I had a what many would consider a successful career. I was the Director of Public Relations for a small Visitor and Convention Bureau, meeting with event planners, writing travel and destination pieces that were published globally and posting 3 million in free press annually, but because I did not have a college degree I earned thousands less than my less successful and younger counterparts. I left that career for work as a secretary at a small private school, but I felt dissatisfied, incomplete. Work as a substitute teacher in the public school system was out of my grasp because, once again, I did not have a degree, although I did qualify for a much less lucrative aides position.
Then two things happened simultaneously to force me to make a decision that would change the course of my life. I was 50-years-old when my already disabled husband suffered a stroke. How would I manage financially if he were to die and I no longer received his disability pension? I had substituted as an aide in the school were my daughter taught kindergarten. Her principal noticing my love for teaching asked me one simple question, "Can you look yourself in the mirror each morning and honestly say this is enough or do you want more?"
Shortly thereafter, I threw away all negative thoughts: I am too old, I can't learn at my age, I don't have any money, I've lost too much of my prior college credits. At the local community college and satellite for a four year state university, I found answers and began my journey. I was eligible for financial aid, with the help of career counselors and creative planning most of my credits from my three years spent in college in my twenties transferred. I embarked on a two year quest for a degree. Using a combination of courses at the community college, video classes and Internet courses from the university I graduated with highest honors.
All my preconceptions were proved false. You can learn at any age. Your brain thrives on input. Your priorities shift when you are paying for it and you are motivated financially to succeed. More importantly in midlife we often find ourselves in a rut, isolated and lonely and starved for meaningful conversation. I found myself challenged, stimulated, and most importantly energized. Life with a purpose is a life lived to the fullest. Today I teach first grade at a private Christian school and my life is filled with purpose.