What do you think is the maximum age for admission to university? 35 years? Maybe 45 or 50? But no! For example, in the UK, the oldest students are 79 and 84 years old. Maureen Matthews and Craigan Surujalli are currently studying law in a three-year full-time program at the University of West London Law School. And the oldest student on the planet is 96 years old. Guadalupe Palacios from Mexico, however, attends high school, not university. But she has no interest in humor. According to her, now, thanks to her studies, she can independently write letters to her boyfriends.

Studying regardless of age is a modern trend all over the world. Therefore, adults who have long wanted to realize their cherished dream, sit at their desks and acquire knowledge. In fact, there are many more reasons for continuing your studies at 30, 40 or 60. Why should people over 30 get higher education and what are the options for getting it?

Why go to study after 45-50 years old?

Each person has their own reasons for getting an education or learning a new profession in adulthood. All reasons can be conventionally divided into four categories:

Learn for yourself. If a person already has a good career, is sufficiently wealthy, his children are independent and independent, then he suddenly has a lot of free time that can be spent usefully. And then people go to get the education they dreamed of for a long time. It can be education in the field of art or science, unusual courses or any other training, the purpose of which is not employment, but gaining knowledge and pleasure from studying;

Master a new profession. Some professions are gradually becoming obsolete, while others require physical stamina, which becomes less and less with age. Downsizing, long searches for a new place, competition with young specialists - all this forces people to study a new specialty. This is sometimes helped by employment centers, where unemployed citizens are selected a suitable profession and given a referral to appropriate training;

Career advancement. There are successful people who want to become even more successful and do not stop there. Sometimes it is necessary to get an education to reach new heights. For example, a realtor will be much more in demand if he learns to be a lawyer;

Mastering new technologies. The world of technology is developing by leaps and bounds, while people over 45 often do not know how to use the basic capabilities of the Internet. The demand for teaching computer science and programming is extremely high - according to statistics, about 80% of students of mature age choose specialties related to computers.

What do they want to get in the end?

People who go to study for the sake of obtaining a new profession usually hope to find a job in the future in their specialty. But here it should be borne in mind that the new profession should not be too far from the previous one - a person who has been engaged in philosophy all his life is unlikely to be able to become a successful mathematician.

Often, workers who have worked in the same industry all their lives consider themselves to be professionals. However, due to the fact that the world is constantly evolving, their knowledge and skills quickly become outdated in comparison with the knowledge of thirty. Realizing this, adults strive to "catch up" with young people, and this requires studying modern technologies.

Features of studying in adulthood

Teachers in universities treat adult students more respectfully than young people. If a person goes to study for courses, then he will surely find many peers around him. Contrary to popular belief, adults learn new skills much faster. It is easier for them than for young students to learn complex subjects, so an adult learns the annual program in a few months. Plus, mature people read faster.

What problems can there be?

A specialist over 45 who has just acquired a new profession will face competition with young applicants. Not every employer is ready to hire an older worker without experience, so there is a high probability that a young competitor will take the place.

Additionally, school isn't cheap. One may worry about being able to afford going back to school or taking on too much debt later in life. Luckily, there are ways around this if you do your research. You can apply for a scholarship, take out a student loan, or ask your  employer if they offer tuition assistance.

What are the positive aspects?

Surveys have shown that the recent ban on the indication of age in vacancies has had a positive impact on employers' attitudes towards older employees. Today, only half of companies pay attention to the age of job seekers, and in most cases this criterion is not a key criterion for hiring. Every year the chance for successful employment in a new profession increases. Some people note that the new profession helped them not only find an interesting occupation, but also increase their earnings in comparison with the salary in their previous job.

Learning in adulthood has a positive effect on the state of the brain. Mastering new knowledge after 45 years is a good prevention of Alzheimer's disease.

What is the best choice?

Students "45+" choose a specialty that they liked. If career, earnings and professional prospects are not the main factors when choosing a direction of study, then you can finally realize old dreams and learn the knowledge that is interesting. You may have a dream of becoming a lawyer. Once you tried to take the LSAT multiple times, well now you can try your hand again.

Professions that allow working remotely are developing at a tremendous pace. This is a web designer, curator of communities on social networks, copywriter, etc. Such activities can be combined with the usual work.

What you like

Today you can find courses for every taste: photography and drawing, floristry and makeup, web design and grooming. In many educational institutions there is a correspondence course of study. Also, some universities offer to receive education remotely, but this method of training is suitable only for organized people.

People who have worked with finance all their lives will find such specialties as accounting homework helper, economist, etc. Success can also be achieved in the field of trade.

Do not be afraid to hiccup a new profession and master new knowledge. The most important qualities of an employee are responsibility, hard work and love for the chosen business. They play a much larger role in employment than date of birth.