outnabout,
Robotics, automation, outsourcing, offshoring, H1-B visas, mergers, acquisitions, layoffs, etc. are all contributing to the decimation of entire industries. Then overlay factors like ageism and you'll quickly be driven from one industry to another that is more tolerant. For example, at 50 there are few working in advertising or programming, except for senior level executives. However, at 50 you're just getting started in education.
In addition to the above, there is a relatively new technological approach that experts and senior level executives estimate will eliminate 20-25% of jobs across most industries, and every new technological development has the potential to eliminate more jobs.
Healthcare, while not completely immune is somewhat resistant by virtue of patient interaction. Yes, they deal with H1-B visas just like other industries, and while Telemedicine could technically mean that your PCP is in India, in reality there are numerous regulatory issues that prevent that, so the jobs stay in the U.S.
One source you may find useful is jobbait. Yes, the site is targeted to the six figure job crowd (my job paid in that range before being split up into 4 and offshored to Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC). Good for people in those emerging economies, not so good for me.
Here are a couple of industry level views from JobBait. One is for those considering career switches.
http://jobbait.com/switch/index.html
http://jobbait.com/targeting/index.html
There is one depiction that is similar to the targeting index where you can see every color coded for the last 20 years. However, it's for members only so you probably will not be able to access it. Take my word for it, it's a bloodbath of black and red with only the healthcare industry being spared. There are 2 other ok industries which have been holding the line - education and government. The rest is either a mixed bag depending on where you live in the country and your particular industry.
You're not alone. If it's any consolation, I'm older than you are.
We have 3 young kids (all under 10), my wife is finishing up a few odds and ends, but has already been accepted at an accelerated bachelors of science in nursing (ABSN) program, and we have no relatives in the area so we take turns taking coursework.
For example, I'll be taking classes in the summer and fall, then her program begins so I'm limited to online courses next year.
I'm registered at 5 colleges and by the end of the year it'll be 7-8 colleges. You may wonder why. Well, classes begin/end at different times, so while some students attend spring/summer/fall, we attend overlapping semesters, take accelerated classes, attend simultaneously at different institutions (wherever the class you need is available) cramming in more classes in a single year than traditional students. Currently, I'm enrolled at 2 institutions for 19 credits (10 at one, 9 at the other) and work full-time.
I completely understand your reservations. Though here is the way I see it - at the earliest, retirement for me would be 67. I can't remember anyone either at my previous company or any of the numerous clients I visited, that held mid-level and senior non-executive positions and was past the age of 50. In fact, I'd long planned on being laid off at 50, though it caught be a bit off guard that it was earlier than that. My severance package has the position and ages of everyone that was impacted. I can count on a single hand the number under 35 out of the 200+ people affected, and over the past 20yrs, I'd been a survivor of 25+ workforce reductions. Basically, you're on the run for your life going from one job to the next every 6-12 months.
So if you think you're in a position to get from 44 to 62-67 without being shown the door, then you may be ok. Heck, I wish I'd started at your age instead of mine.
Regarding your question, I wouldn't know. I have yet to be the oldest in any of my classes. I can only take night classes as I work all day so there are usually older students there. My wife took day classes and while she is younger than I am, she was the oldest for most of her classes, but not all.
I won't lie to you, it's harder for some people than it is for others. I did my undergrad full-time at night and grad at night so for me it just seems normal to get home at 10:30-11pm and then go to work the next morning because that's what I have always done.
As for the kids in class, most wanted me on their teams when our anatomy professor had body part naming competitions. Prior to lab exams many students wanted me to go over the material with them.
From the beginning of the course, whenever the class could not answer a question, our professor would ask me to tell the class the answer. I didn't always know it, but more often than not I did simply because I always read 2-3 chapters ahead.
At the half way mark for the course, our anatomy professor affectionally referred to me as Dr., and by that time, the kids looked forward to my lab reviews with them.
It had been more than 20 years that I'd been in a science course, 15+ years since undergrad, and over a decade since any class. Everyone advised to take some easy required courses first, but that's the one that was available at the time so I took it. It wasn't that bad.
You have an advantage that today's young kids do not. You actually went to college back in a time when you learned something. Today, their study habits, discipline, knowledge base from high school, etc. is not as great.
To give you an example. I remember studying roman numerals in 3rd grade. In our anatomy class when we got to cranial nerves, the professor had to stop the class and explain what they are to about a third of the class.
Then there's the issue of grade inflation. I estimate that a C+ of 20-25yrs ago is about an A- today. Back then, as I recall, most of your grade relied upon a midterm and final exam with perhaps 10% on homework, reports, etc. Today, it's not as heavily weighted. It's perhaps 50-60% of your grade with the rest being quizzes, reports, homework, participation, etc.
Back then, you had to be "in the know" to find the best professor, and more often than not, you had little choice. Today, you have ratemyprofessor.com and you'll know exactly what to expect.
Back then, I simply do not recall any "accelerated" classes. Today, there are many. My wife took anatomy in 6 weeks and got an A.
Back then, you had to attend all classes. Today, you can take some of the classes online (be advised that not all institutions accept online classes and few accept online science classes with lab components).
You may not realize it because you take it for granted, but you have acquired a lot more knowledge from experience along the way than you may know.
About 20-30% of what was covered in anatomy, I recall from my biology of 20yrs ago. For example, I remember having to learn all the bones of the body and the reproductive system in biology. So some of the material was more review than new learning.
Give it some thought, check out the colleges by where you are and see what's available. You don't have to take anything if you don't want to - just look around and see what requirements you would need to fulfill.
Whether you do it or not, you'll still be 50 in 6 years. The question is whether you'll be 50 in a new career or 50 in the old one.
Feel free to ask anything else you may be curious about.
and it scared me to death. After volunteering a second time I did it in the Rehab dept. and that's how I found my love for Occupational Therapy. But when I was doing my pre-reqs, most of the students was only going into nursing for the stability and money and many of them are currently working as nurses now. I also live in the bay area and know first hand of the competitiveness of the programs. It took by BFF 3 yrs to finally get into one. Goodluck to the OP, it is important nowadays to be able to feed your family and you have to do what you have to do. I don't blame you for going into healthcare as long as you do a good job. Also ageism is alive and well. I hear so many older people that have tons of experience that have been laid off are having a hard time finding employment again. It has been the topic on numerous news stories.
