Curious if any of you older guys have gone back to school recently? I just got my acceptance letter to the local college and headed to meet with an adviser in the morning. Plan is just to take a class or two online the first few semesters but still toying with the idea of actually going to a class. Being so much older then everyone else in class I think will be pretty uncomfortable for me but not really sure. Anyone else do this?
I went to college when I was thirty seven. I had been working with youth at church for years and wanted to be better equipped to deal with their issues. So I took a few online classes and fell in love with learning. I finished my degree in 2 years and just kept going. Soon I had finished a Masters in Leadership over the next two years and then just kept going and have now have finished my Masters of Divinity and am looking to begin my Doctor of Ministry degree soon. I have taken both online and traditional classes and both are viable options. I prefer traditional when I can go to class. The online classes do require a lot of self discipline and time management but you can do it. Your being older, provides a better learning environment for younger students. You have life experiences that you can share with them and you will be an enormous blessing and resource to them. You will gain more from those priceless interactions than you ever will from the classroom itself. Now, I was reluctant to go at 37 and expressed that concern to one of my friends. I said " I will be forty by time I graduate." She said "And how old will you be if you don't graduate?" Touche!' Go... you are doing the right thing... Go and do well!
I agree with muzzy. I graduated last may with my masters in accounting and there were plenty of adults in my classes from freshman year through my masters. A lot of what I learned came from those adults that had life experiences to share. I think you should jump right in. the longer you wait the less likely it is to happen Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
best of luck Fergy! you'll do fine, take your time once class at a time and add more later as time allows! great news my man!
Ferg I'm doing this myself. I'm 32 and will be going to class. I start May 17 and I'm shooting for a Spring 2018 graduation. Best of luck!
Ahhhhh..... no problem then. When I went to school in my late 20's there was guys in their 50's in there. You will be fine Fergie. Good luck to ya!
I think you'll find that you're not the only "older" guy taking classes, and your additional life experiences can probably help some of your younger classmates. Sometimes life gives us unexpected turns, and we have to roll with them. Trust me this last year has been the most difficult in my life, and I am still trying to figure out how to roll with some of the unexpected turns, from loss of loved ones, to progression of chronic illness in another loved one, to my own medical issues, to just dealing with day to day stuff. Don't let the thought of being older be a detractor in any way, as you're not older, you're just "more experienced!!!" :D
My wife graduated in 2000 with a Bachelors in Computer Science. She didn't really like it and we moved to Canada to run the resort 2 years later. In early 2009 she started talking about going back to school to get her Accounting degree, but we were still in Canada. So, she did a bunch of research and decided to do it online through Globe University. She graduates in June, but has already been hired by the Wipfli, the biggest accounting firm in the Eau Claire area as a Staff Accountant. She started full time this past Monday. Of course, her experience owning and operating her own business for 9 years helped her land the job this early as well. Though she was 31 when she started again, its never too late to go back if you want man. Things change in life as do interests. Going back to school is pretty common now. As far as being uncomfortable, I bet you wouldn't be alone. And besides, who cares? You're trying to better your life.
Plus, its great to know when a professor is full of it. You've still got to know the information to pass but there is an old saying concerning wisdom, "you may not stop the birds from landing in your hair, but you can sure keep them from building a nest."
Sitting here now waiting to meet with an adviser and really not a big deal. Will probably take online for the summer then actual class come fall. Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2
Will just have to force myself not to get on bh.com during class! Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2
My 2 cents about on-line courses. I'm sure Dan and his wife can attest to this. When you take on-line courses you NEED to be disciplined and motivated. If you are missing either of these two traits you will likely struggle with on-line classes. It is extremely easy to procrastinate since you don't have a scheduled time to do your studies and typically they are at your own pace. Most of the time you just need to hit certain date milestones. Many people fall behind because of the lack of structure. The other issue you can have is you usually submit your questions by e-mail which means you won't get your answer for a day or so. This can be frustrating. People are used to sitting in class, asking a question, and getting an immediate response. This is not meant to scare you as on-line classes are a great thing. I just want to forewarn you about the challenges that on-line classes present.
That could be a challenge! Like the others have said, you'll be fine. Probably 1/2 of my college courses had "older" students. I never thought anything of it, they were just students like the rest of us.
Yep. I took 27 years to get my bachelors. I'm currently taking welding classes at the local community college. Most of the guys are young with 3 of us graybeards. The young guys are ok. We do have heated discussions about pants down to the knees (not in class) and how to properly wear a baseball hat. I've had good and not so good experiences with online classes. I really had a tough time with an unnamed school starting my Masters. The instructor was more interested in student to student interaction than instructor to student interaction. If I want interaction with other peeps, I'll go on FB or hey a bow-hunting site. I did have a good experience with an online math course. RC
I have online courses now....(3more months) and I have always been a huge procrastinator, etc. but I usually lock myself in the basement on Sunday evenings and I can get everything finished. It took some getting used to....but I have loved online classes.
The worst times for me was when I had online instructors that would not let students work ahead. I was usually really busy on weekends with the AF Reserve but not so much earlier in the week. I had one 15 week grad class that I finished in 3 weeks. I have had others that it was like pulling teeth to get the assignments posted. It all kind of equals out though and you will quickly find your stride. If you're married, don't neglect your family and keep a date night. Also tree stands are great places to read. Just have a plan to set your book down when game shows.
