The key to earning more money, switching careers, and getting sober for this millennial: going back to college at 32

Erin Vaughan, 41, worked in restaurants and owned a personal chef business. But after going back to college, her whole life changed for the better.

• Erin Vaughan, 41, went back to college when she was 32.
• It allowed her to find a new career path she wouldn't have considered otherwise.
• It was challenging to get a degree later in life, but she said it was well worth it. 

It's not an exaggeration to say going back to school changed Erin Vaughan's life.

Vaughan, 41, completed two semesters of college in her mid-twenties, but she wasn't able to afford to further her education at the time, so she dropped out and began pursuing her passion for the culinary field. She moved to Los Angeles, worked in restaurants, and started her own business as a personal chef — and she said she loved working with her clients, who were primarily older adults who needed nutritional meals.

However, given her older client base, Vaughan wanted to further her knowledge of nutrition. At the age of 32, she went back to school and graduated in 2020 with a bachelor of science degree in food science and technology.

She had to take out $20,000 in student loans to afford the program, but she said it was well worth it.

"It is truly one of the hardest things I've ever done, but the most rewarding thing," Vaughan told Business Insider. "It has changed how I think about myself. It has changed how I think about my abilities. It has definitely changed my career."

The restaurant industry had a heavy drinking culture, Vaughan said, and once she started school and grew committed to the program, she decided to become sober.

"It's the biggest thing I've ever done for myself," she said. "There's four years where I've worked toward one goal, and it empowered every aspect of my life."

Vaughan now works as a project manager for quality assurance at a men's personal care brand. According to documents reviewed by BI, she's already received a series of promotions at the company that have boosted her paychecks by hundreds of dollars per month. She said it's a role where she feels like she can bring a lot of value and continue to grow.

She's among a growing number of older adults who have decided to return to school later in life to give themselves another shot at higher education. A recent paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that about 70% of the rise in college completion from 1990 to 2010 is a result of the growing share of adults getting degrees after their mid-twenties. On top of that, a report from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation on the state of higher education in 2024 found that "adults' interest in pursuing some form of higher education is at the highest level" the organizations ever recorded.

Going back to school opened Vaughan's eyes to the possibility of a different career path, and she now has a steady job, bigger paychecks, and a sense of fulfillment with the opportunities her degree opened up for her.

"If you have that inkling, do it. It will be rewarding," Vaughan said. "It'll be hard, but it's kind like, you don't enjoy doing squats. You enjoy it afterward. You enjoy the results. And I think anybody who's in their head about going back, the only way to move through that is actually do it."

'It's opened up a world of potential'

Going back to school hasn't made things perfect for Vaughan. Graduating at the beginning of the pandemic, Vaughan said she had to accept a job with a very low salary because she had no other option, and she went through three different jobs in search of better pay before landing her current role.

But a few years of instability set her up for a steady future where she can look toward achieving her goals.

"I can shine in my job, and I know that I can use the skills I have in the future and blaze my own trail," she said. "It's opened up a world of potential for me."

Of course, going to school later in life doesn't always pay off. BI previously spoke to a Gen Xer who pursued a degree in his 40s, but he was unable to land a job and ended up saddled with over $100,000 in student debt. The high cost of college is also a key factor as to why many Gen Zers have chosen to skip higher education altogether, instead choosing to pursue careers that do not require college degrees.

Given the financial barriers, some adults have opted to complete some or all of their programs at a community college to lessen the costs. Vaughan started her program at a community college, and she said that had she not done otherwise, she would have had a much bigger student-debt balance.

Going forward, Vaughan said she's looking forward to discovering where else her career can take her — and she's hoping to pursue other interests now that she has a job that gives her a good work-life balance.

"I'm able to actually go to yoga classes, take care of my health, write as a hobby or maybe even as a side hustle someday, or maybe I'll pick up photography," Vaughan said. "You don't have to stop now that you have your degree."

Did you go back to school later in life? Did it pay off, or do you regret it? Share your story with this reporter at asheffey@businessinsider.com.