10 Benefits of Going to College at 53
I decided to head back to school hoping to earn a degree.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. — Nelson Mandela
Life Happens in its own way
After a career spent mostly in restaurant and retail management, with some entrepreneurship and artistry mixed in, somehow I desired something else.
We are taught in conventional circles that institutional education is the path, a voice kept repeating in my head, that message they put there.
I had something nagging, an in-completion gnawing at me. I had moved several times in my High School years, missing some time in school. When the graduation event arrived, I was short a few credits.
I met with the important people of the day, in that place and time to accept a decision that I would be able to graduate, going thru commencement with my class. But, would be handed an empty folder at the podium, I was to return the next year and finish, needing to go 2 more quarters.
Then life happened. Money was required and I found a job, within months I was managing a little deli, the owner and I clicked and he had plans for growth.
I never made it back to school.
Education is not just about going to school and getting a degree. It’s about widening your knowledge and absorbing the truth about life. — Shakuntala Devi
This always bothered me. I simply left it out on my resume, listing my High School there and the year I graduated, because I did, nobody checked.
That is until the internet came along.
Finally, searching for a job, I landed an interview and did well enough for them to initiate the hiring process.
There are companies now that specialize in this, checking little details like DIPLOMAS!
They uncovered my omission and passed, I was devastated. I cried for a day, then realized it was time to take on this unfinished business, and I did.
Many people along the way knowing of my situation suggested a GED.
Being a manager myself, having hired hundreds of people, I knew what I thought when reading GED on a resume, and it was not favorable. Yes, I was one of the snobbish judgemental people. Spoiler Alert, so are most of the population.
So, I never did the GED, but now, I needed a quick fix. So, I called the local college and they said we have prep classes starting tomorrow, they cost this much, blah, blah, blah.
I said, “no need for prep, when can I take the test.” she tried to tell me everyone needs the prep. I was in there the next day.
Knowing there was nothing I would have learned in the few months I missed way back then, I was angry at them for withholding this from me. It felt like I was low class and indeed now the job had been withheld. I wanted the completion paper and I wanted it now.
I had no clue what it was, even though I should have, but I know, I know.
You have to stay in school. You have to. You have to go to college. You have to get your degree. Because that’s the one thing people can’t take away from you is your education. And it is worth the investment. — Michelle Obama
The GED is an equivalency exam, it consists of 4 subjects.
Mathematics
Social Studies
Science
Reading and Writing
Each test has a possible score of 800 points. They tell us the testing will take an average of 3 hours.
During the course the taker is observed, there are strict rules and you can only use objects the test center gives you to help formulate answers, there are cameras. It was intimidating, but I’m not sure why.
They set me up and I began. Halfway through I remember thinking how easy it was. I wondered why I had waited so long, it was a foolish self-limiting belief.
I had carried it for 35 years.
I finished the exam and went out to alert the staff, I was instructed to sit down while they tabulated the results.
The person running the show was a woman, I don’t recall her name, but she went over to a printer and retrieved four printouts.
I watched her as she looked them over. Her eyes got really big and she paused for a moment. Unsure what to think, I became a little apprehensive.
She said “Congratulation, you passed”. I had to ask her why she had that reaction. She explained.
“Well, I’ve never seen anyone score like this” “What do you mean,” I asked wondering if my scores were the worse in the land.
She replied, “Mr. Boswell, you turned in perfect 800 scores on 2 of the modules. you only missed two questions, and you skipped those apparently planning to come back, did you forget?”
I had missed two questions on the entire test!
Both that I didn’t even answer! And before this day, I was being called a High School drop out and treated as such by anyone who knew the truth in my records.
Does anyone else see anything wrong with this picture?
At that exact moment I resolved to enter back into “the system” and earn whatever degrees I felt like. They had succeeded in making me feel stupid, less than. I needed a little revenge.
What a complete farce. I had just turned in one of the highest scores this COLLEGE had ever seen. Hmm?
I enrolled in college the next day.
Before this gets any further out of hand or off topic, let’s get to my list.
10 Benefits of Going to College at 53
#1: I learned I could ACE the GED exam.
#2: Learned nothing was missing in my knowledge department.
#3: I have a transcript to be proud of instead of hiding it.
#4: Got to take advantage of grants I never knew existed.
#5: I just put up a new website in less than one day.
#6: Out of 30 students only 10 finished, I was one of them at twice the age of most.
#7: Found out I know as much or more than the instructors.
#8: Got my self-esteem back
#9: Created new contacts and references
#10: Got my missing High School Diploma having finished whatever missing credits and now have a college transcript that says I finished with a 3.98 GPA. The near-perfect GED is negated.
In the end, I received an Associates Degree in the Applied Sciences majoring in Graphic Design. I received all A grades with one A- thus the 3.98 instead of 4.0.
During the two year process, I received 4 letters from the president of the college commending my performance.
The best result of all, getting the monkey off my back. The idea that I was less than. The sad part is, I still feel it.
Who will answer for that?
Just do it, getting it out of the way. Then, it will be harder for them to call you incomplete.
Cheers, Christopher
When Christopher isn’t writing from wherever, he can be found traveling or capturing photographs somewhere in the United States. Or generating Graphic Design, processing images or video, flying his Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, wrangling dogs, or backpacking and kayaking. He lives in Tacoma, WA. His photographic and design endeavors can be viewed at the link below.
We invite you to learn more about Christopher at Real Window Creative
