Change of career and back to school in your 40s?

[niccig]

I had a teaching degree and went back to school for ultrasound in my early 30s at the time with three kids, my youngest was 1. For my program there were some major pros and cons, pro was that the schooling was very affordable (community college tuition I think around 10k approximately for the entire program!) con was that the hours were not flexible at all, there was a long waiting list (5 years!) and the job market is kind of temperamental. (The class before me had a lot of trouble getting jobs, we were lucky that most of my class did.) Now that I see how crappy the healthcare systems treat their employees I may end up changing yet again but not likely anything that requires additional schooling. (With 4 kids ages 2-10 I am happy enough working PRN a few times a month while my mom babysits/gets my kids to school, I stay out of the drama and don't take call. But when I want to work more regularly I doubt it will be in healthcare. I'd prefer not to die in a car accident taking call on no sleep for some dumb unnecessary exam or have healthcare system decide to try to chase out the most experienced/highest paid people when I'm on the verge of retiring...just a couple of the things I've seen happen the last few years.) I think there are a lot of people going back to school these days, my aunt started schooling for IT in her 40s and now has a great job working from home, there was someone in my class in her early 50s, odds are decent you won't be the only one even BUT school with kids and their school is a lot to manage. I barely slept and figuring out childcare was awful, not to mention the crying kindergartner because I couldn't just skip clinicals/class to go to school things. My mom was a saint and took sick kids to the doctor for us, etc. If your kids are a bit older I'm sure it will be easier in some ways and more difficult in others (we didn't have after school activities yet, that would have been really rough.)

Babysitter for after school activities. I had a regular babysitter who would get DS from after school care and take him to soccer practice on the days I had class. It was inevitable the soccer team (AYSO) would have practice on the one day I had a class at the same time. When I started working I’m was able to pick DS up and take him to practices - he was a little older and had later practice times.


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[hellokitty]

I was a sahm for 10 years, 3 kids later returned full time to the workforce at the age of 41 (7 yrs ago), my kids were 5, 9 and 10. I had two BS degrees, never got to use the first one, but they compliment each other. Well, when I returned to the workforce I was burned out when I had left, so I decided to pursue something using my first BS degree. I had run a nonprofit chapter for 8 of the years I was a sahm that was a volunteer organization and I really think that is what caught their attention. My boss told me that even though I was not paid, they considered it paid experience, and recognized that because I had no boss that it was positive that they knew I had the self motivation and work ethic to keep it going on my own. Anyway, the pay was low, but it was a good job to get me back into the workforce and I loved what I did. Less than a year later another opportunity came up and this time both of my degrees together made me a perfect candidate, it was a promotion and I got the job. I was there for over 2 years, and then got my current position, which I've been in for 4 years now, plus also added another job that is 100% relevant to my second degree that I burned out on previously. the biggest difference is that I got burned out doing clinical work... when I returned to the workforce, my focus switched to community and public health, which I love.

Childcare and coordination of parenting was never easy. Somehow we made it through. I'm just grateful I wasn't working when my kids were babies, them being school aged helped a lot!

I'm getting my graduate degree right now and it's nuts with a tween and two teens and all of their activities. It would put me on track for a leadership position, I don't necessarily feel like I'm learning anything I haven't already figured out on my own because I have substantial work experience, but many roles require a graduate degree.

My biggest internal struggle is that I chronically feel, "behind." I was out of the workforce for 10 years, which would have been very fruitful for my career and I came back when things had totally changed. Hiring practices suck, you just get ghosted, there is no HR etiquette, like there was before I became a sahm and the hiring process can takes months! It was not like this before I was a sahm! I realize now looking back that I have made tremendous strides in only 7 years back, having to start over and switching to a different aspect in the healthcare sector. But I've definitely had a lot of regrets for not having stayed at least PT as a sahm. I understand now how clinical was not my calling, had I found what I do now before I had kids, I would have kept up part time and I wouldn't have taken such a big hit in my career. I have fears that I will not be able to ever promote into a leadership position because they basically want millenials now and genx is considered old. I did not expect this when I returned, this cast off mentality of genx, when before I left I felt like it didn't matter so much. Basically, I am now up against ageism (plus I'm also not white, so I've always dealt with other types of discrimination, but it's hard to prove).

[mmsmom]

I wanted to add that I think the first big decision in deciding what you want to do is to consider the reason you want to return to work. It is for income or to have a career or both or another reason? For me, I wanted to return because I wanted to work but the income was important because although there were many things I would enjoy doing they would not have paid enough to be worth it for me. I knew I needed to return to sales with a strong base salary and unlimited income potential to make it worth returning to work. We decided to send DC to private school and I wanted my base salary to be able to cover their tuition.

So if income is important I would consider that in deciding what you want to do and factor in childcare expenses.

I never planned to be a SAHM but I lost my job when DS was a year old and we were trying for #2 then and it was a hard time to find another job. Then I got into being at home and planning the logistics of going back seemed too difficult. I know it could have been figured out as millions of women do it. Ultimately it all worked out for me and I love my job now which still allows me to be there for DC when needed. But it was also the right income to make it all worth it as well.