Is there any point in attempting to go into STEM if you're

>>8448756
It's never too late to learn unless you are about to die, anon-san
Yes we do but if you have a healthy brain aka don't eat shit on a bag or can and do some excercise, you won't lose your brain's capacity of memory

I don't know. There are theories about it but I don't think anyone actually knows. It is hard no matter what. You can also read books on learning and that should make it easier. I think that it is possible to learn faster and become smarter by studying how to study, perhaps even more than when you were at your peak.

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>>8448784
Not op, but do you have any links about it?

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>>8448756

I've met plenty of really intelligent 25+ year olds that went to school late. It's never too late to learn. Don't let the fear of being too old hinder your drive to follow your dreams. Fuck, even Brian May got his PhD in Physics at the age of 60.

>>8448756
Why not? Just dive in.

>>8448756

I am in this same position, never went to school, and now starting Uni at 24 (turn 25 in a few months. At least all my credits from my last drop out transferred over.

I feel like such a fool in all these stupid classes with 18 and 19 y.o's but this Math/CS BS is going to be worth the hassle.

Being much more mature and doing school this late just makes me not bullshit around and all my 'wow early 20s, drugs, drink, etc' is long gone. Puts me way ahead of the curve, also having to take the stupid intro classes I already understand is really fluffing up my GPA, it is going to make me really competitive for grad school hopefully.

I would love any advice people have to give also, OP's sentiment hits me so hard all the time.

>>8448756
I got into medical school last year, I was 27 then. Now at 29, I'm quite happy having left behind all those menial jobs and moving from one place/country to other every second year.

One thing I have noticed among older students is that they don't seem to stress so much as students fresh out of high school.

Besides, if your under 30 you'll blend in students societies just fine. Hell, might even be an advantage in dating scene.

Just go for it.

>>8450136

*to clarify, never went to a real uni only comm college.

>>8450136

I'm in the same boat as you. Fucked off in college my first time around, drinking 5/7 nights a week, ended up working some shitty restaurant job for 3 years.

I eventually decided shitty restaurant work in the long term wasn't for me (even though I worked my way up to fine dining and was making $250+ in cash per night + wages). Went back to school for engineering in the spring of 2015 when I was 25, and now I'm on track to graduate with a masters in engineering in spring 2018 -- I had already taken a bunch of the intro classes like freshman chemistry and calculus my first time around.

The difference in maturity between now and when I was in college years ago is huge, but it's definitely helped me focus and get shit done. Had I started my engineering school before (when I was in my late teens and early 20s), I'm sure I wouldn't have made it as far in the program as I have now.

>>8450150

Good work! I hope I can do as well as it sounds like you are doing.

And, yeah one of the things that keeps motivating me also is the thought of what would have happened had I stuck it out with school right out of high school. I shudder to think that I would be sitting here with some sort of liberal arts degree in English/Philosophy hating myself.

I'm so glad that I had time to mature and really think about what I wanted to do instead of just winging it on what I was interested in coming out of high school. I wish it was more socially acceptable for people to wait, explore what it is like to work and have to support yourself, experience total freedom from parents, travel, experience new things, and really consider what they want to study and do the rest of their life before jumping in randomly! I think it is just a scam society perpetuates to trick people into entering the professional workforce faster.

>>8448756
Are you gonna let something silly like your brain deteriorating keep you from pursuing something worthwhile?

I didn't really get started with university until I was 25. I've been back 3 years now and my GPA is like a hair below 4.0. I want to do cancer research.

Maybe I'll accomplish something, or maybe my brain will fall out. Whatever. At the very least I'm satisfied my future won't be defined by working as assistant-manager at Walmart, spending my evenings eating McDonalds while binge-watching 90s sitcoms on Netflix wondering why the fuck I didn't even try to do something fulfilling with my life.

>>8450170

Exactly my feelings about it, even when I feel weird in these classes with people much younger than me I take pride in knowing at least I will never be in a position where I have to do menial service jobs for minimum wage ever again.

>>8448756

>Is there any point in attempting to go into STEM if you're 25+?

It's a fuckton more difficult, but you can do it. The longer you wait, the harder it gets.

>>8448819
>Fuck, even Brian May got his PhD in Physics at the age of 60.

Because he's Brian May. They don't flunk celeb donors.

The best guys in my courses were all about 29-32 years old. Most of them even worked part-time (15-20 hours á week).

Well, in the end you get a degree and learn something. You'll get older nevertheless. Do you want to be 30-35 years old working a shitty job or being 30-35 years and having this diploma and a career?
All the other young people age as well. The beginning 20's will be 30 years old at some point as well.

Stop comparing, do your shit. Some people die with 20, some with 40 and some with 60+.

>>8448756
It's a meme. People have started much later than twenty-five, and have gone on to earn PhD's in pure mathematics.

>>8448756
Keep in mind that professors/researchers etc. have to learn new shit all the time.
The biggest factor is the time spent away from learning. If you spent 7 years at wal-mart you'll not be as sharp as somebody straight outta high-school.

>>8448756
>Do we really have a harder time learning new things and understanding new concepts as we get older?
Yes, absolutely. It's getting harder, quickly. The trick for me is to lead new concepts back to things I already know. I guess that's just how you deal with your brain getting less and less fluid. When you stick to a field, most things aren't exactly completely new.

Anyway, don't mean to discourage you, but it will be more difficult for you than to younger people and you will need to compensate for that. It's not impossible, but it's something you need to figure out.

>>8450646
^^This^^

I'm in my 40s, and senior year of ME is eating my lunch. Memory just doesn't work like it used to. Also, I never saw a calc problem before my 40th birthday. I think it's much easier for people who learned higher math in their teens/20s once you get into the upper-division classes.

Not impossible, but absolutely exhausting. No shortage of IQ points, but the brain just does not soak up new concepts the way it did 15 years ago.

>>8450664
>>8450646
I'm 25 doing a EE/CS degree and I feel quicker than ever.

>>8450666
That's because at 25, you're literally at your peak in terms of raw mathematical horsepower. Not to harsh your buzz, but it's all downhill from here.

>>8448756
Get a grip. You sound like you are 45.
Fix your self-esteem issues before you go into STEM.

People say it's more difficult but I don't think it is. Im 25 2nd year EE/CE and average far above most other students because i actually do work. I don't find it any harder than I used to to learn.

25 started my BS in stats 2 years ago. Had As all around for every paper. Plan to attempt some undergrad research in my final year but im not sure if regression analysis (hate calling it machine learning) or data mining is more for me.
Even considered adding a late double major with economics since theres a lot in common but i prefer doing exams where you actually have a chance of getting 100%

>>8448756
leibniz was 24 when he signed up to school. and he invented calculus