Restructuring got you down.
Worried that the first item shipped overseas in the next free trade agreement will be your job? Machines in your office doing more of what people used to do.
Relax.
Go back to college. Pick up an advanced degree. Gain new skills. Make yourself a commodity that employers can’t find in a computer or in the nearest unemployment line.
And if you’re at the mid-life crossroads, it might be something you always wanted to do—like achieving a dream.
That’s how two Beckley women feel about going back into the classroom.
Pat Vermillion of Beckley explained: “When I graduated from high school in 1963, being a coal miner’s daughter, I had no money and I knew I wasn’t going to college. I was raised in Roderfield by my grandparents. I took care of them until they passed away.
“Then I helped take care of my husband’s parents in Coalwood until they died. I raised my daughter in between. I will graduate from MSU on May 18, and she will graduate from WVU on May 19. I’ll have a Bachelor of Science degree in diagnostic medical sonography (ultrasound) and my daughter will have a Bachelor of Science degree in audiology and speech pathology. She’s going back for her master’s degree and I’m going back to work.”
The McDowell County native explained, “I promised myself in 1963 that if I ever got a chance I would go to college. I had no idea when I walked through that door what I was going to study. After four years of extremely hard work, I’ve achieved my goal. I’ll have a college degree.”
Even though Pat hadn’t taken any college prep courses in high school, she didn’t let that stop her from pursuing her dream.
“I looked at my husband one day and told him: I’m going to college. He thought I was nuts. I had no advisors or anything. I signed up for the summer semester and made three A’s and a B. I’ve been there ever since.”
Pat added, “People look at you when you are 56 years old and think you are over the hill, or that you’re mentally handicapped. They think you’ve been on this earth for that long and you still haven’t learned anything. Most people my age is afraid to go to college, but I fit right in. No matter what age you are, everyone has basically the same problems when it comes to college…”
Statewide, three women attend college to earn a degree for every two men. Male students match female students ages 18 to 24. But women 25 and older make college enrollment tilt toward one gender.
It’s a nationwide trend. A lot of women out there are re-creating their lives and goals. Education is the opportunity to change careers, according to the Carnegie Council on Policy Studies in Higher Education, which predicted the trend toward older female students on college campuses more than a decade ago.
Today, the typical undergraduate students on many college and university campuses are women over 35. The percentage of women ages 25-55 attending state and community colleges increased significantly in the Mountain State during the last decade.
And they can’t learn fast enough.
Pat, who has worked at a variety of management jobs since she graduated from Welch High School, explained: “It doesn’t matter what age you are, if you set your mind to it, you can do it. I think every parent should go to college for at least one semester. Nobody wants to fail. I have seen kids cry because they couldn’t understand something. It’s not easy. High school is one thing, but college is a whole other ballgame…”
The motivation for education is itself quite complex. And going to college after raising a family can be quite difficult. Factor in a full-time job, and you might have an explanation for the 7 percent figure of students 35 and older, even considering employer-paid tuition plans.
Not to mention those who have either been laid off their jobs or have seen their jobs eliminated by industrial down-sizing strategies.
Nancy Robbins of Beckley was a victim of recent cutbacks at a local hospital. The 52-year-old woman said she enrolled in college after she was laid off from her job as a billing clerk—a job she had held for 27 years.
“During the first couple of weeks after the sad news, I began to reflect on my life,” Nancy recalled. “I wasn’t ready for retirement, so I decided to try something different…
“I went back to school so that I could stay in the health care field. I always wanted to go to college but I couldn’t do it. Now I’m working toward an associate degree in radiology/technology. My husband was surprised, but he has supported me all the way.”
Nancy cared for her mother, the late Edmonia Bragg, until she passed away.
“My mother died in February and I felt like I had the breath knocked out of me. I wasn’t sure of anything. How could I achieve my goal without her? “My mom had shown me what hard work and determination was all about. “However, with God’s help and the support of my family, I am becoming more confident every day about reaching my goal.”
She went on, “Now I’m starting over again. I’d like to get another job with a hospital. I don’t have any hard feelings about being let go. It’s just business. People do what they must do…”
But traveling to the Bluefield State College campus every day isn’t easy, according to the college freshman. Still, Nancy enjoys her classes. “I spend a lot of time on the road, but I really enjoy meeting people and striving for something new.”
She added, “It’s possible to become strong in broken places. After I lost my job, I began to learn new things about myself. I learned that adversity could make you stronger.”
Nancy is amazed that the overall percentage of college graduates in the United States is relatively low. Though the importance of obtaining a four-year degree is common wisdom in many American homes, most adults don’t have one.
And according to the Census Bureau, only 14 percent of adults over the age of 25 hold bachelor’s degrees.
“It takes a real commitment,” explained Nancy, who rises at 5 a.m. to catch up on her homework and then drives to Bluefield for her morning classes.
“Sometimes I’m lucky if I can get to bed before midnight,” she said. “There’s lots of homework, and it’s tough to read when you’re tired.”
Are there any differences between the younger and older college students?
“Some young students are not as committed as the older ones,” Nancy observed. “Some don’t take it seriously. They aren’t willing to sacrifice now for the future. You must get older before you can realize the importance of a good education…”
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Top o’ the morning!