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I'm looking for as many opinions as I can get. I was laid off 3 1/2 years ago and decided not to go back to work. I can live off my savings (not really a good idea) until I can start collecting my pension and social security. But I have had enough of retirement and am considering going back to school for a masters degree in either oceanography or meteorology. I'm also considering other, more modest ideas but for now I'll just ask about these two fields.
Here's the thing. I am 55 years old and by the time I got a masters degree I would be in my early 60's. Does anyone think a 60 something year old man could successfully begin a career in a scientific field?
I did ask this question of a meteorologist on another website and he said go for it. So are there any other informed opinions on this forum? I'd really like to hear them. I do not want to spend the time and money on school only to find out that no one is going to hire an old man wanna be scientist.
I'd ask you, are you passionate about these subjects? Because going to school as a 60 something is going to require a lot of focus, a lot of passion for the subjects, and staying power.
As far as getting a job, well, I can't predict this. What research have you done about job prospects with a MS in these fields?
I do know my ex-neighbor had a PHD in geology (She did something to do with finding petroleum in rocks) and made good money. She had the type of job that paid her to relocate (here and back to her native state).
So, maybe you need to research prospects with higher degrees in the science field.
Why early 60s? Do you need to get a Bachelor's degree? You can usually do a Master's degree in 3 semesters if you go full time.
What is your previous work experience and degree in (if you have one)? Can that feed into your interests?
Most meteorology work is for the government and I don't think there's much demand except for people with super-specialized skills in mathematical modeling.
Oceanography, generically, has more potential because there are rich people and some institutions off doing all kinds of crazy work in the middle of nowhere - however, they typically don't pay much. If you're in good enough health to spend time at seas in rough conditions for long periods of time you might find something like that. If you've relevant independent knowledge in this area acquired through a hobby you don't necessarily need a degree; you just need to show that you've got some skill or ability that adds value to whatever is being done.
Age is a barrier but don't get too caught up on it. The key thing is: can you be competitive in offering some ability that other people are willing to pay you for?
i dont know if you want to teach, but schools are DESPERATE for science teachers everywhere it seems. you probably could even get loan forgiveness in a lot of districts.
I'd ask you, are you passionate about these subjects? Because going to school as a 60 something is going to require a lot of focus, a lot of passion for the subjects, and staying power.
As far as getting a job, well, I can't predict this. What research have you done about job prospects with a MS in these fields?
I do know my ex-neighbor had a PHD in geology (She did something to do with finding petroleum in rocks) and made good money. She had the type of job that paid her to relocate (here and back to her native state).
So, maybe you need to research prospects with higher degrees in the science field.
Sorry for not replying sooner. As far as I can tell, I'm not really passionate about anything. I do have an interest in these fields but I'm not sure how far that interest extends. And yeah, staying power could be a problem too. As far as research goes, I know that in oceanography there is a lot of competition for jobs, which I believe would be a disadvantage for for an older person. Meteorology is a much smaller field and probably less competition in absolute terms but relative to the existing jobs the competition is going to be pretty great. I've also read recently of at least one older meteorologist who was fired without any real explanation but he thinks it's age related. And he wasn't a tv broadcaster.
Actually, I do think this idea of mine is a bit unrealistic and not worth the risk in time and money that school would involve. I'm going to scale back my ambitions. Thanks to the people who expressed their opinions.
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