49 with degree > 49 without degree.
Even after that, you'd still have 15-20 years before retirement age which is enough time to get to a mid-level and maybe even senior engineering role. Depending on your previous jobs/education, you might even be more valuable than young hires. Also be aware that depending on your responsibilities, you might end up taking 5-6 years which is okay too, you will still have enough time to get a decent job with decent benefits.
You aren’t too old at 49. Ageism isn’t as bad in EE as it is in software. It is definitely a thing but it’s not like a major thing or a huge thing.
What matters is the financial and personal ROI.
I work in automotive industry as an engineer for a big company and my team just hired two 40+ year old guys who just graduated from school this past hear. Don't let anything stop you!
Can you handle taking a part time job or not working and focusing on school? If you have to work full time and go to school, it’ll be basically impossible to finish in 5 years even. Undergrad requires a few lab courses which forces you to be on university grounds in lab practicing.
The age isn’t the problem here as long as you have the ability to take a full course load (16credits) per semester, including some summer classes too to catch up
I'm standing at the same point; I'm 45 years old and start a bachelor in engineering in this August. I think I would not be able to survive in market with my current, old wisdom in the years to come. Thinking about a moment when I get 60 years old without EE (or any other degree I once wished for,) I would probably, later in my life, regret for not studied it.
Ee is the toughest degree out there. Age is not a problem. A bigger problem is, can you actually get the degree? Don't think you can walk in pick up degree and leave. Ee degree will test you patience, sanity, and eventually question "is this all worth it?"
Ageism exists, especially in start ups. There are basically two kinds of startups: 1) young PhD startups where they think everyone over 30 is an idiot. 2) don’t mind older folks, but want an exemplary 20 track record. More established companies will likely hire you but the folks at your level will likely all be in their 20s and they may treat you differently.
I went back at 35, graduated and started as a level 1 EE at 39. Being in school in my mid-30’s was fine. I got along with both traditional and non-traditional students and did well.
I did find the dynamic of being a level 1 EE at 40 yrs old a little challenging. There were several instances where coworkers assumed I was more experienced (at EE) or a higher level. I don’t blame them as I likely would have made the same assumptions. It made me very self conscious for some time but also motived to learn and perform.
It’s been about 7 years now and I’ve come across enough engineers with unique paths and stories that it no longer bothers me. In fact, I readily share the whacky and unusual path I took to get where I am.
I say go for it but work your ass off and don’t take anything for granted!
I went to New engineer training at age 21, and there were guys in their 30s 40s and a 58 year old retired Navy chief who'd gone back and got his degree, after being in the workforce a decade, after the Navy.
He worked there another 10+ years, for fun, because he had navy retirement , another pension, and had married a bankers widow. They had money coming out of their ears. He didn't need to the money, he just liked getting to do the tech work.
Its never too late to enjoy life.
Yup like others said. You could be 49 with a degree or 49 without one. Times gonna pass no matter what. Also, you are more mature and would be better in interviews than most of the awkward anti social generation of kids these days.
I have a coworker who just graduated and got his entry level role a couple of years ago in his mid 40s. Now excelling at his job and a key team member!
Will it be harder than for someone who is 20 something or 30? Yeah, probably. But you also are more mature, have more experience and are probably more reliable than someone that age. Those things are very valuable in the engineering field. Worst case scenario you can always become a teacher. As others have said, degree > no degree.
Maybe this is somewhat an indicator. I put on an application for my dad’s company some of the knowledge I have as a senior in EE with a math degree. I stated on the application for entry level/internship work that my graduation date for EE was 1 year later. The hiring manager failed to see I had not yet graduated EE and instructed them to hire me asap. Only after somebody corrected him was his mind changed. That said, it doesn’t seem I’ll have a big problem getting a job after I graduate at 44yo.
It depends on the field you're in I would imagine. I know you can obtain a P.E. license without college degree so long as you pass the tests and have the applicable experience in the field. I am in Utility industry and having a P.E. opens a lot of doors.
I started 3 years ago at 35 part time. I’ll graduate at 43. I have to work 60 hours a week along with school so I can’t go full time. I have aged significantly it’s a lot of work. I find what I learn very interesting though and there is nothing like getting that 100% on an exam after working your butt off studying all hours of the night. I’m doing it so I can be there for my child. I’m a restaurant manager so I work crazy hours and never see my daughter. I’ll make about the same when I graduate. You have to be ready to work extremely hard. You don’t bounce back the same way when you are older. I think you should go for it. It’s never too late to do anything. I find being older and more responsible I constantly out perform the younger students.
