Mature Aged Student Q&A: Job Prospects After Graduation

[RufusDawes]

Hi,

I am a 23 year old and have graduated from an economics degree. I had been offered a financial services position, however all I really did was answer phones. So I quit and took and now work in a warehouse.

Life story aside I want to go back to uni considering an engineering. My main concern is that I will be 27 or 28 when I graduate and in all seriousness I cannot see why a company would hire a graduate who is nearly 30, over a similarily qualified 21 or 22 year old.

I do not want to be rude, but what I do not need to hear is the standard " you are never to old too learn", what I would like from you please is a response on your experiences or opinions of recruitment policies of companies.

Thanks,

Rufus Dawes

 

[Pyrrhus]

Have you ever considered you'll have on your CV a Economics Degree as well as an Engineering Degree, i see no problem.

 

[JasonRox]

Have you ever considered you'll have on your CV a Economics Degree as well as an Engineering Degree, i see no problem.

Not only that, but you should be doing other things in the meantime where you will have much more experience.

This is why I actively pursue things in my life.

I'm not just going to graduate from my school and get a degree. I am a TA too, and a Research Assistant. I write for the university paper. I have other things in mind too, like volunteering. I was going to audition for a play last week, but I got sick.

 

[interested_learner]

I work with a physicist who's mother got her MS degree in Physics at 45. Her mother went on to a very fine career.

28 isn't old. You are a spring chicken. Go back to school now!

 

[mr_coffee]

If you have a degree in economics, you shouldn't be just answering phones, you just got into the wrong company. Why not try to get hired at a company that actually makes you use economics to solve something.

You should also be able to get any type of business degree with a b.s. in economics.

 

[jbusc]

I know a guy, just graduated last month with computer engineering BS at 26, currently in the job market (and things look positive)

 

[tha3rdman]

This thread is encouraging as I too will be into my 30's with my degree, but I'm set on atleast a Masters, but maybe I'll retire as a student :) (wonder what kind of pension plan goes with that)

 

[FredGarvin]

Life story aside I want to go back to uni considering an engineering. My main concern is that I will be 27 or 28 when I graduate and in all seriousness I cannot see why a company would hire a graduate who is nearly 30, over a similarily qualified 21 or 22 year old.

I was 27 when I graduated. I had a stint in the Army to help pay for my education. The issue with age at the beginning of your career will not really come into play. As has already been mentioned, you stand to have a leg up on competition, depending on the areas you hope to go into. I know quite a few engineers who are in technical sales and administration. If that was a route you'd consider, I'd say you were ahead of the game. Of course, this does all depend on how well you do as an engineer of course. The only drawback to graduating a bit later is that you will enter the engineering work force and an entry level engineer. That means entry level pay. As long as you can handle that aspect of it (which by the sounds of it you can) then I can't see any problems you will encounter.

Don't worry about the age. I graduated with people a lot older than I was at the time.

 

[Dr Transport]

Economics + engineering = fast track in most companies, not a bad combination and I'd take it as an employer.

 

[J77]

You haven't really explained why you want to do another degree in engineering - and I guess in another 4+ years, this will be the main question from any potential employer.

 

[RufusDawes]

You haven't really explained why you want to do another degree in engineering - and I guess in another 4+ years, this will be the main question from any potential employer.

Thanks for the replies
I just got back from work

Frankly speaking,

Because I want to know stuff about how to calculate things using maths. There is an equation for the shape of my beer bottle and another for the rate at which the beer is poored into my mouth and a whole bunch more I assume for how drunk it gets me. However I know very little about them but I would like to know more.

Plus imagine you were me and you never went to engineering school would you be happy with yourself ?

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

Thanks for the replies
I just got back from work

Frankly speaking,

Because I want to know stuff about how to calculate things using maths. There is an equation for the shape of my beer bottle and another for the rate at which the beer is poored into my mouth and a whole bunch more I assume for how drunk it gets me. However I know very little about them but I would like to know more.

Plus imagine you were me and you never went to engineering school would you be happy with yourself ?

You seem to be more interested in physics (and maybe topology if you are intested in the geometry of your beer bottle, although I prefer my water pipes personally), than engineering. Although, I do physics and mathematics and not engineering, so I am not sure that I understand to the full extent of what engineers do. Perhaps your desires are described by engineering as well.

 

[Bradracer18]

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, but I am 22 and 3/4 of the way through engineering(4year). I personally think you will have a leg up too, as your age generally shows more "wiseness"...and you may have a family, and thus you HAVE to work to earn money. You are much more dependable, I guess. This is hard to get my point across, but maybe you can see my drift.

 

[mr_coffee]

Maybe mechanical engineering? Being a junior in computer science and engineering i havn't learned how to calculate that sort of stuff, well maybe the volume of that curved bottle with calc 3, and diff EQ for the flow, but that's about it.

You are curious about these things but what do you see yourself doing as an engineer? and also what type of engineer?

 

[Bradracer18]

I just thought of something else today...Go to career fairs, at your local college(if they offer them)...you can meet the employers, face to face...in a relaxed setting. You can discuss with them, what they are looking for, what they expect of you, and what your future job duties would be.

 

[Cyrus]

Well, you should NOT take the standard 4 years to graduate. You have all your humanities and english stuff out of the way. All you need is the courses for your major. You could probably do it in 3.5 years.

 

[Chronos]

I earned my second degree at the tender age of 35. It did not seem to be much of an impediment.

 

[JCEdmonds]

I don't think you have anything to worry about. I'll be 30 when I finish my bachellor's in electrical engineering, and that's only two years away. It's my first degree because I just finished six very busy years in the US Navy in 2004.

 

[kudos213]

I had a coworker who got her engineering degree at around 32. She's been working in industry for a few years, sharp kid, and she was just offered a 6 figure position. I'm not saying that's typical, but it is possible