Is Starting an Engineering Degree at 32 a Risky Career Move?

[brusier]

My story can be summed up in a few sentences. After I earned my bachelors in 2001, I entered the military with the hopes of earning some morey more for graduate school. I decided to maintain aircraft and fell in love with the community/industry. Now, I am not so interested in getting a grad degree but would rather use the money for an engineering undrgrad degree. My first degre is in Health and Phys Ed so really it cannot be used toward earning an engineering grad degree so really I saw a second bachelors as the way to work as an engineer.
My question is, at 32, is this a risky move? I have been maintaining and building aircraft for 7 years now and consider that to be some good experince in the industry. However, getting a second degree and starting work in a new field in an industry is much like starting at the beginning. So, how would a person in that situation be viewed? What kind of career opportunities might I expect?
Currently, I am looking into the accelerated five year combined BS/MS Engineering Physics Degree at Embry-Riddle University because it would graduate me with a Masters. It is expensive but the Navy would pay for the first three years leaving me to pay for the final two -- still very expensive but attractive. There are other undergrad options that I am considering mostly in Mechanical Engineering or Materials Design.
I would have to say that my main concern besides the heavy course work is starting over at 32. Other than that, engineering is a great passion of mine and I look forward to the challenges it brings.

 

[TMFKAN64]

Well, it will certainly be starting over again at the bottom... but if that's what you are interested in doing, I don't see why you would have any problem with it. People change careers all the time, and 32 doesn't strike me as too old to do it.