Monday, February 2, 2009

Why Go Back to School after 40

I am finally, after six years of studying, going to graduate this May with my PhD in Communication Studies. A lot of my friends are back in school, one friend just got his MBA last December. So, this is for the rest of you, here are some benefits of going back to school.

And...going back to school doesn't necessarily mean to get a degree, or another degree. Taking cooking classes, or sharpening your presentation skills is a way of going back to school. It's not the degree, it's the learning process.

Reasons to go back to school when you're supposed to be done with yer learnin':

1. Because you can.

2. Your professors make more sense now than when they did when you were 19.

3. While your BS detector is more acute, you also have more tact.

4. What you learn affects everything and everyone who crosses your path.

5. You set a great example for the children in your life.

6. Your children may pretend to be embarrassed, but secretly they're proud of you.

7. You meet interesting people and connect to them.

8. Learning always opens new opportunities for you.

9. You become an even more interesting person.

10. You have more things to talk about with people.

11. You become wiser in unexpected ways.

12. You appreciate more things in life.

13. Your self confidence blossoms.

14. You can earn more money.

15. It's fun....sometimes.

16. You surprise yourself, in a good way.

17. You learn to trust yourself more.

18. You become more self-reliant.

19. An investment in yourself always pays richly.

20. Your studies put other things in your life in a different perspective.

21. You learn more in a shorter time than younger students.

22. You only live once.