The first thing that probably comes to mind when you think of people who attend college is that they are young, ranging from around 18 to 21 years old or so. Although there is truth to this — and the majority of people at college or studying for a degree are younger, having just left high school and not started a career yet — there are plenty more who are older.
Older college students might have chosen to go to school to obtain the degree they didn’t feel ready for when they were younger. Perhaps they have changed their minds about the direction their careers are going in and they want to try something new, for which a degree is required. Maybe it’s just something that they have always wanted to do. Whatever the reason, college in later life is great, and here are the reasons why.
You Are More Focused
When you attend college or choose to study values-based education at Marian University online at a later stage in your life, rather than when you were younger (or you choose to obtain a second degree years after your first), you will likely be a lot more focused.
This is because you now know what you want in life, and you can see how the degree you are studying for will help you achieve your goals. You will be more able to push forward to reach the next step because you understand how it will benefit you. A younger person might be just as keen to obtain the degree as an older one, but without having an ultimate goal in mind or seeing how the degree will change their life, focus might be lacking.
You Can Afford It
There is no getting away from the fact that in most cases college costs money. A younger person may not have the funds to pay for their college tuition, and therefore they have to go straight into work after high school — there is no other option and they have no choice.
Later in life after you’ve worked and are able to generate savings, college is often more affordable. Even if you can’t pay for it outright, you will have the credit built up to pay in installments where this is a possibility. Either way, the fact is that older people have more disposable income than younger ones (especially when they have not worked) and this means college can be more obtainable.
Flexible Options
College as an older person is great because it can be so flexible. There is no need to give up your well-paid job to study; you can do both at the same time. This makes obtaining a college degree even easier (although it will still be hard work) as you can fit it in around your work and family commitments.
You can learn online, at night school, in a traditional college classroom on a part-time basis, or you can go full time if that works out best for you. Having these options that might not have been open to you as a teenager makes going to college when you are older a much more satisfying experience for many.