On Wednesday, D’Ann made mention of graduation (and gifts for graduates). I’m guessing she was thinking of 18 and 22 year olds, for the most part.
A decade ago this month, I attended my oldest daughter’s college graduation. She’d had a long career as a flight attendant (close to 20 years) but was ready to stay home, so she went back to school to prepare for a career change.
Now, it may have been the acknowledgment during the ceremony of the oldest graduate in that class or it may have just been the reminder that I couldn’t keep saying, “One day…” But I went home, got online, and I enrolled to take classes at my local community college.
You see, while I had some classes under my belt from years before, I never earned a college degree. I married and had kids instead, something I do not regret because health issues in my twenties might have kept me from ever having kids if I’d waited. But a college degree was still a bucket list item—and it was going to get harder and harder to cross it off the list if I didn’t get with the program.
I have always loved learning and have done so all my life, primarily as an avid reader. I must say, attending college classes as a senior citizen has been a fun experience (we are the first to turn in assignments!). It helps that I’m not doing this in order to begin a career. When a student attends college for the fun of it, there is no pressure about what to do and when to do it. You don’t rack up a lot of credits fast when you do it the way I have (one or two classes per semester, other semesters no classes at all), but slow and steady will get it accomplished. Eventually.
I’ve taken some great classes. Others were a little like pulling teeth. I was glad to get the math requirement out of the way, and although I don’t care much for science, I managed to find a couple of courses that held my interest. (My daughters are both science majors. They didn’t get it from me.) Two of my favorite classes had to do with film studies and another favorite was History Through Biography. And a paper I wrote for an English class ended up being published in the back of one of my novels, You’ll Think of Me. You can read that essay, Missing Daddy, Missing Pieces, here.
Still learning . . . Slow and Steady
All that to say, the end of the journey is in sight, and if it weren’t for my book deadlines and the need to make a living, I could finish up this year. That won’t happen. It’ll likely be 2026 before I can check this item off my bucket list. So I’m just going to enjoy the elective classes I have yet to take. Again, slow and steady will get me there. And, I should mention, it is almost guaranteed that I will be recognized as the oldest graduate whenever that happens.
No gifts required.
~robin
Robin Lee Hatcher
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I will be cheering loud when you don that cap and gown and march across that stage, Robin! I’m so impressed by this soon-to-be-achievement!
Thanks, Deb. Trust me, I will share photos.
So proud of you, Robin! I work at a university, and I love seeing older learners hungry for knowledge come in to audit classes or finish degrees. When you’re young, it’s easy to view college as a chore that has to be completed before real life begins, but non-traditional students seem to really appreciate the meaningfulness of learning. We’ll definitely need to throw you a big virtual graduation party here on the blog when your commencement day arrives!
Ooh, a virtual graduation party. I love the sound of that.
I love your tenacity, Robin! Honestly, if I could have figured out how to be college student forever, I would have, because I love learning too. And I get you about science and your daughters. Our daughter has her doctorate in biologyical research. I, on the other hand, talked my way out of taking biology in both high school and college! 🙂
LOL!! Tenth grade biology, I refused to do any dissections. My lab partner got to do it all. Let’s just say, I wasn’t my teacher’s favorite student, and I think he passed me only because he was afraid I might turn up in his class again. But now I want to now how you could talk your way out of biology in high school. It was required at mine. For college, I chose one that was animal science, and I actually liked that one. The other one I chose was Physical Geography. Some of it interested me but mostly I just got through it.
I’m cheering you on, Robin!! I LOVE that you’re fulfilling this bucket-list item. It’s so true that slow and steady gets it done. 🙂
❤️
Congratulation on your effort, Robin! I stayed out of college a year, but my brother convinced me to go back and finish. My older brother married in his freshman year, then quit and went to work, going back to school 10 years later so he could get a better job. My best friend married right out of high school then decided to go to college after her children were in school. She worked full time and online courses were not a thing yet. So she took a class or two a semester until she graduated, magna cum laude, years later. It doesn’t matter when you finish. It’s the finishing that is successful, just like writing. I admire you for being able to balance your time between your writing work and your school work.
Thanks so much, Marilyn. I was definitely inspired by my daughters who graduated in their forties. But they were actually doing it for career reasons. I’m just doing it because I want to. Of course, nothing I read or study goes to waste. I’m a writer. It is all grist for the mill.
Good for you to keep going to school. It gives me encouragement to try that as a retired person who wants to go on a new path.
I have really enjoyed your books so that you for sharing your gift.
Go for it, Margaret. And I’m delighted to know you enjoy my books!
I admire you for working on your degree.
I, at one time, considered getting my associates degree just for my personal satisfaction but it would interfere with my reading time too much! We have to set our priorities!