Has anyone gone for their masters later in life?

Not sure if it's pandemic boredom or an upcoming mid-life crisis (just hit 40), but I just applied for the Security and Network Engineering masters program at the University of Amsterdam. I completed my bachelors in 2002 and have been working full-time ever since.
I would like to know how others have juggled marriage, children, and a career while jumping back into higher education.
I would like to know how others have juggled marriage, children, and a career while jumping back into higher education.
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I would suggest that you talk to your wife and see what she think of that. If you want to succeed in managing your time, she have to agree on the objective
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@JDMurray - Was it hard for your 40 year old brain to focus and retain info? j/k Or was it just balancing all of the non-education obligations?
@shochan - A masters does not have to prevent you from keeping up with technical skills. I have numerous colleagues with masters degrees that remain in hands-on technical roles. I have always wanted my masters, but chose to focus on career. Now I see a major university has a major that compliments what I have been doing for years now and I have enough personal development budget to pay for it so why not.
No, my point was that schoolwork is usually easier at a younger age (e.g., 30's, 40's) than it is at an older age (e.g., 50's, 60's, etc.) brain-wise. However, the reverse can be true. I am glad that I waited until my 40's to tackle a Masters because in my 20's I was too unfocused academically to succeed at it.
Work/school/life balance is different for everyone because of the minute differences in everyone's situation. There are definitely a "sweet spots" in your life for doing school and times when you should be doing something else (e.g., working a career, family and raising kids, etc.).
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In a Masters program, you are driven by the school to complete a very large amount of coursework in a comparatively short amount of time (i.e., the length of each course) over a long duration (i.e., the length of the degree program). For anywhere from 15-36 months you are under-the-whip to learn and produce even though you might be busy with work/life issues. Yes, you can take breaks from school, but you loose momentum with your studies and the pace of doing schoolwork. It's no wonder that many people hit a wall and can't continue in a degree program.
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Then after the MS I got a new job. Went through a divorce while enrolled in the MBA program. That was hard. It took a lot out of me. I wanted to drop out.
If you really want the masters do it now while you are still motivated and you have support at home to make it happen.
@PJ_Sneakers - wow what an experience.
If you need someone to sit with and gab about coursework or hang out at the library with after class, WGU is not right for you. Go to a B&M. But to be honest, most all schools are in the same kind of remote situation right now.
And back to the topic of the thread, I was thinking about what helped me most during school. It was doing something every day. Don't go a day without doing some school related activity. If I was writing an essay, I tried to do at least a paragraph on the days I didn't feel like doing school. If I was studying for a test, I'd have related YouTube/podcasts playing on the drive to work. I finished my WGU BS in one semester and my MSCSIA in two. Just keep going and if you're in the groove try to stay there.
Good luck. I found myself in the same boat, having to juggle work, wife, kids, life, and and and... it's not easy, but you'll figure it out. Well done on committing.
Personally I also don't see the added value to my career to go from BSc with certs to MS. I've never been rejected from positions for not having a Master's and getting one will also not have any effects on perks and monthly income.
Engineering and Sciences make the most sense to me getting them directly after your bachelor's. In some cases, it's really required to work, such as Pharmacy, other higher-level medical, engineering, and science professions. Even in biology, chemistry it's hard to land a decent paying job right out of school without a master's.
In the world of IT it really depends. Not a great answer but it's the truth. I don't see a strong direct correlation between senior leadership and master's degrees. They all have bachelor's nowadays unless they were grandfathered in and somehow obtained a lot of experience. It really comes down to you, the fact you are asking this question tells a lot. You wouldn't find a biologist or engineer asking this question it's already a foregone conclusion of the steps required to get from A to B.
Utlimately it's up to you. IMO it will be nothing more than a nice to have than a must, but that may be just enough to help you get your next role or make an additional 50 k per year.
To your direct question, it was very hard for me to get through my master's program in my late 30's. I found myself not enjoying the process and material. Most of which didn't directly affect me or my career path (even years later). Structured training and certifications would have been wiser use of time for me. I managed by setting a strict schedule and basically blowing my family off throughout the process. I kept telling myself it was for the best, but in the end, it really wasn't. This is just my personal experience others probably will disagree, my point being it was really hard for me. I find myself having an easier time focusing on one subject for long periods of time and getting into a true synthesis state with that material. Jumping from one course to another and never really being able to deeply learn that material never sat well with me.
There is also the financial piece. Will this be subsided by a company or some other organization, or do you have to pay out of pocket and how much? Does this affect your retirement plan, how far will this set you back?
It really has to have a true outcome or else I wouldn't do it. Any ambiguity that accompanies such a commitment is foolish.
I appreciate everyone's feedback. I definitely wasn't looking for anyone to provide any groundbreaking information that would change my decision, but simply to see how others have managed this. This is definitely more of a nice to have than a must because I have done relatively well with only a BSc and a lot of certs. Deep down I am just a glutton for punishment.
Years and years back... 2007... I wanted to get out of IT, so next to my day job I did a part-time BSc to become a maths teacher. That was one full year of full time work, one night a week at school (plus travel time) and weekends plus evenings of homework. It ran me quite ragged. I loved it, it was hard work and I'm still proud of what I achieved.
I went with CSU.edu.au as they are local (and tie in with Australian government student loans), and gave credit for Certs I had. A full 2 subject credit for CISSP, 1 for CISM, 1 for CRISC, 1 for CEH.
"Brain does not meet certification requirements, please install more certifications" Me
Currently Studying: Cyber Security masters and ISC2 CCSP.
Security blog; http://security.morganstorey.com