(Somewhat Humorous) Thoughts on College Life at Age 40.

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, does one class at a time in 5-week intervals.  I have realized how well that has worked out for my insanity.  It seems to be the perfect amount of time spent on schooling and enables me to keep the school/work/family/down time balance very well.  I didn't know when I first looked at this school that that is how their program worked.  I am so thankful that's what I ended up with!

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.