Education isn’t just for the young. Many women balancing work, children, and relationships are also pursuing additional degrees or certifications. Motivations for pursuing another degree or certification vary and may include:
A step toward pivoting to a new career;
A means for promotion;
A desire to follow a personal interest;
A need to open employment opportunities.
What's different about being a student in our 30s, 40s, or 50s is our context. We are more likely to learn online to work around already busy schedules. Family and work expectations often take precedence over our studies, and learning tools are radically different, with less in-person interaction and more comments and responses through platforms. We never really get to know our “classmates” or professors, and we are sometimes asked to “collaborate” with people we never really get to know who are often a generation or two younger and sometimes seem so much more adept with the technology and perhaps less savvy about content.
As someone who went back to school and encountered many life events at the same time, such as caregiving for elders and grieving their loss, navigating the ups and downs of raising an adolescent, trying to build a business, and dealing with an old house that suddenly needed new plumbing, I understand the challenge of concentrating on learning. I know mothers who study late at night or are up at the crack of dawn to make it work. I know women who ask themselves, “Can I really do this?” “Do I even know how?”
In those moments, here are some thoughts to consider:
Yes, you can do it.
Be patient with the inevitable frustrations. Some of them will get easier over time.
Avoid taking on too much at once. Maybe take one class instead of two.
Learning can be uncomfortable, and feeling inadequate is normal.
Remind yourself of the significance of what you are modeling for yourself and your family. Who you are is priceless.
So, to you and all the women reengaged in pursuing their education, there is no failure, only feedback. Taking the first step earns an A+.
