Success Happy

Feel like I'm getting too old, work/life balance?

I want to take a year out before embarking on my chosen career. It's taken 24 years to decide that I would like to pursue a PhD but I feel like I'm getting too old. Please please help, I need some words of encouragement from someone who has been here before. I've got a good bachelor's degree

Public Comments

1. how old are you? 24? and are you staring a phd program now, or just starting school all together? 24 is on the young side to start a phd. i'll be 24 and starting a masters....dont worry. you're in the right place. hell my boss is over 40 and just finishing his phd up.
2. You are never too old to pursue knowledge but the financial and employment possibilities depend on what you want to do with it when you get it. If you are only 24 years old you have plenty of time and taking a year out of academia to get centered and absorb some reality in the work world is not a bad idea all else being equal. If you have been in a holding pattern for 24 years since you got that BS degree you have a lot of realworld experience and knowledge which will put you way ahead of the pack in motivation, dedication, emotional maturity and street smarts and work and study habits. The surroundings may be different but the path is pretty much the same with some added advantages provided by modern technology so call up the catalog for your preferred school and start figuring out the program. Good luck.
3. Never too old, if you want to take a year off do so. After a year off and you still want to pursue your PhD - then you yourself know you did the right thing.... I just finished my undergrad - after 20 years out of school. I will not lie it was hard but once I got into the swing of things - I am now working towards another degree. I was not dedicated when I was younger. I was a party animal and made more money than my friends who stayed in school and had degrees. I did not have an incentive to get one. Going back I looked at a lot of students who were forced to go to school by their parents - campus was more like an adult day care for this crowd. So take a year off and get some life experience.
4. You are never too old. I am 24 and will complete my Associates by this fall and I will then go on to complete my B.A. and Masters. It has taken me 24 years to figure out what I want to do as well. Every year that goes by I find that I get a little discouraged. I see students younger than me with their degree and many others have already started their career. When I feel like I am too old, I realize that this is my life. I should not compare my life to the lives of others. I have to make lemons out of the bad ones that I've been given or have chosen for that matter. I find that now that I am older I am much more focused.I appreciate school. I can excel at a much higher rate than what I did when I was younger. If this is what you want, you need to go for it. You are never too old to continue your education. I am actually glad that I came across your question because now I do not feel so alone. Also you should know that my mother is 51 and attending college and there are a lot of older students taking courses on campus. ***I might also take a year off of school before I go on to complete my B.A. I plan to work and volunteer during that time.