Is Age a Barrier for Pursuing a Career in Civil Engineering?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the question of whether age is a barrier to pursuing a career in civil engineering, particularly from the perspective of a 40-year-old individual planning to return to school. Participants explore the challenges and considerations associated with entering the field later in life, including personal motivations, skill readiness, and societal perceptions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a strong passion for civil engineering despite concerns about age and the time required to complete the degree.
  • Another participant shares a personal anecdote about a friend who returned to university at 30 after a long break, suggesting that it is possible to succeed regardless of age.
  • Concerns are raised about the potential questions one might face when entering the field later in life, including motivations for the career change and readiness for entry-level positions.
  • One participant reassures that at 47, there is still ample time for a productive career in engineering.
  • The original poster reflects on personal circumstances that delayed their education, such as raising children and the lack of civil engineering programs at their previous university.
  • Another participant cautions against accepting low salaries despite a passion for the field, questioning the implications of being willing to work for minimum wage.
  • There is a discussion about the importance of having a solid skill set, including computer skills, to be competitive in the engineering job market.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that it is possible to pursue a career in civil engineering later in life, but there are differing views on the challenges and expectations that may arise. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the specific barriers and societal perceptions faced by older students.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying degrees of confidence in their skills and readiness for the field, with some highlighting the need for self-reflection on personal capabilities and motivations. There is also a lack of consensus on the implications of age in relation to salary and job expectations.

kstbts
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I'm 40 yrs old, and it will still be another 3yrs before I can return to school, but I think I've finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up - a civil engineer. I'm using this time to relearn Physics and calculus. A part of me doesn't care if I'm too old, the same part that shrugs off doubts about whether I am smart enough, because this is what I am passionate about and I'll continue to pursue this interest one way or another. But I would still like to know if I will face many significant challenges due to my age if I try to pursue it formally. While I do have over 100 credit hrs, those are mostly not applicable to this degree, and so it will still take me about 4yrs to finish school making me 47 yrs old when I graduate. I should probably mention that I'm female.
 
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Heya :smile:

You know better about your life and your financial status and all that (I mean if you are comfortable in perusing it then do it!). But I will tell you one thing. My friend, who is 30 years old graduated high school 12 years ago. Then he worked at various places and fiiiinally decided to join university were he was required to study for a foundation degree at the university. Now he is a second year mechanical engineering undergraduate :smile:

Excuse my English.
 
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It is never too late, but when entering a new field late, you will need to be prepared to answer some tough questions convincingly:

1. Why are you entering engineering so late?
2. Is your heart really in it?
3. Do you intend to make a career in engineering?
4. Are you ok with being on the same level (pay, position) as people half your age?
5. Do you have the proper basic skillset to be productive (computer skills, for example).
6. Do you have the intestinal fortitude needed for a high pressure, fast growth entry-level job?

Engineering is broad, though, and different jobs will have different levels of issue with these questions.
 
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Even at 47 you will still be a pup with another ~18 productive years left in you. I say go for it.
 
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Thanks everyone.

russ_watters, you raise a possibility which I hadn't considered, which is that I might be questioned about this at some point. The primary reason for entering so late is that I've been educating my children. Also, civil engineering wasn't offered at my university when I attended 15 years ago and I didn't know much about it. My heart is definitely in it; I wouldn't return to school so late if it weren't. I don't care about pay; I'd still want to do it even if I made minimum wage. I feel like my computer skills are better than average, although I don't know any programming. I'll have to give your last question some thought. I'm sure I'm at least average in that area.


russ_watters said:
It is never too late, but when entering a new field late, you will need to be prepared to answer some tough questions convincingly:

1. Why are you entering engineering so late?
2. Is your heart really in it?
3. Do you intend to make a career in engineering?
4. Are you ok with being on the same level (pay, position) as people half your age?
5. Do you have the proper basic skillset to be productive (computer skills, for example).
6. Do you have the intestinal fortitude needed for a high pressure, fast growth entry-level job?

Engineering is broad, though, and different jobs will have different levels of issue with these questions.
 
kstbts tells this:

I don't care about pay; I'd still want to do it even if I made minimum wage.

Your "heart" can be understood, but you should not be expected to take an inexcusably exploitatively low salary or wage.

I feel like my computer skills are better than average, although I don't know any programming.

What does that mean?
 

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