Well I am 29yrs old and looking to make a career change. Out of high school I went directly to college and ended up getting a BS in Economics (3.30). Sadly 7 yrs later I have yet to come close to using that degree, taking jobs in customer service and the past 3 yrs in the HR field. On top of that, I was laid off from my HR job back in Feb and have been unemployed since struggling to find another full time job.

Over the past few months I have reevaluated what my personal interests are and all signs point to the physical sciences (physics in particular). In retrospect I've always been interested in science but due to my immaturity and lack of guidance, I took the easy route in College getting a business degree. I ended up skating by not really challenging myself and just lived in the moment of enjoying the college life. I never really considered what road it would take me down beyond those 4yrs. If I could go back in time I definitely would kick myself in the ass!

So now that I am waist deep in the reality of the "real world", I am thinking about going back to school to set myself on the course I should have chosen to begin with. Since I would be changing fields completely it seems that I would have to pursue a 2nd bachelors before being able to go forward into a masters program.

Now I already have federal loan debt from my first stint, would I even be eligible for Financial aid or any type of loan to pay for a 2nd degree? Not that I care so much about being in debt per say, just if I would be able get the assistance I need to pay for this new degree is really my concern. Am I crazy to think I could go back pull this off at almost 30yrs old? Or am I just making another mistake here?

(Sorry for the long post but thanks for letting me get it out if you read this far:)

Hi,

The only crazy thing would be for you to NOT follow your heart. The most energizing is to find your passion and live it!
Go for it.

As long as you are current with your loans it is a good idea to fill out FAFSA and see what you qualify for.

Reach for the stars...where there's a will, there's a way.

Goooo for it!
Corvett

Ps. I met a woman in the bookstore at school this summer, told me she has 3 Bachelors Degrees. She'll turn 74 yrs old the end of August. She's vibrant and alive doing what she loves.

Dude check out Advance Careers, they helped me and I was quite amazed at the results. Let them give you a friendly call and they could work something out. Don't worry about the cost, they have lots of colleges that offer scholarships.

Education-For-Careers.com

I’m in the same situation as you. I’m 29 years old and was laid off in February 2009 and have had no luck getting a job yet. I finished a Bachelor of Business Administration in general business in 2004 and an MBA in finance in 2005. When you’re 20 years old and have never had a professional career, that is a tough decision to make. Neither degree is in accounting, which means those degrees are worthless. The only marketable degrees are in Accounting, Nursing, or to a lesser extent, Engineering.

Back in 2005, Finance was in-demand, but since then the field has died. I wish I would have known what the environment of the future job market. I did, however, find a nice job after graduation and was able to pay off all my debts and save some money before being laid off.

Right now is not the time to make a career change. If you go back to college for the degree you want, this degree simply will not be enough. Assume the economy does not recover and remains as dismal as it currently is. Currently, an employer will receive on average 300 to 700 resumes per open position. Those hundreds of resumes will be filtered. Those filtered resumes will be filtered several more times until there are about a dozen qualified candidates for the job. Of those dozen, they will each be interviewed and the best person will be chosen for the job. To expect to find a job now, you either have to know someone personally or have the PERFECT combination of experience and education. A degree alone will not get you a job in a new field unless you happen to know the right person or have saved the hiring manger’s life.

Even entry-level jobs now require 2 to 3 years professional experience. A few years ago, an entry-level job fit the ‘entry-level’ definition. It was a job for someone trying to enter the workforce. Because of the huge number of people looking for work, that has now changed.

You should wait for the economy to recover before you take action because you don’t know what you are getting yourself into. You don’t want to drive yourself further into debt to put yourself into a job market that is already brutal. If your Dad is the hiring manger for your dream job, ignore this post and earn your new degree!

Finding a job is all about who you know.

I am in the same position that you are in, perhaps worse. Degrees are less valued now a days. Anyhow, going back to school is definitely an opition, however, I think that you need to WANT a specific career really really badly, so that you do what ever it takes to get that JOB. Right. Thats my thoughts anyway.

Same boat here, 27 in December. I'm an operations manager for a logistics company, I have a B.A. in Communications and an Associates in Bus Admin. Both seem to be pretty much useless, and I dread walking into work on a daily basis (though I do see it is better then not getting a check every week). I want to go back for a B.S. in Agricultural Science. I am in limbo as to what to do. But I don't like sitting in a cube all day, and I don't want to be miserable for the rest of my life (like the poor schmucks on the train every day). I have some time to think about it because I applied for the Summer 2010 semester.

I strongly believe in pursuing something you enjoy, you only get one trip around as far as we know. I don't really want to be the old man in class, but it is better then being the guy who goes postal at work I suppose. I have 20k in loans now, and I would be adding about another 10k if I went back. Sucks.