Career propects for older Grad
Career propects for older Grad
(OP)
Hi, I will be 33 or 34 when i complete my undergrad at a canadian university.
I do have some industrial experience and lab experience, will my age hurt me and what can I do to make myself more attractive to potential employers.
Regards
I do have some industrial experience and lab experience, will my age hurt me and what can I do to make myself more attractive to potential employers.
Regards





RE: Career propects for older Grad
Go for it. Your age shouldn't be a problem and will probably be advantageous.
RE: Career propects for older Grad
I was 31 when I (finally) graduated with my BSE and (later that same year) my MSCE. That was 20 years and I have never regreted returning to school to complete those degrees. I am sure you also will be well-rewarded for your efforts of the past few years. In fact, such "late bloomers" as us are found all over the engineering profession, possibly more so here than in other fields.
Certainly you will be better off at 33/34 WITH your new degree than if you didn't get it, so don't worry about the age at which you get your degree!
I suggest trying to leverage off your previous experiences if you can: try to major in the same fields, if possible, as your prior work experience. This isn't always possible though, so don't sweat it; you can still show this on your resume as valid technical experience.
Good luck!
RE: Career propects for older Grad
I personally have hired or worked with several people who were much older than the average (mostly technicians) when they started their engineering or engineering related careers. They have tended to be people who were re-trained by Worker’s Compensation due to chronic injuries or trained by the Unemployment Commission due to having the misfortune to have been involved in a large layoff.
Generally they have some additional maturity and work place smarts that do not exist in a 22 year old, simply because they have been in the work place for 10 or more years before they graduate.
IMHO the disadvantage in having a shorter career by being an older graduate is balanced by the advantages that maturity brings. In ten years or so you will have caught up to where you would have been had you graduated at 22.
Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng
Construction Project Management
From conception to completion
www.kitsonengineering.com
RE: Career propects for older Grad