You're never too old for a change of career

At LCTA, there is no age limit on studying as one third year acupuncture student who is 74 years old will testify:

I worked in a variety of jobs when I was younger.  I’ve always tried to keep busy and when we retired my husband and I decided to move to Mallorca.  We bought a ruin and restored it over the next few years and because my brain constantly needs to be working, I learnt Spanish at the same time.

I decided to begin studying again because I thought I would become brain-dead if I didn’t do something.  The last bit of serious studying I had done was in 1994 when I did a counselling and psychotherapy course.  The course was a great way to train my listening skills and I really enjoyed it, but ten years later I needed a new challenge.  

I was trying to work out what I wanted to do and looked at a variety of options.  I had always been interested in healing and having grown up in the West Indies I was used to the concept of having someone at home who was involved in healing in some way. Where I grew up, you never just went to the doctor.  My grandmother and my father were both healers and part of a strong tradition of people looking after each other.  So I decided to look into how I could develop my own skills in healing and became really interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

As well as being accessible, LCTA was the friendliest of all the colleges I looked at and I liked the sound of the course. Everyone was charming at the Presentation Day and they really put me at ease during my interview.   Although I hadn’t done any serious studying for a while, when I began the course, it wasn’t too much of a shock to the system, but the essays and exams are hard.   Everyone else is in the same boat though, so we help each other through it. 

I’d like to practise in Mallorca and I have to look into all the legalities of setting up over there and make sure that I have the correct qualifications.  I will only practise part time but definitely plan to practise over there.  You are never too old to study or change career.  Lots of people think it’s daunting to do something like this at my age – they think it’s quite amazing.  But it’s not such a bad idea and it’s certainly not particularly unusual.

I’m thoroughly enjoying the course, it’s really interesting. The whole concept of TCM fascinates me – it hasn’t lost any of its appeal over the millennia. The course has pulled my brain together again – it definitely sharpens you up. You constantly have to meet deadlines and those grey cells that have been mouldering away in the corner have to pick themselves back up again and get back to serious work. 

When I chose to study acupuncture, I didn’t take the easy option.  It’s proven to be a real challenge, a lot of hard work and a truly enlightening experience.  Being a bit older doesn’t make any difference. It’s a fantastic experience; anyone who is interested in TCM should go for it – no matter what their age!