In theory, no one is too old to get an education. While virtually all degree programs have some intrinsic value (learning for learning's sake; you become intellectually more enriched coming out than you did going in), it's how one uses it in the marketplace or real world where the old vs. young diverge.
Older folks don't necessarily have less or more options than young people - just different options. There are things that are more open to you when you're young, that simply aren't as realistic when you're older. But conversely, there are other opportunities out there that are open to older folks which aren't as available to the younger folk.
I have this theory that unlike the post-WWII period, the idea of having one lifelong career is DEAD for most. The idea of the lifelong "company man" died in the 1980s. But the idea of staying in one profession for the rest of your life is also pretty much dead and probably died as early as the 1990s during the tech boom. The folks in their 20s and 30s today will more than likely have 3-6 careers in their working life - not just 3-6 employers, but 3-6 different careers that are completely unrelated to one another. It's a non-linear career path where it won't be uncommon to see a lawyer in his 20s becoming a writer in his 30s and then as a real estate broker in his 40s before opening his own bed/breakfast with her/his spouse in his 50s. Part of it is by choice, but also by necessity - there's 10-15 year cycles now for many career paths as industries/professions change so quickly now - you have this 10-15 year time window to make the most of your skillset/opportunities before you've exhausted your opportunities (or before you hang on and become a jaded veteran). And then it's time to retire and switch to another career. It's certainly scary because you can't get too comfortable, but also incredibly exciting as well because of the body of work you can leave behind in your working life.
As such, the most important skill is the ability to reinvent one's self. It's self-knowledge, life skills and "street smarts" so to speak. Of course, part of that "reinvention" involves formal education, but depending on the profession it's more important than others. For professions where the education is a prerequisite (engineering, architecture, medicine, law) - then getting that degree is paramount because without it you simply aren't allowed to practice it. But in professions where education isn't a prerequisite (business, art/music/film, etc.), formal education becomes an increasingly small part of that career shift as one gets older.
Formal education isn't a substitute for street smarts, life skills and self-knowledge -- and the older folks who "get it" will probably know how to make the most use of that formal education they're seeking. But sadly, there's also a number of older folks out there who lack these "non-academic" skills, and no amount of formal education is going to allow them to successfully make that career shift. Of course this applies to younger folks as well, but kids in their 20s tend to get a free pass on this whether it's fair or not; older folks are held to a higher standard on this because they should know better. 作者: belindaxiaos 时间: 2008-10-17 01:02
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