Hi all,
I am 30 and I am at a cross roads. I want to keep going and push for a PhD or MD. But I also feel like I am too old. My career wouldn't actually start till I am 40 and I am also single (not really looking) but the idea of having kids/marriage is something I am open to. So I am asking you all what your experience is like? Especially women over 30 who pursued higher degrees or didn't even when they wanted to.
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This is my case. I am 30 and i am back in university for a second time. I plan on pursuing a master’s after i get my bachelor’s degree. I have zero regrets. 30s are the new 20s. Enjoy it.
Absolutely not. I regret going to school the first go-around. Unless it’s something needed for your career path and you’re fortunate enough to have assistance from an employer in paying for it. Otherwise, you’re strapping yourself with more debt for a degree you may not even use or may be obsolete with AI and other technology in the near future.
Only if it was free/heavily discounted and I didn’t have to work full time while doing it. The idea of working 40 hours a week and going to grad school sounds horrific.
You’re never too old to study or try to change career if you can. We only live once. We will either experience anything in this lifetime or never.
I want to study veterinary but the surgery part is a dealbreaker. If I somehow got the ability to handle surgery well, I would RUN to the vet school and I’m almost 40.
I’m 40 and currently doing just that! It’s never too late to make the changes you want to make!
I would go for it!!! Never too old and your older self will thank-you!!!
I got my Masters at 34 and doubled my salary. Increased my work/life flexibility and now have a hybrid work schedule.
Best decision I’ve ever made.
I did that in my 40’s so yeah
PhD – depends on the discipline and at what school but generally no unless you’re independently wealthy
MD – only if you really really want to be a doctor and understand you won’t be making money until at least your late 30’s if not early 40’s
JD – only at a top name school, or a good state school with a guaranteed high GPA and ranking, or any school if you have some kind of family tie to a guaranteed job
I did push to go back. Started a second masters in 2020 in music, and will be graduating in a week with a Doctor of Musical Arts at 34. While I did worry initially about being “too old,” I actually found that I understood my ADD brain better now than I did in undergrad and was able to graduate with a 3.9 in both degrees when I had a 2.8 in undergrad.
It also allowed me to meet my current partner after a divorce in between the years of that masters degree, most people in my cohort were of course the 24-25 age range but a lot of people were 28-34 just like me.
Do what YOU want to do and life will happen around it. It’s okay to start a career at 40, I probably will be too at this rate, nothing says you can’t get married and have kids later in life, and you’re literally never too old to continue learning.
I’m 36 and entering into the 3rd semester of my doctoral program. Not married. No kids. Not in a relationship. More of the mindset of “if it happens, it happens”.
Average retirement age in the US is 75. Even at 40 that would be 35 more years in the field until retirement. 35 years from graduation. 45 years from now. You got the time.
I’m 31 and looking at applying this year for MSW programs! I would want to do part time since I want to work and maintain some sanity
It’s honestly never too late! But it depends on your stage in life.
So when I had my first baby I was early 30’s and I had the idea I wanted to study for my MCAT, I took the course and studied heavily (I was 6 month postpartum) and when I took the exam it was clear that it wasn’t meant to be.
For me I’m in a very different stage in my life… often times I think I should’ve done all of this before I got married and had kids (I should’ve done this in my mid 20’s), and now it’s because my priorities are just very different
Age should be no bar. If you wanna keep studying, do it. Women especially, have been told what to do for far too long – go get whatever degree you want!
Factors like money, time, your job, health, and a supportive group of friends/family members are important to consider, but at the end of the day… if you want to pursue higher education, then do it. There will never be a “perfect” time.
I would do it only if there’s a specific career pivot that I’m looking to make. I’m already paid well, and between the opportunity cost of lost wages and paying for tuition, it just doesn’t make financial sense in my case. I’m on track to retire early, and going back to school would set me back.
I’m 35 and in my first year of my bachelors. In my 20s I earned a trades certificate other than that I haven’t had any pervious higher ed.
By the time I graduate and then get the designation I’m after I’ll be 40+… I thought about going back to school when I was 30 but didn’t because I also thought I was “too old”. I’m so proud of myself for pursuing this now.
For what it’s worth I’m married and childfree by choice so that does impact my decision since I’m not worried about starting a family and can focus on school/career with a very supportive spouse by my side.
