Have you ever thought about going back to college, or attending for the first time?  If you’re over 30 years old you may be saying you’re over the hill, too busy or it’s a young person’s thing.

Naw.

My wife, bless her close-to-50 heart, is about to go back to college and get another degree. Bravo! It’s not going to be as expensive as you may think. In fact, it takes more guts than green. Many mature people think college campuses are filled with nothing but the younger set, but they soon find out that’s far from the truth. And the best news: in-state tuition makes getting that sheepskin affordable, especially if you get some of the classes out of the way at a community college.

I actually did the same thing about 15 years ago. I had maxed out my career in music education and the extra money I was making as an actor was nice, but both were hardly adding to any type of nest egg. News had always been a passion so it was off to class for me. I first wondered what it would be like. Would I be able to keep up? Was I too old and would I be out of place in my classes?Would the younger students, who had been in the studious mode I abandoned years ago make me look foolish?  Answers: no, no and NO.

It all actually turned out to be just the opposite. It was easy to keep up and the younger students actually need the older students’ help. I wasn’t too old. In fact, I was actually younger than most of my classmates and most of the “older” students made some of the younger ones look foolish. Why? Life experience.

The term “shooting fish in a barrel” comes to mind. Older students don’t sweat the small stuff like their younger counterparts do and that allows the “oldsters” to shine through. It was actually an ego boost for me, and I highly recommend it. My wife is excited and nervous at the same time. I can’t wait until the day she comes home with that ‘this is a piece of cake’ look in her eyes. College will invigorate her, challenge her, frustrate her at times, but it will fulfill her a hundred fold. She will learn more about and realize her talents, and how to utilize them. I think she’ll even teach the people around her a few things. I KNOW she will.

And I know that people who read this site and my columns can do the same thing. I urge you to give it a try, if you have the time. Who knows, you might just get a new career and lease on life. Go ahead, shoot for the stars, that’s what my better half is doing. She’s majoring in Broadcasting, even though the job market around here is tight.

Although, it might not be as tight as some people think…. [more on that in future columns! ;-) ]