Many 4 cylinder motors have a common problem with the oil pressure warning light sending unit going bad. if the oil level is OK that's probably your fix. The ticking is from the hydraulic lifters (lash adjusters). When they get tarnished or dirty from not changing the oil and filter every 3,000 miles that's what happens. People never learn and would rather think a mechanic is just trying to get them to spend more money so they make more by doing more frequent oil changes. That's a joke! Mechanics lose money everytime they do oil changes.

DO WHAT THE LIGHT TELLS YOU TO DO - CHECK THE OIL! I suspect you will find it low on oil - add oil to the full mark - if not low you may have a low pressure condition and this is a whole different and more costly can of worms. Continue to look at the light and ignore and you will need a new engine - this is probably end of life for the car due to the expense.

If its not low on oil could be a faulty switch

Change the oil. It is probably old, which will make the oil thin out more when it is hot. Also, I would use a slightly heavier weight oil, like 10W40 or 20W50

I drive a 2000 VW Jetta. It runs good but once I take off and get going a little ways and the car warms up, my check oil light appears and then soon after I hear a ticking. Once this happens I have to pull over and let the car cool off before I drive again. What should I do? How much will it cost to fix?