Career change at 37 yrs old. my true love? GRAPHIC DESIGN?

Dude, check for any kind of classes in Graphic Arts. Use your retail experience to further you in the arts. Look online and at your local junior colleges even check out a four year. Most trade schools offer Graphic Arts. By the way the average American changes their career field at least ten times in their life. So kudos to you for sticking it out for so long.

Going after what you want is worth it at any age, go for it !!!! Good luck i hope things go well for you.

It's never to late to try out something else. Especially if it will make you happier in the long run. The best thing you can do is jump right into it. Offer to help friends with projects, looks for opportunities online. Try free contests like those at Sitepoint (depending on what you want to design) http://www.sitepoint.com/contests/ Design something, get some critiques, compare yourself to the other offerings. Learn and better your skills. If you have the right stuff and you become known, people will come to you. Take some courses, too, if you feel that will help (for confidence, if nothing else). Read every design blog you can possibly handle.

I'm a 20 year old college student studying graphic and industrial design, so I guess I'm at kind of the other end of the spectrum. There's definitely some people in my program who are starting later in life though. Getting a degree in design will get your foot in the door, but ultimately employers are most concerned about your portfolio work and skills. So I guess it's your choice whether or not it's worth the money to go to school. There's some great books out there (and also some really terrible books) to get you started. Check out Paul Rand and Josef Albers. I definitely want to emphasize that there's way more to graphic design than software. Actually, if you can have the discipline to do some design projects completely by hand, you'll learn a lot about composition. You might try looking at some of Saul Bass's posters, to see some really nice low-tech work. In the realm of software, though, it sounds like you've been using a lot of pixel-based programs. These have their merits, especially for working with photos. A lot of graphic design uses vector artwork, which has the advantage of being infinitely scaleable. Try learning Illustrator or Freehand (I've never used the latter, but I've heard it's similar), too. And don't forget the value of hand-generated design, which is still used in many applications. Good luck persuing your passion.

Howard At 40 I decided to walk away from a 16 year career and leap into design. 3 years later & I've never been happier. Sure it's daunting at first but nothing pats you on the back as much as knowing you're master of your own destiny and that how well you do is up to you. And I don't agree that paper qualifications are necessary. Have a good portfolio & build up your client list. And, in fact, your real experience in a copy centre will stand you in good stead. It's amazing how many graduates leave Uni without bacic knowledge of print. Good luck.