I am an Electrical Engineering undergrad at one of the better engineering schools in the US. Now I have some background I want to explain, and I'll try to keep it brief. Back during high school I was taking classes at a community college, and easily completed all of the requisite courses for transferring into a STEM program. The problem at the time was that I had no idea what I wanted to do. So I left academia and went on my own route for a good couple of years. I never thought I would look back.
Fast forward to the future. I am married and have three children. My wife and I decided that I should look into all those credits from community college. Fortunately, there is no 'expiration date' on lower division math courses, physics, etc. So I was able to transfer, and ended up where I am now.
When I got here, I was already (at least) 30. Having been in the work force and bringing up a family, I was used to pushing myself and getting things done. So it seemed natural that being in college was difficult. It was not the courses, however, that caused problems. For example, my first math course in 10 years was vector calculus, and I completely aced that course, receiving near perfect scores on the exams. Rather, the university is optimized for the student who is just barely in his 20's, the "traditional" student.
I am a "non-traditional" student, and have come up against institutional barriers. This makes sense, since there are tens of thousands of undergrads around here, but only a handful of them have dependents. But still, not fair. Without mincing words, some professors have said that when you have kids, your life is over. Obviously some of these professors never had kids. How to make people understand that when you start a family, life does not end!!! Also, the looks on the faces of those 20-year-olds when I tell them my age, and my situation. (Most people think I'm in my early 20's - I look young.)
My focus in Electrical Engineering for grad school would be in communications. I love math. I am a big fan of our pure math department, and although I am up against a unit limit, I have taken some first year graduate level courses in pure (not applied) math. I am also interested in RF/microwave circuits, in particular MEMS devices. I have research experience, letters of rec, and an okay GPA (3.5). I'm in a summer research program right now, doing MMIC work. I know how to code, I can use version control systems on group projects, and do everything in latex.
I would like some candid advice on whether or not I should apply to grad school. On the one hand, I believe that being a parent necessitates organization, focus, and communication (the latter, with the wife :-) ). These qualities, it seems, are a good fit for grad school. Having a partner can also be advantageous in that I won't have to go through it all alone, and I know that some grad students struggle with this. On the other hand, well, some might say that I should just go find a job and have my family.
My children are young now, and we have lived at housing for students with family. It has been a great environment for all of us. But I also feel like if after graduation I found a job, then they might not want to come back, after having lived in "the real world". I would also like to hear what other grad students have to say, whether or not you have children or a spouse/partner.
tl;dr I am in my mid thirties, finishing up an engineering degree, have wife and kids, want some advice on grad school yea or nay.
