Chinese History

Thanks jasper.milvain for taking the time to reply to my post. I hope you have a great summer as well.

Hello everybody. I have been reading everybody's posts for awhile and decided to write a post myself. I have just started looking into getting a Masters Degree or a Ph.D and would like to receive some opinions. First of all, I am 32 years old and have been out of school for sometime now. I would like to go back to school because I enjoy learning and would like to find a good, challenging job. How old are most graduate students? I don't want to be the 'old guy' in the class. Furthermore, it seems that there is a lot of competition in the U.S. history department. I have been thinking about looking for a major in Chinese history. I'm not sure what time period yet, but I think it is interesting and maybe there will be more jobs in the future considering how fast China is growing and its power in the world. I actually have been living in China for the past two years and can speak Chinese relatively well. Anybody have any ideas on whether this is a pragmatic subject to research? I would also like to know about funding. Is it possible to work a full-time job while studying? How do I get a fellowship? Financial Aid? Is a master degree not worth it; should go straight for a Ph.D? Does anybody have experience with schools abroad? Particularly an accredited school in China? Thanks!