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One step at a time You know you want to go back to college. You've done the research, you know where you want to go, how you're going to pay for it (you hope!), maybe even what you want to study. Now what? Now you have to make a commitment to yourself, a commitment to start and to see it through. But the commitment to start just might be the hardest step of all. It's at this point that you are likely to have many more questions than answers. You may be plagued by doubts: Can I succeed? Am I too old? Will I fit in? Can I really afford this? Will my family suffer? Can I still hold onto my job? You will try to imagine your new life to see how you'll be able to balance studies with family and work responsibilities, what new routines you'll have to adopt and what college life will be like. The situation can seem overwhelming, and it's easy to procrastinate. Excuses abound: Maybe I'd better wait until next semester to start...I just can't afford it yet...I don't really have the time...I'll wait until my kids are older...I need to brush up on my math skills first...etc, etc. But there are strategies to help you get started and keep going. Among the most effective are: find your passion; follow your passion; and take it one step at a time. Recently I had a reminder of just how successful these strategies can be. I received wonderful news from Christine, one of the former students who shared her story with us several years ago. She has just earned her master's degree in Human Services, magna cum laude. Congratulations, Christine! When Christine decided to go back to college, her first - and at the time she thought her only – stop was an associate's degree. While she found the college experience validating, she was totally concentrated on achieving her goal of finishing community college, and never really considered going on for a bachelor's degree. But Christine did find something while in school that, although she may not have realized it at the time, planted the seed for further education: a life purpose. Christine discovered that what she wanted to accomplish was to help others reach their full potential. With this goal in sight – and a little push from friends – Christine found herself enrolled in the Social Work program at the University of Tampa after her graduation from community college. She earned her bachelor's degree (and made the National Dean's List) in 1995. Again, she thought that was it, though she did go on to gain credentials from the State of Florida as a Certified Addiction Professional. But several years later she found herself, together with one of her co-counselors, returning to college. In Spring 2001, Christine entered the Human Services master's program at Springfield College's Tampa campus. A 16-month program, classes met once a month over a three-day weekend, so she could fit her studies into her counseling work schedule. I imagine that if Christine had set out to pursue a master's degree when she first went back to college in 1991, she would have succeeded. But because it would have seemed a very slim prospect to her at that time, it might have been much harder to get started! 6/5/02 TOP |
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