Am I Too Old to Start School?

direw0lf, BSN · Oct 20, 2015

I respect my older classmates!!! It's never too late to go back to school. I love seeing 30+ in college..so glad when anyone any age can have the chance too and attain their dream.

finalee · Oct 20, 2015

Hi Michelegie,

In this past year, I turned 45 and also returned to school. My good friend told me I'd be two years older regardless if I returned to do what I feel my passion has been-nursing or not.

I took her advice to heart and returned as a much better student. My study habits are much stronger than when I was younger. My grades are important, of course getting that almighty A, but, grasping of the content brings me joy. Who knew? The appreciation of the journey, the highs and lows, is something I could not do as young me. I'm sharp in mind and yes my back is killing me but it hurts anyway. That's my story.

Look at it this way, you bring your unique life experience, so just bring yourself and just move your plan forward by working it-soon. That is quite a path you have laid out for yourself; if you have 60 credits, yes, the ADN is very competitive but so is everything in life. I don't know your circumstances, so just do what's best for you. Maybe some of the RN's and BSN's will offer some advise on the path. Good luck.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Oct 20, 2015

Here's the deal and a little reality with it. And this is coming from someone who is graduating in May at 40. First of all, realize you are in CA. An urban area of CA. Have your researched the job market? What are they hiring? What kind of jobs are LVNs getting in your area? What is the pay like?

It looks like you are taking the long route to me. I've also seen posted here the unemployment New Grad market is somewhere around 47% in CA. I've seen links posted to back that up. Do you have a decent, well-paying job right now? If you do, are you willing to give it up?

How old are your 60 credits? Are any of them usable? There is a time limit on those. While your GPA never expires those credits do, because after awhile, the information is irrelevant. The world is constantly changing. And going the route you are wanting to go, you are looking at being maybe 47-48 until you get a BSN. I know of a previous poster on here that took her over 300 resumes submissions until she had gotten something part time. I haven't seen her post in a while so I'm hoping she found something full time. A very smart woman whom I thought would have no trouble finding a job after graduation. I know it took her a bit in CA. You live in a super impacted area.

What's your back-up plan? Every prospective nursing student at my school is required to have a back-up plan because it's competitive and hard to get into the program. And my area is short on nurses.

You need to truly think this through. I see so many people come in here wanting to become nurses at whatever age because they are not what they think is "fulfilled" in their current job. They have good jobs, quit them, go to school for the prereqs, not having the faintest clue what all goes into it. Or what their job market is. Then they either hate it, can't get into a program, or can't find a job afterwards.

I'm almost 40. In two months. I did so much research before taking this leap. I had to divorce my ex to do this. I filed for divorce and signed up for school in the same week. My ex wanted a servant, not a wife. Maids get paid so that's why I don't use that term. I needed to be out of house a little bit. But, I also had a son to take care of and raise. He was 7 when all of this started. But, I had been planning it since he was 5. I researched on the internet, I volunteered at a local hospital and talked to nurses. I looked at schools. I knew the difference in the different degrees and scopes of practice. I saved my money. It was a long time in the making. My ex makes incredible money. Leaving the security of having someone pay all the bills was hard. How was I going to support myself? There were many factors for me, the biggest being my local job market, and the future outlook in my area. What was my competition?

Rash decision making is never good. I know you said you have been thinking about it for 10 years. But what actions have you taken besides thinking? Drop the romanticized notion about nursing now. Don't put all your hopes for being satisfied and fulfilled on becoming a nurse because you will be disappointed. If you go in knowing what you are getting into, your chances are better. I promise.

Good luck in your decisions. I hope the questions I posed to you made you think. The most important part is to plan properly. You can do this if you want. You can do it if you go in and have back-ups and the reality in place. The road I'm taking has been bumpy from time-to-time, but I know for me I have made the right choice. Your age is only a very small factor in this. You will still have many years to work if you graduate at 45. That's still twenty years. If you were much older, my advice would be somewhat different. Anybody can go to school and get a degree if they work hard. But for those wanting a job afterwards, age does play a role. But at our age, I don't think it plays a whole lot. Honestly, I see it as an advantage. We are more stable, have more wisdom and maturity. Our bodies only slow us down slightly. Truly, I run circles over hung-over 22 year olds. My hang over days are over!!!

rob4546, ADN, BSN, MSN · Oct 20, 2015

I went back to school at this same age and have been an RN for almost 1.5 years. I will earn my BSN in mid January at the age of 46. When I started school I had no prior useful credits and had to start from the beginning. I did test out of much of the gen ed stuff but was required to take all the science prerequisites.

Has been the best thing I have ever done. I would look into the job situation as stated in the above post. From what I hear CA is a tough market for graduate nurses. Here in rural CO there are many jobs for graduate RNs.