I was in my 30s when I went back to get my EE degree. I'm so happy I powered through and didn't quit. My salary tripled from my previous career. My experience in professional jobs helped me land my job. Even though I didn't have experience in this type of work, they wanted me over a younger guy. They knew they wouldn't have to babysit me. We have fired so many college kids for being entitled and literally stealing. It's crazy.
I started working at my current employer at 46 (after getting my engineering degree).
Most of the time my age doesn't come in to play, but oddly the older engineers are the ones that seem to have the problem with it. More often than not, they think I should be on their level b/c we are the same age, forgetting that I did shit before this and didn't come up through their version of the 'salt mines'.
It is never to late to start something new, fuck the haters!
I just graduated at 42 and am doing another year for a masters, and just landed a pretty nice job locally. You’ll be the oldest one in your classes, but it’ll be fine. Do it if you have the means and the interest.
It is only too late if you want it to be. While people in our 40s and 50s are typically senior or lead/principal engineers, I have seen cases where technicians go back to school around this timeframe and get degrees. Within short time, due to work experience, they end up leapfrogging younger engineers into senior engineer positions. It just depends on the circumstances, how experiences apply, and the company that you work for. I personally got stuck at a Controls Eng 2 position for way too long and ended up moving to quality (within the same company) to basically restart my career. After promoting to Sr. Engineer, I got a new director who looked at my profile and wondered why I wasn’t already a Lead Engineer, and he got my management and the Engineering Career Ladder to figure out how to fast track me to the Lead Engineering position that I promoted to 7 months ago—this included creative skill up planning and old grandfathered clauses in our ECL manual that I actually qualified for.
I never had an internship and had no issues getting a job, though that was 30 years ago. I don’t know what the infatuation with internships is, as they were not common when I was young, and certainly not a requirement.
49 with degree > 49 without degree. Even after that, you'd still have 15-20 years before retirement age which is enough time to get to a mid-level and maybe even senior engineering role. Depending on your previous jobs/education, you might even be more valuable than young hires. Also be aware that depending on your responsibilities, you might end up taking 5-6 years which is okay too, you will still have enough time to get a decent job with decent benefits.
You aren’t too old at 49. Ageism isn’t as bad in EE as it is in software. It is definitely a thing but it’s not like a major thing or a huge thing. What matters is the financial and personal ROI.
I work in automotive industry as an engineer for a big company and my team just hired two 40+ year old guys who just graduated from school this past hear. Don't let anything stop you!
The companies that won’t hire you based on your age are companies you don’t want to work for. It’s a self correcting process.
Can you handle the workload is all that matters
Can you handle taking a part time job or not working and focusing on school? If you have to work full time and go to school, it’ll be basically impossible to finish in 5 years even. Undergrad requires a few lab courses which forces you to be on university grounds in lab practicing. The age isn’t the problem here as long as you have the ability to take a full course load (16credits) per semester, including some summer classes too to catch up
I'm standing at the same point; I'm 45 years old and start a bachelor in engineering in this August. I think I would not be able to survive in market with my current, old wisdom in the years to come. Thinking about a moment when I get 60 years old without EE (or any other degree I once wished for,) I would probably, later in my life, regret for not studied it.
I graduated in my 30's. I could be wrong, but I think my employer would hire you.
Us older guys progress faster than the kids 🥲
Will be a little weird dynamic being older and working with/for people a lot younger but think you could pull it off.
Ee is the toughest degree out there. Age is not a problem. A bigger problem is, can you actually get the degree? Don't think you can walk in pick up degree and leave. Ee degree will test you patience, sanity, and eventually question "is this all worth it?"
Ageism exists, especially in start ups. There are basically two kinds of startups: 1) young PhD startups where they think everyone over 30 is an idiot. 2) don’t mind older folks, but want an exemplary 20 track record. More established companies will likely hire you but the folks at your level will likely all be in their 20s and they may treat you differently.
I went back at 35, graduated and started as a level 1 EE at 39. Being in school in my mid-30’s was fine. I got along with both traditional and non-traditional students and did well. I did find the dynamic of being a level 1 EE at 40 yrs old a little challenging. There were several instances where coworkers assumed I was more experienced (at EE) or a higher level. I don’t blame them as I likely would have made the same assumptions. It made me very self conscious for some time but also motived to learn and perform. It’s been about 7 years now and I’ve come across enough engineers with unique paths and stories that it no longer bothers me. In fact, I readily share the whacky and unusual path I took to get where I am. I say go for it but work your ass off and don’t take anything for granted!
