The Returning Adult Student:
Overcoming Obstacles in the Pursuit of a Degree

� 2005 By Jerry Flattum
All Rights Reserved. Printed with Permission

Going to college late in life at first seems noble. The adult student is out to disprove the widely held belief, "Ya can't teach an old dog new tricks." Outsiders will always express admiration, even when the image of a 40 or 50 year old sitting at a school desk looks almost cartoonish. When goals are clear, the obstacles an adult student faces will seem less insurmountable. The first goal is to clearly define the reason for going to school late in life. Is it theoretical or practical?

Herein, adult generally refers to 35 and older.

The returning adult student feels there's a chance to make up for the past. Nothing begs for a sense of closure more than being a few short credits away from a degree-a degree that should've been finished years ago. The new adult student sees a chance to start anew, usually in the hopes of making a career change or starting a career.

Theoretical Vs. Practical
Whether returning or new, there are basically two reasons for adults deciding to go to school. The first reason is to learn. The second is far more practical: to get a better job.

The desire to increase one's knowledge is always commendable. It's sad that in many ways colleges have become job development factories more than institutions designed to increase learning for learning's sake.

Then there is the equally valid view that knowledge for knowledge's sake is wasted baggage...and a waste of money. A degree in a discipline that has no practical application doesn't carry much return on the investment.

Being realistic-meaning, having a firm grasp of the marketplace-minimizes risk and has the potential for a far greater return on the investment.

It could be argued that such critical decisions as theoretical (learning) vs. practical apply to anyne considering college. But for the adult, the next obstacle to face is the Age Factor.

Age Factor
The age factor is felt on the first day of registration and the pressure never let's up. In the new millennium, colleges are increasingly marketing degree programs to the adult student, but higher education is still very much geared towards youth.

Some colleges entice older students without really explaining the emotional and social side affects an adult will experience in such a youth-based environment.

A 40 year old student is not likely to become a member of a fraternity or sorority. No one 35 and older is going to take up residency in a dorm. Any adult old enough to have kids 18 and older will be looked at as a mom or dad. This can be particularly disconcerting when the father or mother of an 18 year old is highly educated and already successful in a career. The unspoken question is, "What took YOU so long?"

The job market, regardless of industry, is also youth-based. Age discrimination is nearly impossible to prove, an entanglement that carries more cost than benefit. There is the very real possibility that a 30 year old employer is more likely to hire someone under 30 than over. The media and entertainment industries are very telling in this respect, where nearly all products and services are marketed to the ever hungry 18-35 demographic.

In the pursuit of a career-based degree, some degrees are obviously more practical than others, like computer science and business degrees. But again, using a sports analogy, a 45 year-old armed with a computer programming degree up against a 25 year old is not much different than a boxing match. Realistically, going back to school at a later age is more about youth versus experience than it is achieving higher education.

Advantages of Experience
Even though going to school late in life is becoming more socially acceptable, it is still a bold act. Traditional expectations dictate going to school first followed by a successful career. The responsibilities of some careers are so great there is little time to go back to school. Against this measuring stick, going to school late in life without a successful career might appear as an admission of failure.

Changing careers or starting a new one is one way to look better, if self-consciousness is a problem. A prior successful career is a form of endorsement: "It's OK if you go back to school because you've already achieved success." Otherwise, going back to school appears desperate or a futile way to make up for past mistakes.

The upside is that experience brings with it the ability to grasp theoretical concepts with greater understanding. Real life experience teaches the value of critical learning skills, like focus, discipline, organization and goal setting. Parents are special, where raising children offers keen insight into a wide range of issues addressed in college classrooms, from morality and philosophy to health and finance.

Question the Alternatives
One way to avoid the classroom is distance learning. It offers the flexibility of pursuing advanced learning without conforming to a rigid and inflexible on-campus schedule. If following instructions and passing tests via online earns a degree, such a minimalist approach might be enough for some. But how much value do employers place on online degrees versus traditional degrees? What about society as a whole? A degree from a major university-foreign and American Big 10-is still one of the world's most recognized accomplishments.

Get Bold
Adults returning to school brave a new frontier. It's an old way of thinking that says learning stops at a certain age. It's even more absurd to think anyone past some arbitrary age limit is no longer capable of functioning in the workplace. Youth is no guarantee of academic excellence. Sometimes the desire to go to college just isn't there right out of high school. The key is desire to learn and the willingness to change.

There is also the practical of the practical: Do you really have the time and energy to tackle the logistics of a big campus? Is an online degree not much different than a GED compared to a "real" high school diploma? Can you handle the Age Factor?

*****

Jerry Flattum is a songwriter, screenwriter and freelance writer. He has a Masters in Liberal Studies and a self-designed BS in Popular Music and Songwriting, both degrees from the University of Minnesota. He teaches Adult Education and Life Skills at Summit View Sr./Jr. High School Correctional Facility in Las Vegas. In 2005 he signed his first book contract with Sams Technical Publishing.

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