I have a question for my fellow mid-lifers. I can relate to the challenge of working full-time and squeezing college into my free time since that’s how I completed both of my degrees. Still, as much as I enjoy learning, it is a blessed relief to not feel the pressure of homework due date. Goodness knows there are enough pressures in life without adding to them. It is comforting to know that after a hard day, I can go home and turn off my brain.
Lately though, I’ve been thinking that my brain is beginning to soften and that it might benefit from some exercise – at least more exercise than I’ve been giving it recently. Yes, it is comforting to relax in the evenings and to shut down my brain so that all it has to worry about is pumping oxygenated blood but does my mentally sedentary lifestyle come at a price?
I’ve found myself Googling online degree programs in search of one that might get me off the couch (figuratively.) So my question to Betty and Veronica is why should I do this? You’ve recently made a similar choice but what was it that got you to act and wind up doing homework with all of your free time?
Of course, there are practical reasons to go back to school and you might be doing all of this to make yourself more marketable or to position yourself for a new job or promotion, but I suspect that there was more to your decision than plain-old, vanilla practicality. Was there something within that pushed you forward? Something that might inspire other potential mid-life coeds like me?