Considering furthering your education but thinking you are too old? Friends and family asking you how old you will be when you graduate? Tell them that you will be the same age as if you do not graduate!

When I started studying in Aalto, I got positively surprised by the age variety of the students. There were 20-somethings, 30-somethings, 40-somethings… One advantage about going to University at an older age is that the student is more likely to have a sense of purpose of education and therefore focus more on the studies. Older students know exactly what the want from their degree, what kind of knowledge they are lacking and willing to get.

If you are 35+ and thinking of coming back to University or going there for the first time, you are definitely concerned on how your age will affect the study experience. It will surely take some courage to apply for a degree programme. But think about it this way. You have got a head start! You have a huge advantage of having worked out all the stresses and worries that people usually go through in their early 20s. You have been out in the big bad unfair world. You will bring a lifetime of experience and knowledge to the new information you will receive from the lectures.

It is never too late to learn. The only limits are those that our mind puts up. So go get a degree, switch your career, get a better-paying job, or climb the corporate ladder in your company. Create a life you love. Go for it!

Cheers,
Ekaterina Sakarinen
Chemical Engineering