career change at 35 years old? Computers? (employee, degrees, interviewing, application)

[airbucket]

My husband is in the process of figuring out what career to switch "in to" by returning to school - foremost we are researching those industries that hold promise in regards to job growth and security. Currently, nothing he went to college for and pretty much nothing he has been doing since would lead into anything resembling a career, so he is going to go back to school. He is considering something within IT (computers) because he is looking for something on the less "social" side and something that pays decently. He is good at detailed work etc.

One question we are having is, if at 35 he goes back to school for some kind of 2-4 year degree, when he gets out, assuming the economy isnt in WORSE condition, will employers even look at him considering his age?? It seems if he went to school to become a nurse for example, its the type of career that isnt so age specific, and we are wondering if getting into computers (data sytems analyst, network system, etc - things that arent offshored!) is something that should be done when youre young, i.e., is it too "corporate" of a field to enter at any old time? At his age he is not so much up for networking like crazy and kissing a bunch of corporate @#$ in order to get a job - is that the kind of world that IT is ? I have heard a lot that its a good field for those who may be a little more introverted and not so much into the climb up the corporate ladder but who just want a solid and decent paying career.

Advise from you smart group of folks?

- also, he currently has a BA in liberal arts FYI

[YaFace]

Look at accounting. I majored in computers, graduated in my late 20s, and found NOTHING. It probably would have been better if I had done an internship, but there literally was NOTHING. This was in 2005, so I can imagine it is even worse now.

You seriously need to tell your husband to look at accounting. 35 is not too old, in fact somewhat young. I am 32 and starting a new career tomorrow. Aside from nursing, accounting is the only other major that I could recommend in this economy.

[mpyne]

Originally Posted by airbucket

My husband is in the process of figuring out what career to switch "in to" by returning to school - foremost we are researching those industries that hold promise in regards to job growth and security. Currently, nothing he went to college for and pretty much nothing he has been doing since would lead into anything resembling a career, so he is going to go back to school. He is considering something within IT (computers) because he is looking for something on the less "social" side and something that pays decently. He is good at detailed work etc.

One question we are having is, if at 35 he goes back to school for some kind of 2-4 year degree, when he gets out, assuming the economy isnt in WORSE condition, will employers even look at him considering his age?? It seems if he went to school to become a nurse for example, its the type of career that isnt so age specific, and we are wondering if getting into computers (data sytems analyst, network system, etc - things that arent offshored!) is something that should be done when youre young, i.e., is it too "corporate" of a field to enter at any old time? At his age he is not so much up for networking like crazy and kissing a bunch of corporate @#$ in order to get a job - is that the kind of world that IT is ? I have heard a lot that its a good field for those who may be a little more introverted and not so much into the climb up the corporate ladder but who just want a solid and decent paying career.

Advise from you smart group of folks?

- also, he currently has a BA in liberal arts FYI

Im sure others will disagree but IT is something I would not recommend. Ive been the field 10 years (mid level/out of work over a year now) but with no experience youre only getting a tech support postiion that pays $12 a hour.

Also if you look most companies have an everything but the kitchen sink approach to IT these days.

What I mean is he better know 5 programming languages have a couple cisco/microsoft certs and maybe they will hire him if they cant get the H1B employee theyve been interviewing who will work for 20K a year.

[RedNC]

If he was 35 in 1990 I would say IT would be a good choice. Now I would say anything but IT.

"we are wondering if getting into computers (data sytems analyst, network system, etc - things that arent offshored!)"

Every one of the above can be and for many companies are off shored. A person can manage servers from anywhere in the world now. The days of "having" to be on site is a thing of the past.

[cleasach]

Originally Posted by mpyne

Im sure others will disagree but IT is something I would not recommend. Ive been the field 10 years (mid level/out of work over a year now) but with no experience youre only getting a tech support postiion that pays $12 a hour.

Also if you look most companies have an everything but the kitchen sink approach to IT these days.

What I mean is he better know 5 programming languages have a couple cisco/microsoft certs and maybe they will hire him if they cant get the H1B employee theyve been interviewing who will work for 20K a year.

This is absolutely correct. Every time we post a very basic tech support position we get flooded with resumes from people with advanced degrees and multiple certifications dying to be hired at any salary because they want to stay in the field.

mpyne: have you considered working in education rather than private industry? The pay is probably lower but there are advantages such as days off, tuition reimbursement (maybe) and there's more latitude to "check out cool stuff" that may be implemented in the future.

[lisdol]

Originally Posted by YaFace

Look at accounting.

Accounting popped into my mind too. And you know what, when a company shuts down (a branch, completely, whatever), accountants are usually one of the last to go. My uncle was in the accounting dept at a brewery that shut down and he was there til the bitter end.

