Written by: Dr. Kari Jaaskelainen, President of the Atlantic Business School
When I talk to prospective students, I sometimes get the question: “Am I too old to start studying?” My answer is always the same: “It’s never too late to start!”
One good reason to complete a university degree is to increase your salary potential. A recent Finnish study revealed that if a person studies a university degree his cumulative net salary over his whole career will be 316 000 € higher than if he had not obtained that degree. Now obviously this effect changes if one starts late. However, life expectancy comes into play here. If you calculate that you still have 20 active years in the job market, in 2037 you may find that you have yet another 20 years due to the many scientific advances in place to prolong our lives. You may also find that pension funds are not covered as originally planned, and thus you may have no other alternative than to continue working.
There are also very positive examples why starting late will be a good idea. Many world-famous success stories started later in life. For instance, Colonel Sanders was 62 when he opened his first KFC franchise. Henri Nestlé was 52 when he started the food and drink company Nestlé. Detective novelist Raymond Chandler got his first book published at 44.
Starting a university program at a more senior age can sometimes even give you an advantage. Your previous work experience will make it easier to understand all the themes and real-life cases involved with business studies. Atlantic Business School’s flexible online model also allows you also to combine the studies into whatever stage your career might be.
So, if you have been wondering whether to start studies at a certain age, I really urge you to do so. Someone wise said that happiness comes from the sense of progress and there are very few projects where progress is as imminent as in studying a degree