Career Training in Midlife – Is Starting Again Worth the Risk?

Going back to school is one of the biggest hurdles faced by those who want to make a midlife career in change. Often, it’s memories of school, difficult subjects and angry teachers which cause the fear. But if you are unhappy in your present job and need to retrain, how can you overcome these problems?

In the west, most of us are living longer and that means we have to continue working past retirement age. And technology, which is used in almost every job these days, has a finger on the fast forward button. In many ways this is good news, as new developments in science and medicine can make our lives a lot easier. But the speed of progress means that we all have no choice -  if we want to keep up with our present job, let alone study for a new career, we’ve got to be prepared to keep learning.

However, retraining for a new career is not as difficult as it was 20 years ago. Flexible study options operate at most colleges and universities and so students can take part-time courses, or module based degrees allowing them to work at their own pace. Also, distance learning, is now widely offered, both through online courses and more traditional correspondence courses.

Adult learning is a huge industry and so there is a great deal of competition, which is good news for prospective students, who are now treated like the paying customers they are and not the schoolkids they once were. Teacher training has also improved and teachers who work with adults provide a much more student-centred approach these days. So if you are worried about heading back to the classroom, you’ll be relieved to hear that tutors are well aware of the difficulties faced by people returning to education and are prepared to help you overcome them.

So, for those of you in your 30s, 40s or 50s who are thinking about a new career -  go for it.  If you had a hard time at school, you’ll find that this time round it’s nothing like your previous experience of learning and it will open up lots of new opportunities, boost your self esteem and you’ll make new friends at the same time.

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