Don’t let the idea that you’re “too old” be a part of the decision. I understand how wanting a partner and children may impact the decision and that’s valid, but to hell the too old mentality!
ETA for me, this will dramatically impact my earning potential when I’m finished – this was very important to me.
I’m almost done with mine, and I’m 31. I was 27 when I started. I was one of the youngest out of the 7 or so I knew at the time. There were only 2 younger than me, one was 24 and the other 25. Most were over 30. Two others had kids.
You’ll definitely won’t even notice it. I’ve seen graduate students with white hair.
One of my family members went back to school at 32, got her bachelors, then her master, and now at 39 she will be finishing up her doctorate degree.
Her journey has been so smoothly. The job she works to have a lot of flexibility to finish up education. She even traveled the world while all of this.
I have my bachelors in my career, but I can go back and get my masters but grad School doesn’t look easy. I Have to stop working and just focus on school. In my career mainly every person who goes to grad school does not work out of a cohort of 20 maybe three of them work. We have to do unpaid intern internships so work isn’t something that is fit into the schedule. I would love to go back to school, but it just doesn’t seem favorable in my area of studies.
Yes. I’m still considering it now at 55. Definitely regret not going to med school or getting a PhD
As you age you’ll look back and realize how young 30 actually is.🙂 Don’t pass up opportunities because of age. You’re going to be 40 one day anyway, so why not have your PhD or MD?
I didn’t go back for my Master’s until age 30, and that was 20 yrs ago. I think it’s even more common now for education to be a lifelong thing. People change careers all the time, or pursue new things. You won’t be the odd one out.
I am about to graduate at 37 with a second master’s degree that I did solely for personal fulfillment. I debated whether to do this for over a decade until finally I just sat down and applied. I knew I would only go if I was able to get full or partial (but significant) funding.
I got full funding, and the school I’m at now also gave me a stipend for the FLAS Fellowship during my first year. I learned about it on Reddit. I just had to take one “critical language” class per semester, but I had been planning on doing that anyway. I was able to conduct research in another country and just finished writing my thesis. It was hard and I had to scale back work at times, but I still worked full time for most of this. It is one of the best things I ever did for myself. I am so, so glad I did it.
Like you, I was also “open” to kids and a family. I was worried that choosing school would mean excluding this option, especially as I’m older than you. I still met someone toward the end of my program. My work in that country was one of our main talking points and a reason why we bonded so quickly, as he’s originally from there. I will say that it was hard to date and balance everything though, but we make it work.
If it’s right for you (including finances), I say go for it.
I got a master’s in my thirties. I have vague dreams of going to law school when I’m old 😂
Probably not, the lost wages are too great-especially for programs that cost six figure amounts of money and do not pay you like an MD or JD.
I could be persuaded to do a PhD under the right circumstances but I already work in academic research.
Masters programs are more appealing imo, especially ones designed for adults that have jobs and especially if an employer can pay for it.
I’ve recently been thinking about getting my Bachelors. I am 30 currently.
I (32F) graduated last year from my masters program 🙂
I can confidently say, there were people younger and others older than I was. I loved meeting my cohort and learning why they were in school. There were mothers, fathers, students under 25, students 50+!
You are not too old. My masters program was tough – if I pursue a PHD – it won’t be for another few years.
You are going to continue to age anyway, during that time would you like to do something to build yourself up? Something to give you a well paying career until you retire? Make new friends / meet new people? And grow?
You literally said “I want to keep going and push”.
Internet stranger, I will be thinking of you and truly hope you pursue what you want.
If possible, please keep me updated!! I’d love to know if you end up applying & would love to celebrate you when you are accepted ✨
>I am 30 and I am at a crossroads. I want to keep going and push for a PhD or MD. But I also feel like I am too old.
>My career wouldn’t actually start till I am 40 and I am also single (not really looking) but the idea of having kids/marriage is something I am open to. So I am asking you all what your experience is like? Especially women over 30 who pursued higher degrees or didn’t even when they wanted to.
I’d email the women in my target career and ask to get a cup of coffee with them at cafes of their choosing, or zoom calls. Ask them this question.
I totally would. I left my MA program after my mom died and regretted it.
Yeah, I’m in my 30s and currently trying to decide if I want to go for a PhD or do another masters degree. I got my first masters in my mid 20s and most people in my classes were 25-45ish.
I’ve thought about going back for my MBA, but that’s only if I can afford it.
