Looking for advice on going back to school/career change at 41.

[fngTony]

My son has his own autoglass replacement biz. He specializes in working with bodyshops and does quite well. Most every new car now requires the sensors to be recalibrated after glass replacement. Have you considered switching to running your own recalibration biz or adding it as an add on service? Insurance pays between 250-450 for a recalibration that takes 30 min. The equiopment is a 5k investment and requires a $100 a month software licensing fee for updates. I am semi retired and am considering buying the equipment and subcontracting the work under my sons company.

If Colorado was a $0 deductible state like Arizona or Florida I would have given more consideration to that. Here it’s such a cash driven market that no one wants to pay out of pocket for calibration.

 

[TheGDog]

It’s a loaded question so any advice or experiences are welcome. I know it’s time for a change but I don’t know many who went this route around this age. Also I’m looking at a cost of $33k and honestly I have no idea how to value that.
***edit to add more detail****
For the last 19 years I’ve been replacing autoglass. Driving around Denver to perform cosmetic surgery on your car in your driveway. Weather, traffic can be tough to deal with, the industry pay and benefits have not kept up with inflation especially in an expensive city. While there is some potential increase of income it would require a passion that I no longer have.
After a lot of consideration I decided to get into some side of IT work. With the idea that I can work later in life if needed or potentially earn enough to retire more comfortably.

You're on the right path. Shift to cerebral job, so you can work even if you get jacked up. I've worked with my arm in sling more than a few times.

Just understand that once you go into IT or Programming in my case... you have to commit. Because in tech, you're always gonna have to learn new tech stuff as it comes out. For the rest of your life. So get used to the idea of occasionally needing to spend some of your own spare time reading and going thru example apps of how to use that new tech in code. And getting acquainted with a new tech your company is looking to begin using soon in the future.

 

[Anello]

I went to law school at 41 years old. I started part-time for the first year working full-time, then went full-time for a year and a half and finished early. It was not easy. I paid for what I could, but the loans really added up. I love what I do now, but I am facing an uphill battle for several years in both paying it off and getting back to what I was earning before (plus some, hopefully). The timing of becoming a new attorney right now was not great, but, again, I really love what I do now. So, I know that if I keep at it the money will come.

Weigh both the hard cost of an education with the utility of that education with regard to future income, opportunity and overall happiness. There is an intangible element, as well, in the pride you feel having done something in your 40's that kills 20 year olds.

 

[bozeman]

You could: attend a 3-6 month ‘coding academy’ any get an entry level programming/development/debugging role and allow the company to help pay for your degree? Just a thought and you ‘graduate’ with a few years of experience.

 

[BPN_PNW]

Might be a good start to get a certification if you're looking to do tech support or repair. These days their value in IT jobs is probably higher than formal education. Cisco certs used to be the standard, thought there are others out there such as Amazon Web Services, etc. Community colleges used to offer entry classes and might be a good affordable way of getting into IT. My company used udemy training a while back in an effort to bump up the company knowledge of Amazon Web Services and Python coding.

 

[fmyth]

If Colorado was a $0 deductible state like Arizona or Florida I would have given more consideration to that. Here it’s such a cash driven market that no one wants to pay out of pocket for calibration.

My son only works for body shops who are repairing crashed vehicles. He does not deal with the end consumer of the insurance companies. The glass he replaces is part of the collision repair. The calibration of the sensors is required not optional. I recommend that you read the book "Acres of Diamonds". I first read the book 14 years ago when I was burned out on my industry and was looking for a career change.

 

[fngTony]

You're on the right path. Shift to cerebral job, so you can work even if you get jacked up. I've worked with my arm in sling more than a few times.

Just understand that once you go into IT or Programming in my case... you have to commit. Because in tech, you're always gonna have to learn new tech stuff as it comes out. For the rest of your life. So get used to the idea

My son only works for body shops who are repairing crashed vehicles. He does not deal with the end consumer of the insurance companies. The glass he replaces is part of the collision repair. The calibration of the sensors is required not optional. I recommend that you read the book "Acres of Diamonds". I first read the book 14 years ago when I was burned out on my industry and was looking for a career change.

