Chris Dulaigh-Bates
In 1968, my father advised me I didn't need a college education. He said all I needed was to get married and take up homemaking. I had grown up in the 60s in Boulder, Colorado; hippie mecca of the world, but that didn't fit me.
I wasn't necessarily a rebellious child. I did, however, think differently than the average young lady in 1968. I wanted to be an architect. My 70 year old high school drafting instructor, gave me a "B" in his class and he advised me to take home economics instead.
I wanted to be a forest ranger. The counselors at Montana State University told me women weren't typically allowed to go out in the field and I would probably spend my career stuck behind a desk. Nothing seemed to fit for me.
Rapidly running out of options, I got married. That didn't fit either. Abandoned and abused by my husband, we divorced shortly after our second child was born. I was left with two of the most gorgeous kids and a plethora of bills from my ex-husband.
Equipped only with a high school education, I spent the next 20 years trying to provide single handed for the two loves of my life. I denied myself everything so they could have something when it came their time to go to college and get out into the world. My children were my life. I had accepted the responsibility of children and I wanted to fulfill that commitment. I felt my opportunity to go to school had to be temporarily shelved.
Every dime and every minute of my existence went into raising my children. I would have to take care of school and retirement after my kids were on their own. I could pursue school and retirement once I was sure my attempts to do so wouldnt harm their chances at a successful life. I promised myself having school to look forward to later in life would be a good thing to occupy my mind in helping me overcome the dreaded empty nest syndrome.
Now, my children are grown and on their own. One is a college graduate and the other is a soon to be a graduate. What about me? Is it finally my turn?
During the last couple of years the thought of going back to school has sounded very appealing to me. During the years in which I was active with my children I found my fun in their lives. Now it is my turn to help make my life fun again. School was an idea that had been shelved 20 years ago. It was now time to pull it down off the shelf, dust it off and see if I can make it work.
But wait, I'm 56-years-old. Do I have enough time left in my life to do this? Am I smart enough? Can I pay for this? All legitimate questions.
I don't think I could return to school if it weren't for online courses. I don't live near a campus that interests me. At my age, I don't really want to physically attend a class. I suppose the biggest reason is I just don't have the time to drive to a campus, and walk to classes. I work a very solid 40-50 hour work week. In the time it would take me to do that, I can be done with my homework assignment. My time is much better spent in an online situation.
I am self-employed as a medical transcriber and have worked out of my home for the last 17 years. I like my life this way, but over the course of the last five years technology and world trade have eroded away the job security I once enjoyed.
The dictation I used to transcribe is now being sent to India and China to laborers who will do it for less than half of what I can do it for. If that isnt bad enough, I also have to deal with voice recognition. This is a tool that some doctors have chosen to use as my replacement. My profession is quickly going the way of the milk man in that there is still a market for it, but my clients have multiple other less expensive choices. I'm being put out of work by a shrinking world.
Every time I wonder if I have enough strength to go to work every day and attend school, I remind myself that my world has changed. My future needs a new ending. I'm going to school to help re-write the ending to my story. I thought I would set myself up to have a panic attack the night I signed up for school. That's a lot of money to obligate myself to pay back especially at my age. It was an odd feeling alright, but it was not one of panic.
The day I signed up for classes at DeVry, I realized I just made a huge investment in something very important ME! I was very much at peace with my decision. I can already feel my self-esteem growing. I'm in the spring of my life and I'm finally starting to bloom.