Leaving full time job to go full time in college

Elessar

I'm working in a job that is relatively secure and pays well. It's also close to home. Thing is I am very unhappy. It's in finance and I have absolutely no interest in it. I have a demanding and stressful manager and I am frequently stressed out (I'm 28).

Last September I went back to college part time and I love it. I am studying IT with the hope of getting a degree (its a 4 year course). Thing is now, work is more stressful than ever and I can feel anxiety issues creeping in.

I am considering quitting the job and going full time in college from September. I feel it is what I need. And it will save me money.

On the other hand, I don't know if it's justifyable to leave a full time job and wage. There are little to no IT opportunities in my company at entry level and those that do come up are looking for very specific, very experienced people.

I don't know what to do. At 28 am I a bit old to be thinking of leaving my job? FYI I live at home and have no debts.

Deediddums

You're not too old! If you think like that, you'll definitely believe you're too old in four years when you're even more miserable. If you like the course and are doing well at it then give it your full attention, save yourself some money and be prepared to hit the ground running when you finish. You might be on the bottom rung in your new industry at that point but your current experience will still stand to you in a work/office environment.

LegacyUser

My dad left his job in his mid 40's so there's no such thing as being too old. He was really unhappy in a mid level management job and we kept telling him to go do what made him happy and we'd deal with the pay cut. He ended up in a job that he loved, he was like a whole new person he was so happy with his new role. Yes it paid less to start and some will make comment about a man his age with two kids and a mortgage taking such a risk but at the end of the day which would you rather be - the OAP who spent their whole life at a job they hated and regrets not at least trying or the OAP who at least gave it a go?

Bobby42

I was in a similar position a few years ago.

I was working full time in a hospital lab. It paid well but I just had no interest in it. I longer I stayed there the unhappier I got.

I decided that life is too short so I packed in the job and went back to college.

After finishing I'm now in a job that I love.

The only thing that was tough was getting by financially. So bear that in mind.

Best of luck.

Santa Cruz

Elessar wrote: »

I'm working in a job that is relatively secure and pays well. It's also close to home. Thing is I am very unhappy. It's in finance and I have absolutely no interest in it. I have a demanding and stressful manager and I am frequently stressed out (I'm 28).

Last September I went back to college part time and I love it. I am studying IT with the hope of getting a degree (its a 4 year course). Thing is now, work is more stressful than ever and I can feel anxiety issues creeping in.

I am considering quitting the job and going full time in college from September. I feel it is what I need. And it will save me money.

On the other hand, I don't know if it's justifyable to leave a full time job and wage. There are little to no IT opportunities in my company at entry level and those that do come up are looking for very specific, very experienced people.

I don't know what to do. At 28 am I a bit old to be thinking of leaving my job? FYI I live at home and have no debts.

I don't think you need our advice but life is too short not to be happy. You know what you have to do. With a good degree employment in the future will take care of itself.

Holiers

Consider that if you leave work in Sept you will get tax back. It could be thousands. Lots of online calculators will tell you how much. Also the summers in college are long. Could you do some temping.

When you leave college you will be streets ahead of others graduate given you have real work experience. Consider working in IT for finance.

Overheal

You're in financing so I wager you know even better than me what your feasibility is with that. I went back to school full time, but for the first 2 years I did full time school and full time work. Now that I've transferred my courses up to University, I'm going to school full time. Financially, it is reckoned that you will make out if you don't assume more debt during your school tenure than you will make in your first full year of graduate employment. Ergo, I've worked out that so long as loans and other aid remains to be available over the next 2 years, I am not in a panic to work and I can focus on full time studies of the higher level courses of your program. It's one thing to take English II when you're working full time, quite another when you're sitting Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics

auskid

It all boils down to the money side of things......4 years at roughly 3500 s year on fees plus materials.......you will not qualify for any grants or fees or maintenance such as back to education allowance....be prepared to stock supermarket shelves if your lucky enough to find it....if you get 3 days in a supermarket you'll take home enough to survive...but you will have little or no spare time.....saying that I did all that at 30 and now in second year and loving it....although I do get my fees payed and btea payments