Do your friends support your decision?

[bachja13]

Thankfully, DH is with me on this - he's thought I should go back to school for years.

But I've noticed that some friends are not. At dinner last night, I mentioned that I'm hoping to go back to school. Our friends asked what I was going to study and when I mentioned law, they were silent. I'm getting that reaction from others as well.  Even my older brother has been quiet about the whole thing.

I know it may seem a little crazy to be doing this at 45, but I was hoping for a little support.

Hope others have having better luck.

[I am Penny Lane]

Friends yes (most of them are in law school already or want to use my sevices), boyfriend no. He thinks I should just be an artist intead.

[bluepeter]

Thankfully, DH is with me on this - he's thought I should go back to school for years.

But I've noticed that some friends are not. At dinner last night, I mentioned that I'm hoping to go back to school. Our friends asked what I was going to study and when I mentioned law, they were silent. I'm getting that reaction from others as well.  Even my older brother has been quiet about the whole thing.

I know it may seem a little crazy to be doing this at 45, but I was hoping for a little support.

Hope others have having better luck.

I don't think you're crazy.  You can bring something to the table that I can't, and that's life experience and a maturity of outlook that only comes with being on the planet a while.  People view you a certain way, and they are so stuck in their idea of you that they don't want to support change.  Good friends will say hey, if that's what you want to do, then go for it.   It's not like you're 60.  You could hang up your shingle, and practice law for 20 years of more after you're done with law school.  I come from a family of lawyers, and some of them have worked well into their 70s.  They have a passion for it. If you have a passion for the law, do it, and ignore those who don't support you. 

[paratactical]

Friends yes (most of them are in law school already or want to use my sevices), boyfriend no. He thinks I should just be an artist intead.

Hah. I knew there was a reason I liked you.

Watch out for that. This exact logic caused a pretty severe breakup. So it goes!

[reverendT]

Many of my friends think I'm nuts to do this at 35.

It's kinda funny...you announce you want to do something like this at 22 (when you really don't know much...) and everyone accepts it.
Yet you decide this at 35, after having experienced much and having a good idea of who you are, and people question your reasoning.

Seems backwards.....

[scottie]

Try telling your friends (and family) you are going back to law school AND planning to run your first marathon at age (gasp) 40ish.  Then see what kind of response you get.  I think the LS part tends to get swallowed a bit easier when washed down with some "you will ruin your knees" alcohol in the old age wounds

[bachja13]

Try telling your friends (and family) you are going back to law school AND planning to run your first marathon at age (gasp) 40ish.  Then see what kind of response you get.  I think the LS part tends to get swallowed a bit easier when washed down with some "you will ruin your knees" alcohol in the old age wounds

  So I need to come up with something so dramatic that law school will seem trivial.

When I told my older brother that I was applying for law school, his comment was, "Mid-life crisis. Buy a sports car."

[scottie]

Sports car huh?  Nice.  Buy me one too while you are at it.  My family was actually very supportive of me returning to law school -- almost too much so.  When I deferred my application process for a year till this cycle I thought I was going to break their hearts.  This is what happens when you are the first generation to even go to college.    Nevertheless, I still say starting to train for the Chicago Marathon (albeit you are quite late for that this year) would help it pale in comparison.  How about offering that it is either law school or climbing all of the 14k peaks in Colorado?  Or heck, take his advice and buy me a sports car.