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After 40+ years in the work force I retired and the first thing I did was start taking class' at the local college. I'm not looking for a career, just took class' that interested me. I'm in my middle 60's, and am not the oldest one on campus.
No one is going to look at you and wonder about your age, they have more important things to worry about..
When i started community college at 18, there were students I had in class from 16-45yrs. old.
Actually one guy I had in two classes was 25. He decided at 25 to go back to school and get his bachelor's degree. He was married, his wife was close to giving birth, he owned a home and a business, and was fulltime student. At 18, I thought he was kind of a loser for being so old and "not taking care of business when he was younger". Man, I was an immature idiot!! At 18 I had no clue that I should have been admiring the guy for what he was doing with his life what he had accomplished so far. Now, I'm nearly 40 and considering going back to finish. Some students might look down upon you, but at 18, they don't know $&!T about life.
You will have a huge advantage over your younger peers. The teachers will appreciate your life experience. Being there because you want to learn has a magic effect on learning, since many kids just go to college because it is expected of them. The slightly older people in my college classes always did very well, and were well liked by everyone. When I went back as an older student, it was so much easier, since I was selecting subjects I was interested in.
Why would you be embarrassed? Whose opinion are you concerned about? Other students? Why??? As you mature you realize that what other people think of you is of minimal concern. All that matters is that you are doing what you feel is right for you. And chances are, pursuing higher education means more than the opinion of people that you likely will never encounter again outside of college. Think about it.
Hey people,
At the ripe old age of 24 Ive decided that I will want to learn Earth science and maybe look at planetary science or geology as a future prospect.
I dont want a lot of money and would be happy doing what I love.
I also love nature and have been on a few field assignment trips back in the day
I still have a passion of making films but I guess its a really tough road.
I dig astronomy(I even bought binoculars and telescope),paleontology and forensics
I look at the catalogue of the community colleges in the US and I am so happy to see the variety of choices they have.The tuition is also reasonable however there is this issue of age.
I am 24 years old....7 years since graduating high school.My friend said it will look really weird sitting with 18 year olds in a classroom.I wont bother with the dorm-party scene because its only logical I am too old for that but actual college-I wanna try to see a new future.
Do you feel 24 is too old to start afresh in bachelors or associates?
If you feel embarrassed to be educated at any age then I would say stay away from it because it ain't about what other people around you think when you want to learn something...and I mean truly want to learn something because some people like kids right out of high school sometimes go to college to fit in or just because it's the "right" thing to do....Well in my experience college isn't always the "right" thing to do....It is only good if you truly want to learn about something...it's not a dating club or a place to go where you can tell all the people you meet how much credentials you have or that you major in this or that just to impress people....I would say don't waist time with it if you are going for those reasons....If you truly have the passion for something then do it...otherwise don't waist time and money for other reasons.
Hell no, I know guys who are getting Masters at 37 and PhD at like 50+. So I'm pretty sure you're ok. At 24 you don't have to worry about underage drinking! Especially if you're going into Geology, I'm graduating with a degree at 21, but I plan to be in school until my mid 30s.
What he said. Everyone's too caught up in themselves to care anyway. If your peers don't provide some sort of advantage to you, it's not worth it to concern yourself with their perceptions of you. The only people you should worry about are your professors, who have to grade your papers and write letters of recommendation.
And just because everyone else takes 4 years to get a bachelor's doesn't mean you have to. Study extra hard to reduce time in college and costs. Get in and get out quickly and move on with your life! The time is going to pass anyway.
I wouldn't discount younger students or assume that they're less interested or motivated. 24 isn't that much older than the so-called "traditional" students, anyway, but I do remember being irritated by the smugness of a few of the older students in my classes (a very few, luckily). The nice thing about college (or at least my college, anyway) is that you're all on an equal playing field and bring your own unique blend of experiences to the table, and -- unless you're planning a class happy hour and want to include younger classmates! -- the age issue doesn't matter. In any case, don't worry about it. You're far from alone.
Not at all- I had classes with people of all ages. In fact, I think it's great that you want to go to school!
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