I have to agree with Show Heifer on this one. If working in agriculture is something you have dreamed of, or something that interests you..... then GO FOR IT!!!! I also can hardly believe some of the statements in this post about ag related jobs being dead end jobs and there being no future in then. Come on.. let's get real here. Production of food is a nobel profession and I think it will only become more nobel in the future. And I also agree that doing something that you want to do, will provide more benefits to you, in ways you could never imagine, than any amount of money could ever do. Some of the most miserable people I know are incredibly rich. This is not to say that you cannot do both... do something you love and get paid well for it. If you want it bad enough, you can do both.
My youngest sister did exactly what you are thinking of doing. She raised 3 children and when the youngest one graduated from high school, she went back to University and got her Ag Degree. As a mature student, she was more focused and soared to the top of her class. She says it was not even hard to do. She was fortuante to get several scholarships along the way, which helped pay for her education. When she graduated, she had many job offers, because employers knew that she was determined and doing something she wanted to do. Of course, some employers passed her by, as they wanted to hire someone who was able to spend their career with them and/or was willing to move. Regardless, she got a great job and in less than 1 year was promoted to Assistant Manager of the company she works for. She landed a job a few miles from where she lives, so she is a very happy camper.
I could moan and groan about my lot in life as I also have a degree in animal science and decided to come home and chase cows after graduating. Some would say that I wasted my education, but I would never say this. I am not saying that my education provided me with everything I needed to do what I am doing. What it did do for me, was provide me with a wonderful network of people that I can go to when I need information or help. Mostly it provided me with security in that I knew if something happened where I could no longer " chase my cows" that I had something that I could use to open doors to other employment. That may be a monor point, but some security is important in life.
The economy is sucking swamp water right now and there may not be as many jobs out there as there once was, but this is only a temporary deal. There are still good jobs out there that pay well as well. If this is a field you want a career in, I still maintain that you should go after it even if the job market doesn't appear to be real shiny right now. This too will pass .... and you will success in finding the job that gives you happiness along with some security. If you go around thinking you will fail.... you probably will. There seems to be a lot of negative thinkers around there days ... which is something that really bothers me.
I am saying " GO FOR IT GIRL". I applaud your courage for even thinking about doing this, as many would never have the guts to do it. If this is something that feels right to you, don't listen to the people who tell you that this is a crazy idea. After all, this involves YOU and NOT THEM! I would also say that if you do this, I predict you will do well. Have some fun along the way, do your best and the rewards will appear in places you never imagined.