[airbucket]

Wow, Im surprised at the responses - thank you all for your stories and opinions. I had been reading articles on the net from CNN, Money etc etc about what a great career IT can be, particularly the areas which require on site and arent outsources etc - there is always more to the story when you talk to people with firsthand knowledge! Its interesting how the reality changes....thank you for you input!

[izannimda]

Originally Posted by airbucket

My husband is in the process of figuring out what career to switch "in to" by returning to school - foremost we are researching those industries that hold promise in regards to job growth and security. Currently, nothing he went to college for and pretty much nothing he has been doing since would lead into anything resembling a career, so he is going to go back to school. He is considering something within IT (computers) because he is looking for something on the less "social" side and something that pays decently. He is good at detailed work etc.

One question we are having is, if at 35 he goes back to school for some kind of 2-4 year degree, when he gets out, assuming the economy isnt in WORSE condition, will employers even look at him considering his age?? It seems if he went to school to become a nurse for example, its the type of career that isnt so age specific, and we are wondering if getting into computers (data sytems analyst, network system, etc - things that arent offshored!) is something that should be done when youre young, i.e., is it too "corporate" of a field to enter at any old time? At his age he is not so much up for networking like crazy and kissing a bunch of corporate @#$ in order to get a job - is that the kind of world that IT is ? I have heard a lot that its a good field for those who may be a little more introverted and not so much into the climb up the corporate ladder but who just want a solid and decent paying career.

Advise from you smart group of folks?

- also, he currently has a BA in liberal arts FYI

I have a Liberal Arts BA degree, and got into computers when I was 29. I was tired of teaching elementary school for little money with maximum headaches. Teaching elementary school is one of the most thankless jobs on the planet. Yes, I make a decent buck doing IT work, but I had to start from the bottom like everyone else. That meant doing a helpdesk job for a while, and then moving into an admin/support role. Now I manage applications for a trading floor.

I'm still doing IT after all these years, and this is a thankless occupation as well. However, you’re getting a decent salary for this type of thankless work. You must be prepared for something that they don't tell you about when working in IT. The technology changes quickly, and the skill sets are constantly evolving. What does that mean? People who don't continue taking classes and learning new technologies on the job will not last very long. You'll also be carrying an electronic leash (aka Blackberry) as you may find yourself on call and spending some weekends by a computer at home in order to login and provide remote support.

My best advice is to try and get into a hybrid role where you're doing IT, but interfacing with the business as these jobs cannot be outsourced. Don't settle for a lifelong backend infrastructure (DBA,System Admin,Network Admin,) career as they are now commodity roles that get farmed out as these types of roles can be done remotely from anywhere in the world. Learn an IT role that requires Project Management or Business Analyst skills as well. Good luck to you!!!

[Eduardo983]

Originally Posted by airbucket

My husband is in the process of figuring out what career to switch "in to" by returning to school - foremost we are researching those industries that hold promise in regards to job growth and security. Currently, nothing he went to college for and pretty much nothing he has been doing since would lead into anything resembling a career, so he is going to go back to school. He is considering something within IT (computers) because he is looking for something on the less "social" side and something that pays decently. He is good at detailed work etc.

One question we are having is, if at 35 he goes back to school for some kind of 2-4 year degree, when he gets out, assuming the economy isnt in WORSE condition, will employers even look at him considering his age?? It seems if he went to school to become a nurse for example, its the type of career that isnt so age specific, and we are wondering if getting into computers (data sytems analyst, network system, etc - things that arent offshored!) is something that should be done when youre young, i.e., is it too "corporate" of a field to enter at any old time? At his age he is not so much up for networking like crazy and kissing a bunch of corporate @#$ in order to get a job - is that the kind of world that IT is ? I have heard a lot that its a good field for those who may be a little more introverted and not so much into the climb up the corporate ladder but who just want a solid and decent paying career.

Advise from you smart group of folks?

- also, he currently has a BA in liberal arts FYI

Police officer is a good choice. They have a good base salary and if your husband has a BS degree a supplement salary is added to his base salary. (excellent job security,steady paycheck, and good benefits)

Plus, they have to stay in good physical shape (and that`s good for you hehe wiki bam bam).


I don`t recommend you the IT field. There are tons of very young bright nerds who dominate this field.

Good luck.

[Jillaceae]

My mom started her IT career in her 40's. She started in customer service selling and offering customer service help. 16 years later, she makes a lot of money as a systems analyst 3. She even changed companies to get into this position. Based on her experience, and those of some of her co-workers, I don't get the impression that this is an area with too much age restriction, if your husband decides to go into it.

The question is, or course, is this the right area for him? I actually agree with many others that he might want to consider accounting.