Being a Student as an Adult

It has been some time since many of us were in school, and you may feel that you need to update part of your skills based on your interactions with many of your colleagues and business contacts. Let me give you an idea of how to get started.

The first place to start begins with identifying what you feel you want to learn and how you can build time in your schedule to complete the work. There are options now that let you work and learn at your own pace versus sitting in a classroom. The options range from taking courses through an online college or ones that send you the materials to complete and do not have a specified time when you must complete them. My best suggestion is that while you research the institutions that interest you, keep track of the time you spent. This will let you gauge how much you can take on at one time.

When I graduated from college I was 58. I found for myself that if I chose a specific time each week to do my course work, it gave me focus and a way to measure my progress. In my case, I worked at my kitchen table every weekend for a specific time period, depending on the how intense the course work was for the current subject. Staying with this type of plan will ensure you finish the work and achieve your goal.

Most colleges offer adult education options that allow you to apply your past experience and learning through experiential learning credits. To qualify, you must complete a form to outline your knowledge, which generally includes an essay demonstrating your knowledge. Make a point to update your résumé and include it, as this helps demonstrate your life experience. If you have professional certifications, make sure they are included on your résumé. It is not unusual to get as much as 50% of your course work completed through this process. Attending MPI or other professional organizations' meetings can be an additional source of education credit.

If you are choosing to take a course that will not involve a classroom, those colleges give very little opportunity to interact with a professor. This is based primarily on the low tuition rate. My best suggestion is to have either a high school or college student help you. This could be a son or daughter who may excel in basic areas of education such as English or higher-level mathematics. They are the most familiar with the material and should be able to explain the materials in a way that helps you cover the topic.

Tip from the Expert: Before starting an educational endeavor, check with your employer on tuition reimbursement. There are many firms that will pay as much as $5,000 per semester towards tuition as a way to enhance the value of their staff.

Ted Miller, CHME CHSP, CGTP, CGMP, HMCC