going to grad school after age 50

I have two masters degrees a MBA and a MS in informatics. I am over 50. My experience is in accounting/human resource/training and I am having a hard time finding a job. My previous position relocated. When I apply for jobs I see they want you to have a certification. Crying out load I have not one but two masters. I have applied for Payroll Director position and they are asking for a payroll certification. When applied for Human Resource position they desire a certification in HR. When does it ever end? How do they expect you to pay for studying material plus the cost of the test. They are not cheap especially when you are not working. 

I'm going to turn 59 in January of 2020. I'm starting a doctoral degree program at the University of Virginia in the fall if 2020 and it will take me about 3 years to finish. It's something I always wanted to do so I'm going to do it ! I want this degree for many reasons and one of them was that I promised my father years and years ago I'd be a doctor someday. Of course, he was was hoping for a medical doctor or a veterinarian or a dentist as a son but he got a son that has done everything from being a professional ballet dancer to a teacher of Advanced Placement Chemistry and Physics. I see this as another new journey in a wonderful life. 

Hello:

I'm 50+ and applied to graduate school last year and got accepted to the MS in Nonprofit Leadership Progam in the School of Social Policy and Practice at Penn. The whole application process was online and video interviews. The application process was fairly easy and involved essays, letters of recommendations and the aforementioned interviews. 

The program is a hybrid online program and the first for Penn.

I hope this is helpful for anyone considering this path.

I went back to school October 2014. I am doing the online thing since I work a full time job. I decided to get my Bachelor's in criminal justice and I am loving every minute of it!!!!!

Go for it. I completed two Master's degrees after 50 and completed my Doctor of Ministry degree before I was 65. 

The two Master's degrees were done face to face and the Doctor of Ministry through George Fox Evangelical Seminary was a hybred-- with classes both online and face-to-face. The biggest challenge for me was staying focused on the task at hand as sometimes I did feel overwhelmed by the amount of study projects. I found that most of my colleagues were younger and some were very much younger but always accepting of what wisdom I had to offer. 

Be open to being mentored by younger people and be open to learn from and with colleagues. It is an AWESOME experience so enjoy the ride!

Blessings on your new journey. Follow your bliss:D

Dr. Jerilyn (aka Dr. J though I am not male,tall, nor do I play basketball, but I am retired!)

I decided to go to college at the age of 52, I have always wanted to attend college, however, growing up with 6 siblings, my parent could not afford for me to go to college when I graduated. Instead I immediately went to work.  My daughter was my inspiration for me to start on line courses at University of Phoenix. I am working towards my Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management. I am maintaining a 3.8 GPA and am very proud of my accomplishments thus far. I have 18 months until I graduate and have already started looking for employment. Live is good.

Well, first of all I completed my 4 1/2 year journey to my PHD in Education via online, in 2013. It was arduous, but I feel  good that at then age 60, I had begun and finished "a good work." Since then I have tried unsuccessfully to gain a full-time position in higher education. I only have a part-time adjunct position at a community college. Needless to say, I struggle and have encountered age discrimination in my job pursuit. I hope that things change in 2016.

My advice is to go for it.   Already having a masters in psychology, I decided that I wanted to pursue a new masters in the business school last year.  Since my first masters was before the internet existed,  I very much wanted to know what kind of student I could be with an on-line program.  With full time work, I'm not putting any pressure on myself so I am taking only one class at a time.  My current position is very demanding and requires some travel so handling more than one course at a time would be unrealistic at this time.  The University waived the GMATs and a couple of classes due to my years of work of experience and previous Masters; all of which helps.  Although the program is on-line, you do need to get on line once  a week with the professor and class, sometimes with video.  While I am always honest about my years of experience and why I've decided to pursue the program, the professors and students have been more than accepting.  I am really enjoying the program.  

I highly recommend you explore this opportunity for yourself so that you go in with your eyes wide open.  Set reasonable expectations for yourself.  Then, have fun and enjoy.  Good luck. 

I was a social activist sacrificing my resources on behalf of others for most of my adult life. When I started thinking about retirement, I decided to return to school. I earned a Social Science Ph.D. at age 62 and am currently teaching fulltime. My gameplan calls for working until age 77 and retiring after I qualify for public service employees loan forgiveness for my substantial student debt. Since I have multiple relatives who lived into their 90s and 100s, and since I have no major health issues at 69, I feel that I made an excellent choice.

In my case, I had a relatively unique background that gained a bit of respect initially from some of my fellow students. But by the middle of the first term, I think that the quality of my particpation in the program took over and I was primarily judged based on that.

Regarding online vs. in person courses, you should take an online course to see if that mode of learning fits you. If you do decide to do online, I would strongly recommend taking your course of study from an established conventional university.  If your degree is identifiable as from online, it may be seen as of less value than a sheepskin from a conventional school.  On the other hand, I have seen a number of folks with jobs gain promotions and otherwise improve their exisiting job situation by earning online degrees. However, I wonder whether finding a new job with a new online degree and no experience in that area might be problematic.

If you are fiercely determined to finish your graduate studies, I say go for it!