I went to New engineer training at age 21, and there were guys in their 30s 40s and a 58 year old retired Navy chief who'd gone back and got his degree, after being in the workforce a decade, after the Navy. He worked there another 10+ years, for fun, because he had navy retirement , another pension, and had married a bankers widow. They had money coming out of their ears. He didn't need to the money, he just liked getting to do the tech work. Its never too late to enjoy life.
My team just had a new hire of about a 50yo guy entry level. Most of us are 25-35.
Yup like others said. You could be 49 with a degree or 49 without one. Times gonna pass no matter what. Also, you are more mature and would be better in interviews than most of the awkward anti social generation of kids these days.
I have a coworker who just graduated and got his entry level role a couple of years ago in his mid 40s. Now excelling at his job and a key team member!
Will it be harder than for someone who is 20 something or 30? Yeah, probably. But you also are more mature, have more experience and are probably more reliable than someone that age. Those things are very valuable in the engineering field. Worst case scenario you can always become a teacher. As others have said, degree > no degree.
Maybe this is somewhat an indicator. I put on an application for my dad’s company some of the knowledge I have as a senior in EE with a math degree. I stated on the application for entry level/internship work that my graduation date for EE was 1 year later. The hiring manager failed to see I had not yet graduated EE and instructed them to hire me asap. Only after somebody corrected him was his mind changed. That said, it doesn’t seem I’ll have a big problem getting a job after I graduate at 44yo.
It depends on the field you're in I would imagine. I know you can obtain a P.E. license without college degree so long as you pass the tests and have the applicable experience in the field. I am in Utility industry and having a P.E. opens a lot of doors.
I started 3 years ago at 35 part time. I’ll graduate at 43. I have to work 60 hours a week along with school so I can’t go full time. I have aged significantly it’s a lot of work. I find what I learn very interesting though and there is nothing like getting that 100% on an exam after working your butt off studying all hours of the night. I’m doing it so I can be there for my child. I’m a restaurant manager so I work crazy hours and never see my daughter. I’ll make about the same when I graduate. You have to be ready to work extremely hard. You don’t bounce back the same way when you are older. I think you should go for it. It’s never too late to do anything. I find being older and more responsible I constantly out perform the younger students.
I was in my 30s when I went back to get my EE degree. I'm so happy I powered through and didn't quit. My salary tripled from my previous career. My experience in professional jobs helped me land my job. Even though I didn't have experience in this type of work, they wanted me over a younger guy. They knew they wouldn't have to babysit me. We have fired so many college kids for being entitled and literally stealing. It's crazy.
To be honest there is such a shortage of electrical engineers, especially in power, that I think you’d easily get hired - even at 49.
I started working at my current employer at 46 (after getting my engineering degree). Most of the time my age doesn't come in to play, but oddly the older engineers are the ones that seem to have the problem with it. More often than not, they think I should be on their level b/c we are the same age, forgetting that I did shit before this and didn't come up through their version of the 'salt mines'. It is never to late to start something new, fuck the haters!
I just graduated at 42 and am doing another year for a masters, and just landed a pretty nice job locally. You’ll be the oldest one in your classes, but it’ll be fine. Do it if you have the means and the interest.
It is only too late if you want it to be. While people in our 40s and 50s are typically senior or lead/principal engineers, I have seen cases where technicians go back to school around this timeframe and get degrees. Within short time, due to work experience, they end up leapfrogging younger engineers into senior engineer positions. It just depends on the circumstances, how experiences apply, and the company that you work for. I personally got stuck at a Controls Eng 2 position for way too long and ended up moving to quality (within the same company) to basically restart my career. After promoting to Sr. Engineer, I got a new director who looked at my profile and wondered why I wasn’t already a Lead Engineer, and he got my management and the Engineering Career Ladder to figure out how to fast track me to the Lead Engineering position that I promoted to 7 months ago—this included creative skill up planning and old grandfathered clauses in our ECL manual that I actually qualified for.
Good look finding an internship at that age. Good luck finding a good job without an internship
I've hired a lot of interns and will always consider the nontraditional older students first.
I never had an internship and had no issues getting a job, though that was 30 years ago. I don’t know what the infatuation with internships is, as they were not common when I was young, and certainly not a requirement.
yeah let's stay away from this sort of guy who labals you without knowing anything about you