Am I crazy to think that doing a masters at my age and stage with change anything?

[Creaturediscomforts]

I'm early 50s, in a senior role in a job I used to love but now absolutely hate due to bullying by bosses. I have been desperately trying to get out of for about 18 months but there are almost no jobs in my sector, those which do get advertised get thousands of applicants. It's a service industry, connected to financial services but I don't want to be more specific than that (its not law).

I've come to the conclusion that I need to take some sort of leap of faith and do something a bit radical: even if I could get another job, I doubt things would improve. Budgets are slashed to the bone, low-level bullying and corporate politics make it unbearable in most of these companies, I'm really burned out from overwork and bored. I've been doing this just for the money now for several years and I don't think I want to spend what's left of my working life in a horrible environment doing a job which doesn't interest me.

I've applied for, and been accepted on, a masters in a subject which is adjacent to what I do (similar discipline but a different sector). It sounds really interesting, potentially useful for a new career and I would love to study something just for the intellectual challenge. I am selling a house which, when it happens, should provide me with a bit of a financial cushion which will enable me to work less than I do now: either going part time at my current company or potentially going freelance to pay the bills while I study.

Am I being naive about what this will change? I know I need some sort of reset of my life and this seems as good an opportunity as any and I really want to do it for my own interest. But I'm worried that at my age, this is just going to be a bit of a vanity project and won't actually help me get my career back on track. I don't want to wake up in my mid 50s with an expensive degree which won't help me get a job, however interesting the study has been.

Does anyone have any experience of doing a masters at my stage of life and did it change anything?

What is the payment schedule for the masters? Most are a years fees at a time, so you could do the first year then decide whether you want to continue.

Do it for pleasure, and self fulfillment, but don't do it and expect to fall into a high-flying, professional career via the masters. I have seen a few people (all women oddly) who did this at 47-53 (a degree and/or a masters,) and then got all snitty and annoyed because it did zero to help them with the career they wanted to switch to.... NO-ONE would employ them in the jobs thery wanted.

One woman (53 when she finished her degree,) could only get a job as a carer, after getting a degree in psychology. Nothing wrong with being a carer of course, and it's an admirable job, but she is working alongside people who have zero qualifications, and they are getting paid the same.

She was asked to do personal care - via her manager - and she said 'I am not doing that ... I have a degree!' Honestly, people just laughed at her.

I hate that this is true what I'm about to say, but it is.... Your age will go against you. No-one is employing someone at 54-55 in a well-paid, degree-level professional role, when they can employ someone with the same qualifications, who is 27.

.

I do hear you on this but honestly (and without wanting to sound rude) I couldn't care less what comms people think any more. My goal is to get to a position where I do the comms to pay the mortgage but I'm not interested in further career progression.

I want to do the Masters primarily for my own interest, but I'd like to think it could help with a move into an adjacent career which involves some comms. But I'm not hoping to jump to a similar role in a company in this new sector.

I'm over doing corporate comms.

63 and just completed mine. It has made a positive impact on my self esteem. Otherwise, at this stage of a career, experience would always trump the Masters. Unless, the research aspect of Masters study enabled you to return to the workplace with niche expertise.

Although, the impact on your self esteem might enable you to be resilient to bullying / unreasonable pressure in the workplace.

BTW - I loved the experience 🥂

Good luck, OP.

I did an MSc when I was in my 40s when the best computing job I ever had, in a great company, evaporated when the division I worked in was closed down. It really helped me, although I had to rent out my flat and move back in with my mother. (DON'T do that last bit.) Plus the intellectual stimulation was great.

It really helped me update my skills, take a breather, restore my faith in myself and make new friends and contacts.