Career change
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Consider a 3+ month intensive bootcamp with job placement programs if you can afford it and it matches your goals.
Job placement programs are very helpful.
- if you can afford it
- if there's one that matches what you want
one person who lived it
Choose to be 30 with schooling rather than without, since you will be 30 either way.
one person who lived it
Enjoy every day because it is precious and a gift.
it's precious and it's a gift
one person who lived it
Stop asking for permission to pursue your goals; realize that no one else can give it to you.
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View mathematics as a game to make it more enjoyable and easier to learn.
Treating it as a game reduces the pressure of its importance in studies, making it easier to engage with.
one person who lived it
Use a phone app with cloud storage to jot down thoughts anywhere so they are safe and accessible.
It eliminates stress come crunch time.
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Expect a diverse age range in classes, including parents and older adults, reducing feelings of isolation.
You often find someone in your same position, such as moms with kids in the room, 18 year olds, or 40 year old guys.
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Study topics beforehand to get ahead and help your learning process.
It helps w your learning process.
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Reframe the belief that you are too old for new beginnings; recognize that life often feels like it is just starting later on.
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Check the college’s website for reduced-fee positions or financial aid options.
Costs may be lower than assumed.
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Consider that high school struggles may have been due to early start times causing fatigue, not inability.
Early start times can leave students exhausted, affecting performance.
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If you find it stressful to hold onto thoughts, write them down in a phone app and let them go so your brain can passively mull over ideas and draw correlations throughout the week.
Writing things down allows you to let them go, enabling passive percolation of ideas and drawing of correlations.
one person who lived it
Get a bachelor's degree.
It opens doors to positions that reject candidates without one.
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Cultivate a self-motivated thirst for learning to become more attractive to employers in the IT field.
Self-motivated learners are valuable team members.
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Start at a community college to complete prerequisites and general education classes cheaply before transferring to a university.
It is often the cheapest and easiest way to get credits that transfer to state universities.
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Compare yourself only to yourself, as comparison is the thief of joy.
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Choose day classes if you prefer younger peers or evening classes if you prefer older peers.
Day classes tend to have younger students, while evening classes trend toward older ages.
one person who lived it
Ignore societal pressure to have your life solidified by 25, recognizing it as a conditioned belief from social media.
Society and social media condition people to believe they must have their lives and careers solidified by 25 or be considered failures.
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Take advantage of your maturity to appreciate learning seriously and understand the debt you are accumulating, unlike younger students who may just go through the motions.
Maturity leads to serious engagement with learning and a clearer understanding of financial consequences.
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Seek help immediately when you fail to grasp a key math concept like fractions, algebra, or trigonometry.
Missing these foundational concepts leads to being permanently lost in future math classes because they are needed constantly.
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Focus on understanding why formulas work rather than just memorizing where to plug in numbers.
Without understanding the logic behind the placement of numbers, performance suffers.
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Consider the alternative of continuing in an unfulfilling job for the rest of your life to weigh the decision.
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Accept that society sets no standard for anyone and everyone follows a different path.
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Try pursuing your goals despite fear, preferring the experience of failure over a lifetime of wondering 'what if'.
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Avoid getting multiple degrees unless strictly necessary to prevent crippling debt.
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Leverage age diversity in teams to foster more in-depth creative processes through different perspectives.
Different perspectives are brought to the table.
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When feeling self-conscious about your age in educational settings, remind yourself that it is your business and others' opinions do not matter.
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Attend community college if considering higher education later in life.
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Leverage prior work experience in the target field to strengthen your application and potentially access accelerated programs.
Having relevant experience, such as being a dental assistant, may help with admission and reveal accelerated program options.
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Score high enough on placement exams in reading, math, and writing to exempt yourself from specific remedial classes.
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Stop overthinking and take action immediately before more time passes, relying only on your own opinion rather than fearing embarrassment.
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Ignore societal expectations and arbitrary timelines regarding age milestones, focusing instead on your own trajectory.
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