Ask HN: Is 34 too old to start grad school?

#1

Post by terrykohla » Thu, Jun 06, 2013, 6:35 PM UTC

I'm 34 y/o and considering going back to school for masters and ideally phD. I've been wanting to do this forever but didn't have the money. Now I'm financially healthy enough to take the hit of becoming a full time student again.

Field would be Math/Economics

Re: Ask HN: Is 34 too old to start grad school?

#2

Post by kghose » Thu, Jun 06, 2013, 6:41 PM UTC

The only criterion is if you want this. Age does not matter. You will be in classes/labs with much younger people. If you don't care about that (or if you like that) then go for it.

What field are you considering?

Re: Ask HN: Is 34 too old to start grad school?

#3

Post by hoffsam » Thu, Jun 06, 2013, 6:42 PM UTC

2 questions:

1) Why wouldn't you go to grad school now?

2) In 30 years, would you regret taking a break in your career for a few years, or would you regret not going?

IMHO, it all depends on your goals really. It doesn't matter if you are unemployed, working at a restaurant, an engineer, or a millionaire CEO, the sun still rises each day and it is up to you to build the experiences, relationships, and, ultimately, memories that will make you the happiest you can be.

Re: Ask HN: Is 34 too old to start grad school?

#4

Post by jamesjguthrie » Thu, Jun 06, 2013, 6:49 PM UTC

No, age doesn't matter. We have a few guys in their late 40's doing their PHD's and teaching some engineering classes at our Uni.

Re: Ask HN: Is 34 too old to start grad school?

#5

Post by der3k » Thu, Jun 06, 2013, 6:52 PM UTC

hoffsam wrote: post #3

2 questions: 1) Why wouldn't you go to grad school now? 2) In 30 years, would you regret taking a break in your career for a few years, or would you regret not going? IMHO, it all depends on your goals really. It doesn't matter if you are unemployed, working at a restaurant, an engineer, or a millionaire CEO, the sun still rises each day and it is up to you to build the experiences, relationships, and, ultimately, me…

#2. This. Would you regret not going? If so, go. Now.

Re: Ask HN: Is 34 too old to start grad school?

#6

Post by dtopalovic » Thu, Jun 06, 2013, 7:07 PM UTC

No, it's never too late. If you are motivated and hungry for knowledge, that is. I started my undergrad comp-sci degree at 26 and it changed my life completely. If you don't do it, assuming you wanted it forever, you will be regretting it forever.

Re: Ask HN: Is 34 too old to start grad school?

#7

Post by hwestmoreland » Thu, Jun 06, 2013, 7:27 PM UTC

No.

Re: Ask HN: Is 34 too old to start grad school?

#8

Post by squozzer » Thu, Jun 06, 2013, 9:18 PM UTC

If you want to do something where such a degree is an entrance criterion, then sure.

If you want to hang out at the uni and the topic interests you, then why not?

Otherwise, I'd suggest self-study.

Re: Ask HN: Is 34 too old to start grad school?

#9

Post by handsomeransoms » Thu, Jun 06, 2013, 10:01 PM UTC

Jim Kent famously wrote GigAssembler, the breakthrough program that allowed the publicly funded Human Genome Project to successfully assemble the full human genome just 1 day ahead of their corporate competitor Celera, in 2000 while pursuing his PhD in Biology at USC Santa Cruz. He was 40 years old at the time. Without his incredible programming effort, it is very likely that Celera would have attempted to make the human genome data proprietary, and we would be looking at a dramatically different landscape in genetics and medicine today.

I am putting off grad school indefinitely, and this story always inspires me that I should go back one day when I'm ready.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Kent [2] http://www.nytimes.com/2001/02/13/science/reading-the-book-o...

Re: Ask HN: Is 34 too old to start grad school?

#10

Post by PeterWhittaker » Fri, Jun 07, 2013, 12:58 AM UTC

Geez, I hope not: If my current plans work out, I'll be 50 when I start.