Can I Convince My Friend to go Back to College?
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The professors lectured all day and assigned pages and pages of text to read or write. It was no walk in the park and quite tough, actually. I couldn’t see how a new baby (and sleepless nights) could add to the charm of going to college because going to college was a baby within itself: It needed to be nurtured and fed, and required lots of attention.
She gave birth to a baby girl, three months before her college start date. Being a mother exhausted her, she told me. “Having a baby is nothing like they say it is in the magazines,” she said. I knew that already. I also knew that baby didn’t have a fighting chance with her mom as a single parent without a college degree.
I reminded her of her school start date in between the coos of her daughter. Things had changed, yes, but changes for the better are always welcoming. This was not about just her anymore. She was responsible for another life.
The date drew nearer, with me calling every other day to make sure she was on the right track. In the back of my mind, I was waiting for her to provide an excuse not to go back to college. But instead, the news was, “I started school today.” Fantastic! I said.
That was one year ago and she’s still going strong, but not without the challenges that many nontraditional students face, like managing school and family. We both provide each other with moral support to get through the kinks of going back to college. Besides, everything else is just life–whether happy or unhappy.
- Brie Hart
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I certainly can understand the pains of being a student. While I obtained my B.A. from the age of 18 – 22, I met a special woman and was married at 23. Later that year, our first daughter was born, and the unspoken understanding of postponing graduate school in order to be a provider was also born. 6 years later, I applied to graduate school and was accepted. In addition to working long hours (40+ per week), I’m taking 3 classes per semester. Graduate school isn’t easy, nor is it meant to be. I’m 31 years old right now, and I won’t obtain my M.A. degree until I’m 33 — that’s 4 years of graduate school at 9 hours per semester for my current situation.
An education is something that no one can ever take away from you; while that little piece of paper signifies hard and long academic work to future employers, it also means personal accomplishment. Frankly, I know that I’m a smart person who has a lot of potential. And without that little piece of paper, it’s very difficult to prove to an employer that I’m the smart person that I know I am. In other words, pieces of paper are designed to communicate both to employers and to future clients that I possess expertise in my field.
I’m glad that your friend is going back to school. I see 30 somethings, 40 somethings, 50 somethings and even 60 somethings in my classes. She’s NOT alone. In essence, education is a life long process. Every once and a while, we get a little piece of paper for our efforts.