"Because you can't pack your life into a box."

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D.

Home

Coaching

About

Moving book

Free Ezine

Teleclasses

Affiliate

Testimonials

Links

Articles

Ebooks

Contact

Career coaching article: Back to school as a mature student.

Please visit my new career/business website.

"Mature student? Who feels mature?"

If you are attending college or university after a lapse of several years, take heart! I did it, and I survived.

Being older than your fellow students can offer advantages, but also pose stresses and challenges You may call yourself a "mature" student, although most of the time you won't feel very mature.

The more neutral term is "non-traditional" or "returning" student. Whatever you call yourself (or let others call you), your moods will range from exhilarated to frustrated.

You may feel like running away and never coming back...to the planet. If you really believe you are taking a crucial step to career freedom, you'll be glad you did. Later. Much later.

(1) To get in the right spirit, check out a wonderful book, The Girls with the Grandmother Faces. The author entered a college program in her fifties after she was widowed and after she completed an alcohol rehab program. The best line: After her children warn her against over-involvement in extracurricular activities, she promises not to run for prom queen.

(2) Don't expect every professor to be an advisor or mentor. Your boss might have up to twenty direct reports but your professor might see two or three hundred students a term. Build relationships by doing the assigned work before you attempt more personal interaction.

(3) Need money? If you have a solid employment history, consider applying for a full-time job at the college. Often you receive tuition waivers and time to take class during the workday.

(4) Being a student is not an idyllic interlude. If you're taking courses for credit, expect to be busy and pressured. Courses don't have sick days or parental leave. If you have a lot of personal and job responsibilities, cut back on your course load or take a distance education course.

(5) Build your own support system. One student chose living space as support: "I may be a student but I have a grown-up apartment." Another kept in touch with friends from the "real world" who supported her. Sometimes you want to be with people who share your age and life experiences.

If someone touches your life while you are studying, don't send a card, letter or gift to the professor. Write glowing comments and circle high numbers on your course evaluations. Write a nice letter to the dean or even the president of the university. And if, after graduation, you realize that a course was more valuable than you anticipated, take a moment to thank the professor and the university. You'll make someone's day and inspire her for future teaching.

If you want to get started on your own action plan, consider coaching. Most of my clients feel energized right away and their actions lead to wonderful changes in their careers and their lives.

Read additional articles. Ezine subscribers get articles delivered to their email inbox every month.

--------------------------------------------------------------

You may forward, reprint or post this article anywhere, if you include the following resource box:

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D. is an author, career consultant, and speaker, specializing in midcaraeer professionals. Visit her site http://www.cathygoodwin.com or call 505-534-4294.
For her free ezine, visit http://www.cathygoodwin.com/subscribe.html