# 30+ and going back to school?



## iTzKwAyZ (Apr 25, 2011)

I am not 30 yet but by the time i graduate i will be. I am currently pursuing a computer engineering degree and a master in computer science. My uncle laughs at me saying that by the time i graduate i will be 30+. At first i was depressed but even if i were 40+ i would do it because it something i have a passion for. so what i am trying to say if you have a passion for it then do it.


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## Bodieva1 (Apr 26, 2011)

I, myself decided to enroll into college last August at the age of 30. I worked in the work force for ten years as a hairstylist. I have two young daughters and I wanted to be a better role model for them. My husband and I took what we thought to be a huge financial cut by me going to school full-time. We decided that it would be best that I think of school as my "job". Well, I am finishing up my second semester with my overall gpa being a 4.0. Also, I actually bring home more money going back to school than I was working two days a week and being miserable because of scholarships (academic, finacial need, and being OLD!!)

I think being older has helped me stay focused on my goals. I have a purpose and I think that is important for anyone with a passion to succeed. I was a nervous wreck the first day of class. It had been almost 13 years since I'd sat in a classroom and was a student. To make matters worse, within the first 10 minutes of being on campus I was asked not once, but twice if I was the professor! I couldn't find a rock big enough to crawl under. But to my surprise that day I found out that I was one of the younger students in my second course! There was a fella who was in his late fifties. 

Going back to school or going for the first time such as myself is never a bad idea. I absolutely love school and take such pride in what I have accomplished the last year. I have been invited to join the International Honor Society, to take Honors Courses, and also recommended to become a Supplemental Instructor. I'm an English major and I want to teach high school, so I think the Supplemental Instructor program will look great on my resume when it comes time to find a job.

I found that you are never too old to get a degree. Whether you are looking to advance yourself in the job market or enriching your mind. My confidence has flourished and I feel great about myself. My husband laughs because he says my agruing skills are amazing now! HAHA! I've knocked the dust off my critical thinking button. 

My in-laws are all very successful people and they always kind of looked down on me because I wasn't college educated. My father-in law is a doctor, my mother-in law has developed ultrasound machines and has been published in medical journals, my sister-in law is an attorney, and my other sister-in law is a CPA who graduated from Vandy. It would take up too much time to list the extended family's acheivements. However, no one has done as well as I have in college. They all have moved my peg up, so to speak. 

So in saying all of that, you should absolutely go back to school and accomplish your dreams! don't let your age hold you back, you will be amazed with what you can do! Good luck and best wishes to all of those who are 30+ chasing their dreams (finally!)


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## svandivier (Apr 26, 2011)

*In the middle of my trip back to school*

In August of 2010 I went back to school. I'm currently finishing my associates degree pre-nursing and will start nursing school in the fall for my bacholers. To any of you considering going back, make sure your doing it for all the right reasons because if your not than chances are, finishing will be a problem. As a husband and father of two with one on the way (unplaned I might add) and a full time worker, school is definitely causing some role conflicts. 
Let me run you through an average day in my life at this point. I wake up at 4:45a.m. to the annoying beeping of the alarm clock and roll out of bed. After getting ready for work I get on the computer and log into my schools website to review my scholastic priorities for the day. Then I drive to work (one hour away from where I live thanks to the economic state of our country). On the way I review any audio recordings of the previous nights classes. Upon arriving I grab my cuecards out of my book bag and review them as I walk to clock into work. I look these cue cards over any time nobodies looking or on breaks. At lunch I try to accomplish any reading that needs to be done for class that night. After work I drive to school, listening to the audio recordings again, and once there I read and study some more. Just before class I call home and speak to my children and wife until class starts. During breaks in school I'll call home again to wish the kids a good night. At around 9:00p.m. class ends and I drive home with a new audio recording to start listening to. Once home it's time to make a lunch and get ready for another day at work and make any cue cards for the next day. I sneak into the girls room and kiss them good night and then crawl into my own bed around 10:30p.m. to hopefully get six hours sleep. In between all of this I some how mow the lawn and go to my oldests soccer games.
I know for my family the extra income and a chance to work closer to home with little more job security is why I doing this. But please take some advise from me before you start ask yourself why and is it really worth it. Is it worth the strain that will be put on your marriage, the time lost with your children, is your goal really going to back a difference in your life and the lives of others. How many roles can you play at one time?


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## Mthelen (Apr 27, 2011)

I'm about to turn 32 and am about to get my associates degree. I started college at 17 and, mostly, it was a big party for me. I didn't make good grades and rarely showed up for class. I dropped out after a few years and 9 credit hours later. I started school again at the age of 30. Now that I'm older with responsibilities, mainly a wife and four daughters, I take school much more seriously. Instead of going to school because it was expected or that's just what people did when they graduated high school, now I'm going because I want to. I do much better in my classes now that I am there of my own free will and doing something I know will make life better for my family. Good luck!


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## CynicallyNaive (Jan 18, 2011)

I'm late 30s and 2/3 though my master's program.


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## Michael82 (Dec 13, 2010)

I'm 29 and haven't left school.


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## Dr Visionary (May 5, 2011)

Im 32, I started back in school a few years ago to go from IT into the medical field. Found I still liked IT, stopped finishing my courses and just had a couple life changes, loss my grandmother and had my own life threatened at work a few months later. I quit working, even though the money is needed, now I'm looking to put all my time into school, or join the military. When I was at school, there where a few people older than me at the university I was attending. So don't be afraid of your age, there are young people that are afraid of going to school and not get anywhere... It's a decision that should make you happy.


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