To follow up on Bitter Renter’s story, a relative of mine went to college in the late 40s and graduated with a degree in chemistry. As he was completing his B.S., he realized that chemistry is not the most lucrative major out there… so he stayed in school and completed the requirements for a B.S. in chemical engineering. So he got the the two degrees about a year apart.

Years later he completed a diploma on air pollution and public health at Harvard. After years in the air pollution field, he ended up in academia, where he lectured statistics to medical students, while pursuing a career in university administration. He retired as university vice president. He’s 86 today, and looks younger than most people in their 70s.