Graduated high school with a 2.0 and just the amount of credits I needed. I was not a good student LOL.
Went to the local community college, found out I could do well at school. Remember my first humanities test, they put up pics of ancient Egyptian sites...my answers to when built was ....very old. Got a C on that first exam, and then learned how to study and that expectations were higher than high school. Graduated there is a 3.5 and went to Eastern Washington University where I got a BA in Business Administration.
Worked a few years in the management track for a couple of retail stores, but ended up getting a job at a paper mill with the same company my Dad worked for as the pay was far better and I had benefits for the new family. Worked 21 years there, but the truth is I was not innately talented at this kind of work, and every year was a grind/depressing/and a strain on my family. Working rotating shifts, having to work all holidays, forced overtime, and missed family events did not make for a happy home life.
My wife took a promotion and we had to choose between her career, which she has a Masters from USC, and my job. We took her career. I was able to qualify for some retraining due to an earlier injury at work, so I got a certificate in Medical Billing and Coding. Going back to school at the age 50, and learning the new way education is done was a bit of a shock, but I made it. I then was able to refresh my earlier degree with new skills, and I landed a 1 year non-permanent job with Washington State Dept of Revenue. I would not have been able to do this without either my previous degree, or the new slug of schooling I just finished. This is the pathway into a state job, and the conversion rate is pretty high for the dept. I am a competitive guy and I look at this as an extended audition, and believe I will get converted in due time.
From my perspective you are never too old to learn, education always matters, working in a manufacturing or trade setting is honest and meaningful work, and there is a lot to be said for keeping on trying in life. I have been fortunate how things have turned out, but its been by hard work, planning, and sacrifice. Of course some good fortune has been thrown in, but I still think you make your own luck. But if it were not for the encouragement and support of my wife, I don't know I would have made it all this way, we make a good team.
Cheers
Mister Pig