I misunderstood, I gotcha now. That’s a pretty cool gig there, never thought about it from that end

 

[FatCampzWife]

Went back to school at 41, while newly divorced, working full time, & raising 3 kids with a combative co-parent. But, I was stuck with no hope for promotion & no way to pay all my bills. (Yes, Fatcamp & I went back to school together...not for the faint of heart!) It sucked, to put it mildly. Finished my PhD in 3.5 years. Lots of time lost with my kids, late nights, long work weekends... but BECAUSE I went back, I now have my dream job & am happier than I've ever been, career-wise. (And otherwise )
I'm convinced if I wouldn't have gone back, I'd be miserable & just counting the days to retirement (many years from now. But it's different for everyone. Make sure you get a degree in something you can stand & will make decent money at. Good luck.

 

[roadrunner]

Also something to consider is a tradeschool, there is beginning to be a shift toward the employment of good trades people rather than the traditional degree people.

As far as engineering goes, and I know I may be roasted for saying this, avoid the disciplines that are centered in the energy sector and go with something a little more "neutral". I tell young adults to look into civil, and avoid mechanical, electrical, and petroleum.

If I could do it all over again, I would have stuck with civil instead of the engineering degree I did...

 

[KBC]

I think I posted this already....

I did it at 35. I was a cabinet maker for almost 10 years making shitty money working for shitty people. That was 10 years ago. I always struggled in school growing up, more because I was a punk not due to smarts. That still made it pretty scary to go back with doubts in the back of my mind about how I would do.
It was the best decision of my life. I worked hard and finished top of my class.
10 years later I make more than double as a helicopter mechanic plus pension and good benefits. Plus I enjoy most of the aspects of my job (ok the wrenching is fun but I could do with a bit less paperwork haha) I’m way more fulfilled in my life now. Not bad for a high school drop out.

 

[KBC]

Sorry I did it at 30, not 35 according to my post on page one...

 

[wyodan]

Do it! I am 43 and contemplating the same thing. During my youth, everyone said you HAD to go to college in order to be anything. I strongly disagree with that sentiment now! I am now stuck inside at least 35 hrs a week, in a career without a lot of job satisfaction, and barely get to participate in anything I would consider an enjoyable part of work. (When I do get to help out others at the job, it is very cool and enjoyable work) My big question to you would be what do you have to lose? You might end up doing something that is extremely satisfying comparatively, or worst case scenario, you end up back where you are. It's always worth a shot, I've seen too many people suffer day in and out because they didn't want to take a shot at something else.

 

[ODB]

I had to change careers (not by choice) older than that. Went back to University of Washington, cleaned their clock and changed direction. It works.

 

[Maki35]

At 41 you're still young. Make the change. Imo, you'll probably live a much more comfortable life working in IT. I know a few guys in that field and they are very happy and doing well.
I also know a guy that decided to go back to school in his late 30's to pursue a career in IT. He's very happy with his decision to change careers.
Good luck

 

[mapticon]

I switched gears at 37. Took a six month coding school course and couldnt be happier with the decision. Having a skill set for the 21st century has really been a game changer for me. Any opportunity to be involved in anything tech related cant be a bad option.

 

[S.Clancy]

I went back to school at 30 for Engineering and my mom started nursing school at 50. If you can make the math work as far as salary, not taking out tons of debt, etc. I say go for it.

Always remember this tho, "Quitting something with a plan is making progress, quitting something with no plan is just quitting."

Good luck and kick some a**!!!

 

[bojangles808]

Any update op?

 

[Che]

A friend of mine started working for the railroad two years ago at age 42.
Its a tenure system and he is lucky to get one job a month right now.
The pay an benefits for working once month are pretty amazeballs and eventually the money is good.
Once you have tenure you make your own schedule.
He does have to drive from Grand Junction, CO to Gilette, WY to catch his trains, which is a drawback.
In his meantime he does side hustles and gets to make money however he wants.

 

[fngTony]

Any update op?

Yes. I’m enrolled in online classes. Taking a couple refresher courses, just finished reading & writing and starting on math. Also just today accepted my old job back. I hated it there the first time but some positive changes have been made. More income to pay for school, possible tuition assistance. It’s a big company with many departments so there could be something that my degree is good for and relocation if desired.

 

[ForsythMary]

I take some courses every year to refresh my knowledge. It helps me a lot to run my business in the right way. All my business is online and I have few workers which make their work very well. I taught them how to work effectively for a small amount of time. Now one worker can work for 3 people. It helps them to make more money than others. Moreover, to run an online business isn't hard because now all is accessible and a site with the best education wordpress theme we can make in some days. Yes, my business is based on education.