Six Careers Worth Going Back to School For — Even If You're Over Age 40

Employment expert Laurence Shatkin suggests six high-demand, high-growth professions that people older than 40 can pursue through continuing education, reports CNBC . At the top are industrial-organizational psychologists, who the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology says "apply research that improves the well-being and performance of people and the organizations that employ them." Although the job requires a master's degree, Shatkin says, "Someone over 40 can use previous experience in the workplace to suggest topics for research, and provide insights that more green workers would not perceive." Second on the list are personal financial advisers, which has a high forecast growth rate; according to Shatkin, "Word of mouth is the main way advisers find clients, and seasoned workers who transition into this career benefit from having a better network for making such contacts." Ranked third are training and development specialists, which AARP says "create, conduct, and evaluate employee-training programs for corporations, financial institutions, and government agencies." Recreational therapists and medical records and health information technicians score in fourth and fifth place, respectively. In sixth place are psychiatric technicians, who demand the least amount of additional education and training. Shatkin notes older workers are ideal candidates, because "The work is less physically demanding than nursing, and mature workers can bring compassion and shared life experiences to the job."