Is it ever to late to go back to school?

A question for those who wish to respond and perhaps those who have been/are in my situation. I'm not young, nor old, but still feel hesitation in returning to school to give my self a better chance in getting a job since my current job markey (computers) is in a slump. Is it to late? Is it embarrasing to be in a class full 20 year olds? DO you get razed? Just things that I would like my fellow board friends input on.
I would appreciate any advice.
Thank you

I went 'back to school' in 1998 to learn Computer Engineering, when I was 36. Most of the class were 20-30 year old ex military types, but there was one older than me.

Thanks for the response my friend. Did you feel out of place though? Were you active in class or did you sit back, so you could just learn?I am a shy person as it is, and I believe that would be one of the biggest things I would have working against me, if I went back, but I have to do something, my temp job that I have now is coming to an end and I need to find something. With what I have, I am capable,but I feel that putting someything else under my belt would help also, but still hesitant about returnning to school.

Thank you again

I was quite active in the class. I was in systems programming / Tech support before then so I knew a bit of it already. I didn't have a problems fitting in at all, despite being one of the oldest there.

I still occassionally take a class at the local university. Although I am fairly comfortable in my current profession - I wanted something to fall back on if that should change. It amazes me how much older the "average" student is now - there are lots of us going back. I've never felt out of place and actually enjoyed the people as much as the classes.

I hope you do decide to go - you won't regret it.

B.

By all means go back. Just don't ask the prof questions to make yourself sound smarter than the kids. If you have a true question, ask it. I couldn't stand when "older" students asked a question they knew the answer to just to sound more intelligent. I did, however, learn quite a bit from those students who used real life situations to ask legitimate questions.

Yes...go back. It is a wonderful experience. Night classes were the way at first. Then I got hired into a company and began to use my skills. The company let me take some day courses at the college to round out my job. The night classes usually are mainly older people and they are very serious about what they are doing. The teacher seems to perform better too because all of the students are there because they want to learn.
I was the oldest one in the college day classes. It was comfortable and I don't believe I was more of an eager beaver because of my age. I was there because I wanted to learn and most of the time the class went along with it and participated also. Maybe they were trying to impress me with their quick wit. lol

When I was younger, I and most people didn't care about older students. Now that I am often the oldest student in a class, it seems like my age matters, but really it doesn't. You might find 18 year olds can be annoying (somtimes I do anyway), but most people in college are pretty cool. You should do it. Will you regret it when you go to school, or regret not going?

Good luck

I appreciate all your responses and encouragement. It really means a lot.
I am looking into it now so hopefully soon I will start the learning process again.

Thanks again to all of you

I'm 23.
I'm used to having 40+ year old classmates.
The only thing that would be a problem is that the mind slows down as you age, so you might need t make more time for study than you would have as a teen....depending on the courseload.

I was truly surprised by the variations of age in college...It was like a breath of fresh air to be in a surrounding where I could actually learn from a multitude of different people with contrasting experiences...

I've had people in my classes ranging from IB students from a nearby high school, to men and women in their 70's or 80's coming back to school for the bachelors or masters...

There is no age limit for college…and you'll find that the older you are, the more respected your opinions are in the classroom - and their relationship with the teacher is often one of a much deeper mutual understanding...