I got my JD at 38. No regrets at all.
My husband encouraged me to do it. He asked if I wanted to be 40 with or without the degree (when I asked if I was too old to bother).
I made the point of working while pursuing the degree so I wouldn’t come out of it with over $100k of loans. I also made a plan to snowball the debt as soon as I was back to full work capacity to know the debt out asap.
Get the degree if it’s an important achievement you wish to have in life AND if you have a plan to make it financially feasible.
I specifically chose an area of practice that is transferable to a wide range of places and that could be done in an early semi-retirement because that fit in with our long term life goals.
It matters which of these you’re talking about.
A PhD in what, exactly? Unless you’re independently wealthy, whether this makes any financial sense at all depends a lot on what degree you’re trying to get here and what profession are you trying to pursue after.
An MD will be grueling, but people do it.
If you want to have kids, though, your timing might be a bit off. Some people find love and have kids while in med school and residency, but you’ll have to be honest with yourself over whether you’ll have that type of time management skills to pull that off.
A JD would be fine as well if you have a clear idea of what to do with it.
I went back to school in my 30s to get my BA, but if I wanted to pursue an MA, etc., I would’ve done it if it was something I wanted to pursue. My sister got an MA in her 30’s though she had earned one in her 20’s in a different subject. For both of us it was about what made us happy and following our interests.
I went back for my masters in my 30s with a full time job, two young kids, while going through a divorce. Best thing I ever did for salary growth.
I went to college (seriously this time I swear 😆) AT THE AGE OF 30. What makes you feel as though you are too old? Society?
PhD no, unless you want to go into academia. But if it’s a qualification that will directly increase your employability, then yes.
You do you but I would never want to be a doctor or go to medical school. I’m a nurse and see how crazy the doctors’ schedules are and the stress they go through. Big nope for me lol
PhD i n what? And do you expect to be an academic? More likely you’ll be an impoverished adjunct in a place you don’t want to be in if you pursue that. Hop over to the phd and leaving academia subreddits for more insight. Ask yourself why you want a phd. If it’s for job prospects, lol don’t. Do the MD. There’s a shortage of Healthcare professionals. There’s no shortage of phds…
As for age. No that’s not old. There were people in that range when I was doing my phd(I went straight from undergrad) . I honestly don’t know what happened to them…I think they are not in academia.
Started and finished my PhD in my 30s. There were people in my program who decided to pursue their PhD after retiring in their 60s, people mid-career who were getting their PhD to advance their positions at work (myself included), and folks going straight through undergrad to grad school. The only right way to do it is the way that works best for you!
Maybe but I would really prioritize dating / relationships rather than work. I focused too much on my research and always thought I can just have kids in my late 30s after I’m more established… why not, marriage and children seemed to happen to just about anyone, while professional success – not quite. I was partnered living together the whole time but wasn’t in a “rush” to marry and start a family. Then later in life I was unable to get pregnant and consequnetly my partner left me.
Then again, if I had kids during PhD or postdoc I’d probably never be able to work as hard as I did without responsabilities, and achieve as much. It’s really hard to have it all.
I got a master’s degree at 30 to switch careers. I wouldn’t personally be interested in getting my MD or JD at this time because I don’t want to be a doctor or a lawyer.
I went back to school at 35 to pursue my DNP in nurse anesthesia. I will be 39 when I graduate.
I figured I will be 39 anyways, so do I want to be just 39, or 39 with an advanced degree?
That was my thinking. I had to get it out of the mindset I was too old to go back to school. I have zero regrets!
I got my JD in my 20s and went back for an MA in a different field at 36. I graduated last year and am really happy in my new career so far. That said, I don’t have kids and don’t plan to, and I have a long term partner who has been very supportive. My finances will be rather precarious for the next decade as I work toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (and if the government does something to eliminate that program, I’ll be up a creek). Think seriously and realistically about why you want to go back to school and what you want to do with your degree, but the fact of being 30 isn’t any kind of barrier by itself.
I went back to school single, at age 34 for my MSW and will be graduating in two weeks! I am now married and my baby is due in 4 weeks! anything is possible.
when considering going back, I had the same reservations about age. my mom said to me “the time will pass anyways, might as well have a degree”. I couldn’t agree more. my career options now are endless and I’m so proud of myself for having gone through these last two years of life. it was hard at times, but so so so worth it.
