Unlimited Thinking - what does that mean to me? To you?
I was thinking about my nontraditional student experiences lately (as usual!)
As some of my readers know, I went back to school as a nontraditional student several years ago. I only went back to school for two years. (Vs. some other nontraditional students going for 4 years or longer...) The reason was that I went for a Certificate and already had my first degree (in English).
Both going for 2 years or less, or going for 4 years (of course) are valid choices. And although I have student loans to pay off right now, I COULD decide to go back again sometime, and add more years to my educational journey. I think about that occasionally - - seriously.
And I also think about the whole reason I went back to school. I wanted to open new doors for myself. And I had always wanted to try teaching out ever since I was younger, with an English degree and no teaching certificate.
Now I feel going back to school did something entirely unexpected for me. It made me change my way of thinking. I no longer think that I HAVE to do something I plan to do for the rest of my life. I can change my mind. I have found out that it is okay for things to change - - and for me to change too.
For instance, I have worked in the printing industry as a proofreader, a typesetter, and then a graphic designer for over 30 years, BUT I am not forced to do that forever. Going back to school taught me that, and gave me a lot of new job ideas too.
I think another definition of having Unlimited Thinking is not putting yourself in a rut for your whole life. It also frees you to think about the Big Picture. I realize now more than ever that I can STILL do whatever I want to do with my life. I used to think that because I was older, my life was going to stay the same forever. Ack! What an awful thought. I knew that I didn't want to ever go back and experience the same things I already did before.
In the past, I kept some of my jobs because I was afraid to do anything else. I was raising a child by myself, which is scary enough. I didn't want to rock the boat with my life or by looking for something better. I was long overdue for a new adventure in my life.
Does this sound at all like you? Are you doing what you want to do right now? For those who are already back in school, you may recognize yourself somewhere in my story. And if you are not, if you are wondering what you can do to make your life better, maybe going back to school will help you figure that out. Maybe it will start you on the path towards something wonderful.
What do YOU think? Are you on a journey right now? What kind? Have you ever tried doing something different? How did that work out? I look forward to finding out about that.
And I want to thank my readers and friends online for helping me do what I love and helping me continue my educational journey too. Later!
Nontraditionally Yours,
Some Nontrad links: The Nontrad site and blog Join Nontrads on Facebook Nontrads on Yahoo Nontrads on Twitter
The clip art of a student on an educational journey is from the Microsoft Clipart pages.