, who hold a trendier portfolio and a piece of paper in their hand.
Because I'm over 50, I'm really, really thinking of my Twilight Years?retirement, and the end of life, and I'm realizing that if I stay on the course I'm currently on, I will die with a broken spirit, depressed, living in a box somewhere. And so, at 51, I'm going back to school.
I am struggling with this decision! I am scared! I have questions! Am I doing the right thing?
- Should I stay in my same field? Pros: For an Associates, I can test out of some classes, and/or work ahead and finish them early. [C'mon, they have a basics of vector graphics class, and I have used Illustrator since it hit the market in 1988!] Cons: The local market is saturated with graphic designers. (There are jobs elsewhere, and as I don't have kids, just cats and a husband who works a factory job, I could move, however.) Would anyone hire a then 53 year old?
- If I don't stay in the same field, what do I do? Some people say "get into whatever pays", and I guess with my background that would be software engineering, but GAK! I think I'd rather poke a sharp stick in my eye. Other people say, "follow your muse". In this case, I know I enjoy 'helping professions'. Nursing is out of the question, because I wouldn't be able to deal with wiping butts and getting puked on. I thought of Music Therapy (my original major back in the 80s), but looked on line and found that jobs were few and far between, and oftentimes the salary was under 40K. I do love teaching, but I am somewhat allergic to kids (although have mellowed with age). If I taught in higher-ed, I'd need a Bachelors to teach community college, and a Masters to teach at the University level. Now I'm 56 years old.Do I take multiple majors
I could ramble more about my fears, indecisions, and questions. There are SO many people in my life who are NOT supporting my decision to go back to school, and I am direly hoping that I am making the right choice.
What do you guys think?
Keep us posted! 
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