I was a college dropout.
17 years ago, I attended a full three semesters at MSU Bozeman. Then I quit.
It just wasn't what I wanted at the time. I had no interest in a college degree and was
unsure what I wanted for a career. I was
23 at the time, having gone into the work force right after high school
graduation.
Fast forward to last summer.
The tiny thought of earning my degree entered my mind. At first I ignored it. Then I slowly started toying with it. Problem is, the more I played with it, the
bigger it grew.
This is crazy, I kept telling myself. I work a full-time job that I already
received training for (medical transcription training through an online
program). I have a young child. I home school my teenager. A colleague and I are trying to start a
nonprofit. How the heck do I have time
to pursue a degree?
So I asked my husband his thoughts. I figured, if he thought it was a crazy idea,
then it was and I would promptly push it away.
You can imagine my surprise - and trepidation - when he said go for
it! Okay, I had his support, so I
couldn't use that as an excuse anymore.
I asked my teenage daughter, who would have to help more
with the housework and her little brother, what she thought. She got excited and voiced her full support. Okay, another excuse out the window.
I started looking at schools and degrees. One particular school and program really
caught my interest. What I wanted to do
with the degree started to unfold for me.
So I asked a therapist we knew who has worked with our family over the
years. Her response? Go for it, come see me when you are ready, we
have a need for it and I will help you get started. Okay, she didn't think I was totally nuts, so
there went that excuse.
So, I prayed a bit more, applied at this school and for
financial aid, and got accepted. I
started three months sooner than I anticipated.
Boom! Less than two months from initial
thoughts to reality!
It's been a fun, exciting, and challenging journey. Some things I've learned about college at age
40 versus my early 20's:
1. My brain has to
work a little harder to retain information.
Memorizing used to be easy-peasy for me.
Now my busy, tired, overworked brain has to work a little harder. Sometimes it's even painful. :D
2. House
cleaning? Cooking? What are those? Fortunately, my husband has been doing most
of the cooking for quite some time now.
My awesome daughter does a fair share of the household cleaning and
chores, and my husband and I fill in the rest.
She offers to do a lot of it. We
have a chart breaking down the chores to just a few minutes a day, but
sometimes even then we don't get it all done.
And guess what? The world hasn't
ended. The house isn't filthy and
unlivable, it just doesn't live up to my usual standards of cleanliness. And it's okay!
3. Finding the
balance between concentrating on school work and making sure my 4-year-old
stays out of trouble has been, well, let's just say I am still learning! You know the saying - Silence is golden
unless you have a toddler/preschooler.
And you are so focused on your homework you don't notice the silence,
and the ensuing disaster.
4. I have found I
have a completely different perspective on many things than I did 17 years
ago. Sometimes I'm not so sure that is a
good thing…
5. I have discovered
I get just as excited - or disappointed - with my grades as I did 17 years
ago. When I'm working my tail off, I
like the reward of a good grade. Keeps
me motivated to keep going and keep working hard! I didn't think it would matter so much to me
now.
6. My school, Ashford University
Because I was able to transfer so many credits from MSU and
from my medical transcription curriculum, after only 5 classes, I am already
halfway to my degree. And I am
incredibly excited to attain something that just a year ago I had absolutely no
interest in achieving.
