I blindly started studying Architecture aged 28 after a PolSci undergrad and brief period at the very bottom rug on the finance ladder.

In my experience there are a few tricks if the plan is to earn more. I should say this is fuck around and find out experience, I had no plan...

If you plan to go for a "credentialed career" you will need to plan ahead. In architecture salaries are all based on experience post-graduating and then getting certified. Meaning you can end up being an old dude on a 24 year old's salary. That's clearly not what you want. I realised this really fast and looked where I could specialise so I jumped the salary gates. In my case I notice that there was a big lack of people that understood how to manage the software used to design buildings and produce the information for construction. So I took a side step and now no longer design stuff, but act I a support role making sure the people can use the increasingly technical software.... I got a little lucky by getting in early on this, but I'm sure there are always niches within professions where you can earn more and do less if you don't focus solely on the core role.

Just my three fiddy.

PS I always encourage anyone to retrain, it almost always works out better if you plan it right... I played it by ear and got lucky but planning is definitely the way to go.

When I signed up, I asked my academic advisor to not go too crazy on my class load for my first time back, so she signs me up for entire semesters of college algebra and government courses condensed into an 8-week summer session.

My first college algebra test is tomorrow and I am hating everything at the moment. I need to remember that that feeling I get I’m having to ask a literal 20 year old questions on the phone is a goddamn warning signal.