Theresa, Back‑to‑School Age: 55, course type: BA in International Studies.
As a 55‑year‑old freshman with zero college credits, I had a steep road ahead of me when I enrolled at the college. I'd been a successful manager in many different fields for a very long time, but I couldn't secure a minimum wage job. I was being screened out because I had no college degree. There had been a 38‑year gap since my formal schooling! I had no university scores, but I did have decades of life experience instead, so I knew some of the subjects inside out. The university has agreed to count some of my working years towards the credits, so I don’t have to worry about that anymore. My B.A. degree will bring my resume up to date and I'll maximise my earning potential for the rest of my productive life. Has it been challenging? Yes. Worthwhile? Very much so!
Debbie, Back‑to‑School Age: 58, degree: Medical Administration. Former Occupation: Small Business Owner
I had reservations about going back to school at my advanced age, knowing that I would be older than my classmates and probably even older than my instructors. But after owning several small businesses, I found myself unemployed and looking for a more stable position. I knew that the healthcare field was growing, so I decided to enrol in a college online Medical Administration Degree program. You just have to keep going and put yourself out there for other people because you'll never know what comes back to you when you do. You might lose some of your memory and mind when you get older, so doing some revision or rote‑learning sometimes becomes a problem. Still, going back to school really proved to me that you're never too old to learn.
Yvonne, Back‑to‑School Age: 45, career change: Salesperson to Motivational keynote speaker and author.
Getting a degree at college changed my entire life. I couldn't find work after losing my sales job due to a changing employment market. I couldn't pay my bills and I lost my home to the bank. Financially, I was ruined. I was 45 years old with only a high school education. I enrolled full time in a communications course, not really knowing what I would do with that degree. I learned to work with a TV camera in my classes, to write scripts, and to run a radio station. But what I really learned was how to research, interact, write, and network. And because I graduated with top scores, I had confidence for the first time in my life. That belief in myself was worth the tuition fees. Also, I was lucky, as having been granted a scholarship, I didn’t have to cover all the costs by myself.
Chris, Back‑to‑School Age: 42, career: Educational Advisor.
I returned to school in my early 40s when redundancy was looming at my company. I took the opportunity to get the education I had always wanted. If age has taught me anything, it's that you never know what's coming next. So why not study the topics that excite you? Perhaps your passions will lead you to something unexpected, something better than you thought possible. As a returning older student, I quickly discovered that I lacked the skills to handle a heavy load of schoolwork along with full‑time employment. Fortunately, my business background helped me to research academic success tools and create a hands‑on set of learning techniques for efficient, enjoyable school success. Today, I'm having a wonderful time helping other students, young and old, succeed in school. It has been a wonderfully unexpected outcome.
Elizabeth, Back‑to‑School Age: 50, career change: marketing to College Career Strategist.
I am a graduate of a college Counselling Programme. I make the college admissions process easier for high‑achieving, late‑blooming teenagers and all the stressed‑out parents who love them. I focus on the end result of graduating with a college degree: getting a job. Not knowing all the terminology used in education was the biggest challenge I had to face. Coming from the corporate world was an advantage because I had a business perspective and I used that throughout my coursework. The college course gave me the opportunity to start a new career and to do something I feel passionate about. I'd suggest that anyone in a career transition who's interested in going back to college should complete a career interest assessment first. Discover your current likes, interests, values, and work style. This is important because what you might have valued in your career when you were 20, 30, or even 40 years old might have changed now that you're in your 50s or older.
