Almost half way through first term already

Well, I haven't posted in a couple of weeks, mainly because many things have been keeping me busy, homework being the primary one. I am almost half way through my first term back to college in 20 years and I have to say it feels fantastic. In one of my writing classes I had a guy ask me, "Why if you are self employed for 17 years would you possibly want to change?" He is studying business and his dream is to be self employed like I have been.

I am always careful to not discourage anyone because everybody is different in their journeys in life. I explained to him that after 17 years, the cons of being self employed and isolated in a comfortable and luxurious home office have caught up to me such that I need to get outside myself and interact with the real world again. It's just my journey. I loved being self employed for many years, but it also comes with its own brand of exhausting problems. After 17 years I can say honestly that I've been there, done that, enjoyed it but am ready to move onto something completely different as Monty Python might say.

So far I'm pulling A's in my classes and I love the interaction with younger students, but there are many students in my classes between 38-50 years old too. I love the mental stimulation and the comradeship I feel with my other students as we are all there with the intent to better our lives in some way. It's a very positive feeling. If you are in your 40's and looking for something new to do, don't feel that you are too old, or too set in your ways to make a change. Start thinking about what you want to do. Start getting information from a prospective college in their counseling department and especially talk to financial aid as you are quite likely to receive some grant money for "retraining" purposes under the Stimulus plan. I hope to see you in class.