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So I've decided to do it. And everyday I wonder if I'm crazy. And then I think I'd be crazy not to follow my dream. I currently work in real estate/banking - something I sort of "fell" into. I made good money, work for a great company. I could grow and develop for years here. But I don't enjoy the work. My passion is genetics/biology/neuroscience. Has been for years.
I'm scared to leave the stability of a good income. (I will have to relocate for school - there are no good programs in my area for this. I'm an adult (30) with responisibilities and bills to pay. Of course I will have to work, at LEAST part-time while in school.
Who on this forum has done this? Left a good, stable job to go back to school and completely change careers? I'm driving myself nuts with the "go for it" vs. "you're nuts" voices in my head!!!!!!!
I believe we have the passions that we do for a reason. We're meant to do something with them. Dreams aren't just for other people. You are free to explore yours, too. And, by doing it now, you're still young enough to transition smoothly. Frankly, I'm exited for you! Just make sure that you can comfortably (relatively) leave your job to relocate and get established while still being able to pay your bills. You don't want to hurt your credit by having them go 30 or 60 days late in payments.
One thing I usually recommend, and this is just my opinion, is that, if you're taking out student loans, take out as much as you possibly can and use the extra as a little cushion. But use most of it to pay off your other debts. Student loan debt is MUCH less interest than credit cards and other things. The more you pay off those debts, the less you'll have to pay while you're going to school. And you don't have to start paying off your student loans until six months after you stop going to school. To top it off, student loan monthly payments are typically very low, you can write off the interest on your taxes and it makes it easy to pay them off early by paying more than the minimum amount.
I went to grad school at 29. I was prepared to do it completley on loans and maybe work part time in the new town. I did use financial aid, which was a lifesaver. however, when I told my employer I was going to do this -- no negotiation -- they asked me if I would like to telecommute and work a certain amount of hours per week. They also gave me a transportation allowance to come home once every 2 weeks (it was about a 5 hour drive for me).
Worked out great for me. I would have still done it though, had my employer not been so accomadating. It can be done. The question is, can you get the loans and are you willing to deal with loans?
Can you arrange anything with a different employer in your field that will allow some kind of flexible arrangement I had, or work part time in your current field?
So I've decided to do it. And everyday I wonder if I'm crazy. And then I think I'd be crazy not to follow my dream. I currently work in real estate/banking - something I sort of "fell" into. I made good money, work for a great company. I could grow and develop for years here. But I don't enjoy the work. My passion is genetics/biology/neuroscience. Has been for years.
I'm scared to leave the stability of a good income. (I will have to relocate for school - there are no good programs in my area for this. I'm an adult (30) with responisibilities and bills to pay. Of course I will have to work, at LEAST part-time while in school.
Who on this forum has done this? Left a good, stable job to go back to school and completely change careers? I'm driving myself nuts with the "go for it" vs. "you're nuts" voices in my head!!!!!!!
Yes, I have done this BUT, had a husband that was tired of seeing me unhappy. I totally quit my nice paying job to be a full-time student to get a second degree. It was the best choice I made. I already had loans so had them deferred while I was back in school. He worked so we continued to pay other debts of course. What I am thankful for is that I did it before having children, and that is what I am commending you for right now. It gets much harder after kids are in the picture. And I know that for a fact because my husband decided 2 yrs ago to return to school to complete his degree. He continued to work f/t and went to school f/t because he had an understanding employer. For that situation, I thought it would be best to do it while our kids were young; he finished in December and now wants to do a Masters. We will see. I feel at this point you have nothing to lose. If you do not do it, you will have regrets. Understand that you may be starting at the bottom of that new career, amongst others that are 22 yrs old, but that is not necessarily true. Good luck!
So I've decided to do it. And everyday I wonder if I'm crazy. And then I think I'd be crazy not to follow my dream. I currently work in real estate/banking - something I sort of "fell" into. I made good money, work for a great company. I could grow and develop for years here. But I don't enjoy the work. My passion is genetics/biology/neuroscience. Has been for years.
I'm scared to leave the stability of a good income. (I will have to relocate for school - there are no good programs in my area for this. I'm an adult (30) with responisibilities and bills to pay. Of course I will have to work, at LEAST part-time while in school.
Who on this forum has done this? Left a good, stable job to go back to school and completely change careers? I'm driving myself nuts with the "go for it" vs. "you're nuts" voices in my head!!!!!!!
If you are thinking of changing careers from business to science - DON"T. Not to discourage you, but it will be a long long road. For starters, without a PHD, you will be a lab rat like me. If you get a BS or Masters in Science and if you are even lucky enough to find a job, the wages will be far less than you are used to, and you work hard. College graduates with Biology majors where I work make $10-$12 an hour and some with no benefits. Plenty of Chinese willing to work for those wages though. You also will be competing with younger post docs from India and China for low paying lab jobs. A phD requires at least 7-8 years if you go full time and the classes are difficult and require a lot of personal time spent on your thesis if you do pursue a grauate degree. Hope this helps.
"you can write off the interest on your taxes" they allowed this AFTER we paid off our loans. You used to never be able to do this. Take advantage of it.
The occupational outlook handbook from the government is online. They can give you an idea of what your occupation is like, working conditions, salaries, etc. I highly recommend consulting this.
So I've decided to do it. And everyday I wonder if I'm crazy. And then I think I'd be crazy not to follow my dream. I currently work in real estate/banking - something I sort of "fell" into. I made good money, work for a great company. I could grow and develop for years here. But I don't enjoy the work. My passion is genetics/biology/neuroscience. Has been for years.
I'm scared to leave the stability of a good income. (I will have to relocate for school - there are no good programs in my area for this. I'm an adult (30) with responisibilities and bills to pay. Of course I will have to work, at LEAST part-time while in school.
Who on this forum has done this? Left a good, stable job to go back to school and completely change careers? I'm driving myself nuts with the "go for it" vs. "you're nuts" voices in my head!!!!!!!
Follow your dreams! You are only 30 years old. You have your whole life ahead of you. Don't you dare squelch your dreams. You have a purpose, something that will allow you to shine like you were meant to shine. What you are doing now is not wrong, it is good. Everything has it's purpose and is there for a reason. When you realize that it's time to move on from that and close that chapter, do not be afraid to close it, as the new chapter is waiting to be written. Best wishes to you!
P.S. - Yes, I've done it it too. I left Corporate America (accounting) for my own business and to raise 7 kids. I still take classes at the university from time to time; I love what I'm doing now. I'm 45 years old.
I will probably eventually go back again too! Still a lot of things I Want to do. Maybe another master's, maybe a Phd.....maybe just some more classes, whatever. Most likely another master's though. But who knows!?
Thank you for all the responses so far! and to SouthernBelle3, I'm actually thinking of Physician Assistant or Genetic Counselor - I don't want to pigeonhole myself into working in a lab in academia or reasearch institute for small pay after YEARS of hard work in school and lots of school loans!! Master's Degree is as far as I want to go.
Thank you for all the responses so far! and to SouthernBelle3, I'm actually thinking of Physician Assistant or Genetic Counselor - I don't want to pigeonhole myself into working in a lab in academia or reasearch institute for small pay after YEARS of hard work in school and lots of school loans!! Master's Degree is as far as I want to go.
Sorry I was thinking you meant research in applied science. The medical careers are a lot different.
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