So.. I've been into history since I was a child. And came home from the library with stacks of books. It's always been focused around warfare. Or military history. But I find most historical topics interesting. I am also extremely fond of archaeology. And I've always thought of going to school for it. But just never have. The last year or so I've found it popping into my head on a more frequent basis for some reason. I'm 29.. going on 30. I just wanted to hear what peoples opinions who went to school to be a historian, are on the question. Any archaeologists out there? I'm aware they are different fields. But I've highly thought of pursuing either.
The question is, what do you want to accomplish by this? What level of education are you hoping to attain, and to what career end?
Read this recent post about the dangers and difficulties of getting a PhD in history in general by /u/sunagainstgold, as well as the comments, and then slap a dash of "you won't be finishing until you're nearly 40" on to it.
It's not at all impossible, and there are still career options available, but 1) it's going to be very hard to get a tenure track job no matter what, even without the age distinction, 2) you will be competing against a lot of younger people, which may or may not unnerve you, 3) even if you do get a job, it will be some time until you are totally "stable" (e.g., you will be in your mid-40s before you get tenure), and 4) most of the people in your graduate cohort will be 10 years younger than you, and that will impact your social life a bit (for better or worse).
Note that I'm not saying "no," but I am saying, "you need to really think about what the goal is here, before you plunk down 6-8 years of your life for this idea," because the opportunity costs are high. There are many ways to learn and interact with history that do not involve getting a degree in it.
What do you mean there's no to old. I just started my first term at Southern New Hampshire University for a bachelor's in history with a concentration in US history. I'm 35 and one of the tutors that I work with is 40