Studying physics at 33 years old...

Hi! I'm not new on ats, i'm looking every day since two years now, but i dont post too much, as you can see from my profile...

This is my first thread and important for me because i need a little help and advice about my future...

Now about my background ; I'm 33 years old, I live in Swiss in Lausanne.
I have started french litterature in the univesity of lausanne in 1997, after 1 years and a half, I left for enter in the EPFL (a sort of Swiss M.I.T.) in Communication Systems, and this was my biggest error...
Fault of money and family problems i have repeat 3 time the same first year.
so in 2002 i fail 2 times the same examen and i was out from the epfl.
I began to work and now in 2007 i'm only a good dj .
But i need more, and i need do what i like, for me and most important for my brain... I like lots of things, Photography, Design, Computer,Music but i always have loved Science and Technology related subject, most about space, astronomy, astrophysics and other related topics.

So i would like to start studying physics in the University of Bern... 3 years bachelor and then (perhaps) 2 years of master.

But would be hard for me finding a job in physics (or astronomy) at 38!?

And if i stop at the bachelor? would i have enough knowledge for find a job?

Last thing something about my brain... Ok i have a good brain, better then
most people I know ... but perhaps at 33 is less "flexible" as I was 23 years old?

Thanks for reply and sorry for my english!

I say go for it. Do it. You're never too old to learn.

Will you get a job? Well, if nothing else, you'll always be able to teach physics to secondary school students.

There are plenty of other job options for physics in the non-academic world. I believe there are even openings in finance and banking. I don't think your age would be much of a problem.

One word of warning. Physics is hard. Especially the mathematics of it. If you don't have a talent for advanced mathematics, forget it. But if maths is one of your better subjects, go ahead.

Good luck!

Originally posted by dernailer
Last thing something about my brain... Ok i have a good brain, better then
most people I know

... but perhaps at 33 is less "flexible" as I was 23 years old?

I'm 35 and I consider myself to be more intelligent and mentally flexible than I was 10 or 20 years ago - it is all in the exercise in my opinion. Learning should be a lifetime experience and it is through experience of life that you gain the insight to approach learning anew.

On a more practical note - have you considered distance learning, which would permit you to approach your education at a pace more suited to your own needs. I don't know what programmes of this kind are offered in Switzerland, but the Open University in the UK is open to international students and its programmes of study are excellent (my Dad not only got his PhD through them [when he was 50] but is now employed by them and a fellow). They offer courses on a modular basis and you can fit them into your lifestyle - it takes longer but that is not necessarily a bad thing depending upon your priorities.

The main piece of advice that I would offer though is that forget about what job you may or may not get. The point is to find something that you love doing and then doing it regardless. I am a firm believer that if you want something badly enough then you have the power to make it happen.

Here is a link to the OU if you're interested, but either way best of luck.

www3.open.ac.uk...



[edit on 22-8-2007 by KilgoreTrout]

Dernailer - I was told this once recently. The years will go by whether you ponder going back to school or just go and do it. It keeps your brain fresh and alive with knowledge and I know many companies like having "older" employees as they are more stable in life.

I say this and add one more thing. I am 37 yrs old and have registered to go back this October to finish my bachelors degree in Business Management. While I currently have a lucrative job, family and kids delayed me (not in a bad way of course) in obtaining and completing my degree. I am now in a spot in life where I can do just that.

Point is it's never too late and one can always benefit in the betterment of self.

Good luck in your endeavors.

I am almost 30 and have gone back to school to study law. As a somewhat older student, I think you have one main advantage and one main disadvantage.

Your main disadvantage is that your mind may be out of shape and not as capable of learning as a younger mind. You will be studying with students who have been taking mathematics ans science courses very recently and are mentally sharp. You might be able to overcome this by "training" your mind and getting it back into shape. You can probably do this by going through physics and math textbooks and working through problems.

Your main advantage is that you have maturity on your side. Many of the students you are studying with are immature. They do not realize the value of a good education, nor do they realize how hard the real world is. They think the demands professors make of students are unreasonably harsh, without realizing professors are quite soft compared to many people in the adult work world.

From my personal experience, I have seen older students succeed because they had maturity and were willing to take their studies seriously. I unfortunately also saw a friend of mine do poorly when he returned to school at the age of 30 because he lost many of his mental skills.