| This article was written to encourage two groups of | | | | people. You have been brave enough to move out |
| mature aged students. The first group are those | | | | of your zone of comfort and step into the unknown. |
| contemplating further studies but have not got | | | | Following the excitement of doing something |
| around to enrolling. The second group have started a | | | | personal, different, learning something new is the |
| serious course but finding it harder than anticipated: | | | | making of a better person - a new you. |
| they are putting in the hours but not getting the | | | | Deliberately learning, broadening your knowledge and |
| results for which they had hoped. | | | | skills, is a way of proving yourself to be better than |
| To the nonstarters, it is good you have at least | | | | your perception of others' opinions of you. Why |
| thought about improving your situation and it is | | | | lower your self esteem by stopping now? Now it |
| perfectly normal that you are hesitating. Embarking | | | | may well be that your situation is currently at an all |
| upon a course of study is moving into the unknown | | | | time low and that you really should take a break |
| especially if you did not achieve all that much when | | | | from your course. May you steadily recover your |
| you were at school. Despite the best efforts of | | | | former enthusiasm while retaining your determination |
| many teachers, a very significant proportion of | | | | to finish the course. |
| students do not achieve all they could have at school | | | | Do not beat yourself up because you are not learning |
| (for a large number of reasons that we will not go | | | | as rapidly as you had hoped. Everyone's rate of |
| into here). So far, you are in the majority of new | | | | learning varies according to the topic, to how well |
| returnees. Before you finish reading the article, | | | | they are feeling and to circumstances. In a technical |
| ponder two thoughts. How will you feel in a few | | | | sense, two of the parameters of learning are how |
| years time if you do not do a course now, which | | | | much you know (prior knowledge) and how long you |
| you probably would have completed? Nothing | | | | can spend learning (time on task). I am not giving you |
| worthwhile was ever achieved without pain of some | | | | two excuses, but one does have to learn according |
| sort. Now think about how you will feel when you | | | | to one's situation. Accept that we all study from |
| complete your course. | | | | where we are at to where we want to go. Teachers |
| To those who are finding the beginning of their | | | | can make it harder or easier for you up to a point; |
| course a bigger struggle than expected let us start | | | | but never impossible. Your teachers do not make |
| with the advantages mature students have over | | | | you - you, the learner, makes you into the person |
| most young students. Perhaps the most significant | | | | you want to be. |
| advantage is that of being mature: you have | | | | To conclude: your teachers cannot make you learn - |
| experienced more of the vicissitudes of life; you | | | | you learn as a consequence of choosing to learn. As |
| have been attending the University of Hard Knocks | | | | we learn we are playing catch up; yet amateur |
| longer and are still an undergraduate (some are too | | | | astronomers have made some remarkable |
| smart even to attend). Look around and you will | | | | discoveries and continue to do so; similarly for |
| notice that most people are happy because they are | | | | amateur geologists, environmentalists, philosophers |
| in their zone of comfort. You are not like other | | | | and maybe you too. |