this post was submitted on 17 Dec 2025
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My mom was a stay at home parent for all of my life. In her early 50s, she ended up going to college in order to become a nurse. Been over 10 years now and she's still a nurse.
I would say it's only ever really too late if you're beyond working age or nearly there. Because at that point you're no longer working toward a career.
The real issue is whether or not you have finances and a support system to get you there.
In my mom's case, she had a husband who already was the only breadwinner anyway, so it didn't cause much of a financial impact per se. My mom ended up taking out student loans like everyone else, of course, but student loans are seen much more favorably than credit card debt.
I have a friend who is going back to college right now in order to get a better job. In their scenario, their parent let them move back in while they get an education.
I ended up eventually going to an intensive grad school where many of us had to move and we also did not have time to work during the program. There, I met plenty of people who already married, already had careers, etc...and yet they still managed to survive and get through the program just fine. (Again, remember we all took out loans lol.)
Then you hear online about med students having children while going through med school and residency. Sounds like hell, but they manage to do it.
But also, the career you seek should be worth it. Don't go back to school to do one of those dumb "ingegrative studies" degree or whichever one they call it when you couldn't pick a major lmao. Won't net you anything.
Similarly, it wouldn't make sense someone in their 50s to attempt to go to med school. The return on investment is just not there for the amount of effort and loan debt if you consider how many working years you have left. Yet, as I said, it was worth it for my mom to become a nurse because she never worked before and it allowed her to be able to earn a living wage sooner and with less debt. The return on investment for her was greater.
Point is, I don't think it's a matter of "too late", but rather a matter of...