Back to School: Why It’s Not Just for Kids

As the summer winds to a close, going back to school will be on the minds of educators, parents, and students alike. But there might be a different form of education on your mind: whether or not you can learn new skills at your age to change careers.

It’s a valid concern; a lot of adults believe they don’t “need” any sort of advanced learning to succeed in the workplace.

Not only are you 100% capable of learning new things later in your life, but your choice to develop new skills and change jobs could drastically improve your happiness, your sense of fulfillment, and even the rest of your life.

If you feel lost or stuck in your current career, keep reading to see why professional development (like taking a coding bootcamp for adults) could be one of the smartest decisions you ever make.

How education prevents career stagnation

You’re not alone if you’re considering professional development or a career change later in your life_{Tech Jobs for Older Adults: How to Change Careers at 60}. Just ask any adult who isn’t satisfied with their job, and they’ll likely tell you they wish they had an opportunity to grow or try something new. 

This is why staying educated throughout your lifetime goes beyond just earning a certificate or degree: it’s a way to help you prevent career stagnation. Here’s how:  

It future-proofs your employability

Imagine that you’ve applied for a new job, and your heart skips a beat when the recruiter calls you. Your excitement plummets, however, when they tell you they’ve chosen another candidate because this person had more of the skills the company was looking for. 

It doesn’t matter what age you are – this kind of rejection is never fun. Unfortunately, this situation is more likely to happen if you’re older and haven’t kept your skills and industry knowledge up-to-date.

This is one reason why continuing education, professional development, or career training in your work life (despite your age!) is so important. It ensures you have what employers are truly looking for, especially if learning these abilities isn’t possible at your current role.

Ultimately, professional development sets you up for staying gainfully employed the rest of your life, avoiding the trap of missing out on better opportunities in the future.

It powers better career prospects

Speaking of better opportunities, education goes beyond just making sure you stay with the times. Another reason you should consider professional development no matter your age is because it encourages better career prospects down the road. 

Once you expand your knowledge and skills, you become a more well-rounded, valuable individual. This opens you up to more opportunities at your current role, such as promotions, bonuses, or salary increases.

However, if you’re looking to change careers entirely, professional development can be beneficial because you’ll be a sought-after candidate on the job market. So if you want to transfer to a better-paying, more flexible role, or even a more meaningful one for your dreams and ambitions, the new expertise you gain from something like a bootcamp for adults will only help you reach this goal. 

It opens a path to personal fulfillment

Finally, professional development can bolster satisfaction in your personal life by helping you feel happier and more fulfilled. For anyone who’s tired of going down the same career path they have been for the last however-many years, adult education is a potential life-changer.

Think about how bad stagnating in your career makes you feel. You probably don’t have mental clarity or motivation at work, and you might come home lacking energy or excitement to do anything rewarding in your personal time, either.

Mastering new skills and applying them to your career is good for your personal happiness and fulfillment. In fact, learning new things can also boost your mental health; a Duke University study found that mentally challenging yourself reduces the chances of anxiety and depression.

Why people of all ages can learn something new

You’ve probably heard the phrase “you can’t teach old dogs new tricks.” This idiom generally refers to people who are stuck in their ways, but it can also be used to imply that older adults simply aren’t able to learn new things. 

Unfortunately, some people truly believe that only children and younger adults have minds flexible enough to learn something new. But from a biological perspective, this simply isn’t true.

Research suggests that middle-aged and older adults are just as capable of learning as younger people. In fact, the trick to keeping your brain’s neuroplasticity (that is, your brain’s ability to form new connections and process information) in good shape is to challenge it as you get older, because it can still adapt and change to your circumstances.

Additionally, being able to learn something new and make a change later in your life is backed by our own findings across our students and graduates.   

TripleTen’s student demographics skew older 

Our 2023 Outcomes Report data revealed that 78% of our students are over the age of 25, with 55% of students aged 25-34, 16% aged 35-44, and 7% aged over 45. 

Think about that: none of those demographics are typical ages for people to study or take a coding bootcamp for adults. Many people stop learning after high school or college, which is anywhere from ages 18-22. 

And yet these students succeed. Despite 80% of our students starting at beginner-level knowledge in tech, the overall employment rate of our students hits 87%! 

This means that the majority of our students, who aren’t considered “young” by traditional standards, not only learn new things at TripleTen, but also end up landing careers relevant to the knowledge they learn here within six months_{How to Confidently Switch Into Tech at 30}.

One grad’s late-career professional shift

One of TripleTen’s past students excelling in her new role is Isabelle Cuisset_{Refashioning a Career with Tech: Isabelle Cuisset’s TripleTen Story}. After over 20 years of working in the fashion industry, Isabelle’s business travels – and consequently her career – slowed to a halt during COVID. She used this time to determine if she really wanted to continue in the fashion industry.

I decided, ‘Okay, let's stop this crazy life. I need to choose where I want to live and find a way to stay there. Isabelle Cuisset, TripleTen grad

“I also needed to own something, a kind of craft that I could develop, where I could continue to learn day after day,’” she explained.

After creating a Wordpress website for her and her friend’s joint fashion venture, Isabelle realized she wanted to learn web design. Research led her to TripleTen, where she was able to take a coding bootcamp for adults and learn web design on her own time. She now runs a thriving boutique web design firm serving independent consultants, designers, and artists (while boasting a part-time director-level fashion job, at that). 

You can learn more about Isabelle’s story in our podcast; check it out on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

How to start exploring professional development opportunities

Curious how you can follow a new path like Isabelle did? Check out these tips for where to get started with professional development:

Don’t let age stop you from going after a job that will make you truly fulfilled. Educating yourself – whether that’s with bootcamps, courses, coaching, or training – can lay the foundation for the jobs you want but have been hesitant to pursue because of your stage in life or past professional experiences.

And if you’ve been curious about pursuing a career in the tech industry, take our quiz to see if a bootcamp is the right move for your professional development journey!