I regret getting the PhD and I wouldn’t advise anyone to do it unless their lifelong dream was working in academia.
There’s literally nothing I can do with this piece of paper besides say, “I have a PhD” and I’m someone who studied AI machine learning. It was a waste of 7 years of my life.
You’re never too old. Life’s also too short to not pursue what you really want. If you want to, go for it!
I’m 36 and finished my MS at 34. I have been on the fence about going for a PhD myself, so you’re not alone. There’s an entire community of us in the same boat, and we’d all cheer you on.
You’re getting so many comments saying “it’s never too late”, and I definitely agree it would be worse to always wonder what could’ve been if you tried. However I think it’s important to clarify that asking “am I too old” doesn’t mean “is it possible” it often means “is it smart”, and people crowing “it’s never too late!” are being myopic.
When I say “am I too old to do this” I don’t literally mean “is there a numerical cut off”, I mean “is it a smart choice given my obligations at this age (family, mortgage, retirement savings, trading 10 years of experience for entry level in a new field)” yet people love shouting “it’s never too late!” as if, in a vacuum, the number is the obstacle in itself rather than what that number represents.
I went to graduate school immediately after undergrad and don’t regret it because I wanted to do research in a very specific areas and industry opporuntuties were rare and I’d have been stuck doing much lower-level bench work instead of designing my own research project and having more autonomy. I loved graduate school way more than undergrad, which was hellish. I know many people in my program who went to graduate school in their 30s. Pros: they are much more mature, and professional and can handle interactions with professors better. They are less likely to procrastinate or slack off. They are very committed to what they want to study Cons: They have less energy then in their early 20s and tend to hold very 9-5 hours, or even 10-4 hours. Lower pay. Less adept with current technological developments in education. I’ve seen 30 somethings struggle with Excel, let alone trying to use the software needed in research. Many 30-somethings struggle going back to a “student” role. They struggle with having less feedback and oversight and less structure in general than the average workplace. Particularly if you have to write a thesis, it’s all on you, nobody can do it for you. Obviously they earn less money and are more likely to have family responsibilities that make it hard to get work done. They also have less of a chance to participate in the “fun” social activities that grad students do since they have to go home to deal with the spouse or kids or dog. It usually takes longer to complete a degree. I am so glad I went right after undergrad, would not want to do a grad degree in my 30s.
I keep thinking about getting my PHD. I tell myself I’ll do it after I started a family.
30 is young! But MD is not just 4 years..unless you are ready, MCAT/prereqs would be 1-2 years, residency, and more training…so i would only pursue if you are passionatr
Yes. Years are going to pass anyway. Do you want to be 40, or be 40 with a bigger degree?
Unless you could not actually meet the job requirements due to age, one is never “too old”.
Separately if you are in the US: PhD-yes, MD-No. I’m in healthcare and seeing what it takes to finally practice medicine as an MD does not seem worth it if I was in your shoes. Especially depending on what specialty you go into. If it has always been your dream to be a doctor and you’d give up birthdays, vacations, sleep, work like balance to get there, I’d say yes 100%. But I’d also speak with a bunch of doctors now and ask them if they’d do it again. The liability of medicine on top of issues with insurance and legality with procedures you’re allowed to perform is insane. I’ve had friends in the OR be called out of surgery to discuss insurance claims for their patients. I’d consider PA or NP if you want to prescribe.
I would not.
But only because it would sheerly be for vanity, not because I intended to work in a different field.
The only acceptable reason to do a PhD should be that you want a career in academia. However, that is a gruelling path and honestly, I’m not sure if someone who is only starting at the age of 30+ would be able to make it. Perhaps they had relevant professional experience in the field, but in that case one would be better off staying in industry.
So no, I would not do a PhD in my thirties. Maybe if I was so rich that I never actually needed to work at all and could do it as a hobby.
Med school, however? I guess if you’re really passionate about it. I would imagine it’s pretty rough to do though once you’re used to earning money and having a work-life balance.
MD, yes. PhD, no. I turned 32 this year and am at the tail end of my 6 year grad program. I didn’t think it would matter but the loss of earning potential and the current attack on science makes me feel like the PhD was a bust. I should’ve remained a research associate and pursued a masters.
If I could do it over, I’d tough it out for medical school and push for radiology or anesthesiology.
If I could afford it or it made sense financially, I would. I won’t make enough with a higher degree to offset the cost, however.