bluesguy Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Hello- I'm not sure if this is the right forum, but I'm a 50 year old engineer, about to embark on a career change to become a PA. I've been working for a few years on my prerequisites, shadowing, etc., and have really enjoyed it, and have now been accepted to two schools, with an interview at a third, so the opportunity is upon me, and I am very excited about it! The PAs I shadowed have all been very positive with job prospects for PAs, but I kind of want to hear the ugly side of things also- the economy doesn't seem to be showing a lot of pickup, so who knows where we will be in two years. People I know that just graduating from nursing school are having a terrible time finding that 'first job'. I am having some jitters about entering the job market at 52 years of age in a down economy, although I can show a great job track in my current career, which would hopefully count for something. Has anyone seen older PA graduates have trouble with getting that first job? How is the market for new grads in general right now? I'm in the southeastern US by the way. Thanks for any input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paporzelt Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I'm in new york, and I graduated at the begning of July, and just got my first job (today in fact). Everyone kept telling me NYC was an awful place for new grads, but myself, and none of my classmates who live here seemed to have a hard time, and its only been 2 1/2 months since we graduated. I dont know what the SE is like, but i got job offers daily for out of state positions, so I'm sure you'll be fine. And we had two classmates in their 40's who both found jobs they wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brookspa Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 bluesguy, im in "Ga. jobs are pretty good here, fairly friendly as well. SC also pretty good, Al not so munch tenn ok... "Fl not so much. was 47 starting PA school. if you go to school for two years you will only be two years older...how old will you be in two years if you dont go to school? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paraguru Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I just graduated in August and had a job lined up a week prior to actual graduation. I took a chance and applied to a rural medicine position that was advertised for a NP but got an interview anyways. Don't limit yourself, I am sure in 2 years you will have NO problem finding work. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alleycat Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Bluesguy. Welcome to your golden years. I left very nice secure employment to acquire PA reqs at age 51, accepted into program age 55, and graduated age 57 cum laude. I did have trouble getting employment right outta school, but once I accepted moving as an option, jobs opened dramatically. am now on my 4th PA job, and moving yet again. jobs are there for us,,,and many places you will find an employer looks more favorably at older applicants,,,we usually have been around , not only the block, but around the whole danged neighborhood, and that makes us look, feel and speak as exceptionally reliable. go for it. a bigger hinderance to finding work for me is that I specialize in psychiatry and ~ 90+% of my competition is psych APNs. good luck to you! alleycat:smile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sai786 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I went to school with some older PA students. These students all had great personalities and confidence. They did real well in balancing school and family life. They all also landed a job before graduation. I think that there is actually an advantage in being and "older PA" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCMA79 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 You must be flexible. If you are in a situation where you are unwilling to relocate or will only work in a certain area of medicine you may find landing that first job a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesguy Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 Thanks everyone... it is good to hear that perspective. I'm working towards getting these prerequisites done and then starting at one of these schools in January. Cannot wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medman2007 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Obviously this can be regional as well, as I've mostly worked in the SE and most PAs/NPs I know find jobs fairly quickly. May not be the "dream" job, however. Some specialties may just be much harder to get into right out of school with minimal to no PA experience (Derm comes to mind). But not saying it can't be done Focus hard on the clinical rotations - go above and beyond to get yourself noticed. Being a "superstar" during clinical rotations, combined with having that "life experience" will definitely open some doors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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