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Oct 20, 2015

Yeah, the route you described seems far too long than necessary if the end game is BSN. Get into a good school with a good BSN program and work it out. You could bridge (I don't know if all CSUs with nursing programs have them) if you choose to do the LVN thing first, though. But, if age is your concern (which it shouldn't be - I have classmates that are a little bit older than you making it happen, BSN-style), figure out the best way to go BSN.

In short answer: no, you are not too old. You could have a very nice, long and storied career. :)

LilstrideRN · Oct 20, 2015

I returned to school at 43 with the same plan you have. However, I didn't get accepted to the LPN program my first try (thank goodness!). I took the year (that is what it takes to get into a program where I live) and worked on the rest of my BSN requirements so while I waited to get into the RN program I would be able to go right in to the BSN program when I finished.

At 46 I graduated with my ADN and am about to start a residency in L & D, my dream job, since my goal is to be a midwife :) I will continue to go to school online with WGU. WGU requires you to be working as an RN for at minimum of 20 hours a week in order to complete your schooling with them. I think it is a good idea. And because it is self paced, I don't see why I will be much farther behind my cohort who went right on through to the BSN program.

Anyhow, I was worried my age would be a factor when I started looking for jobs. I wasn't getting interviews and I watched my younger classmates get interviews and jobs, it was very discouraging. When I stepped back and evaluated the situation, I realized I was not applying for the same jobs they were applying for. I didn't WANT med/surg. I wanted L & D and I was holding out! I am really glad I did. I am watching most of my classmates who took LTC jobs quit already... I am happy to not be among them.

You are never to old to start IMO. But I do think the track you are considering may end up taking longer than you think, especially if you get a job.

I don't know about Sacramento, but I know Ventura is building a big beautiful hospital btw!

KThurmond · Oct 21, 2015

I agree with the other posts. If nursing is your dream go for it. No, you are not too old. 60 credits is great. Sciences expire in 5 years though so you'd have to retake those more than likely. I'd try to get into a BSN program to start with. Or at least an ADN. I don't know about California but in Georgia LPNs are being phased out. Even doctor's offices are hiring medical assistants instead of LPN. Good luck:)

quiltynurse56, LPN, LVN · Oct 21, 2015

I graduated with my LPN at 58 and am now working on my ADN. I work part time as that is what I choose to do. Why not start with the ADN and then work on your BSN? You can then work while finishing your BSN.

Scottishtape · Oct 21, 2015

I definitely don't think you're too old to go back to school.

I went to nursing school with a good friend who was 52 when we started. She graduated just fine and has been working as a nurse ever since.

I will say at some point, age does become a factor for some people. My MIL did a MA program at 68, passed with honors, but still can't find a job almost 6 months after she graduated and got registered. You, however are FAR from 68!

If you're concerned about time, maybe consider the concurrent programs out there. We have two in my area where you work on your ADN and BSN at the same time and when you're done, you sit for the NCLEX.

ixchel · Oct 21, 2015

Hello,
I just turned 41 and I'm about 90% sure that I am going back to school for nursing. The other 10% keeps telling me that I'm too old to do this :-(
I've thought about going back to school for nursing a lot for the last 10 years. But, being in another field completely, I thought it was just a crazy idea. Finally, I asked myself "What do you want to do for the next 20 years?" Ultimately, I want to get my BSN. I think that the fastest way for me to do this is LPN, LPN to RN, RN to BSN.
I do have 60 college credits of general education that would probably help out at least a little. I don't really want to go through the whole lottery/highly competitive process of an ADN program, that is why I am opting for the LPN to get me started right away. Does this sound crazy?
I'm in the Sacramento, CA area by the way. Any feedback/advice is greatly appreciated!

If you already have most of your gen eds knocked out, I encourage you to look closely ar what exact classes would be required before starting a BSN. For the most part, class for class, the most time consuming difference between BSN and ASN/ADN is the gen eds.

As for age, you'll be 45 whether you're a nurse or not. Which do you prefer? :)

ixchel · Oct 21, 2015

My study habits are much stronger than when I was younger. My grades are important, of course getting that almighty A, but, grasping of the content brings me joy. Who knew? The appreciation of the journey, the highs and lows, is something I could not do as young me. I'm sharp in mind and yes my back is killing me but it hurts anyway. That's my story.

This is so true, and was similar to my journey as well. Now, I admit I was in my upper 20s when I started, so I probably shouldn't say I was much "older", but I'd had kids, husband, a "grown up" job as a property manager. I had lived in the real world for a little while, and it's amazing how that makes school seem easier. You just get things differently, you know how to prioritize your time better, you have a better understanding of deadlines, your level of responsibility is increased, and you're in school because you actually want to learn, not because there is a parental or societal expectation of it. The intrinsic value of it is more profound than when you start college at 17-19.