Been There, Done That
It’s amazing that any college students survive their first semesters. After 17 years living by their parents’ rules (well, at least pretty much), they have a chance to do the dumbest things they can think of. That includes keg stands on Tuesday night. Why would anyone do something like that? It seems like a good idea at the time.
Dads have already been there and done that. The youngsters might think they’re blazing new paths of freedom, but adults know that those kids are burning valuable time. When your wild days are behind you, you can focus on more important things: like studying.
They Know What They Want
How can you expect a 17-year-old to know what she wants to do with the rest of her life? She has 50 years of work ahead of her. That’s a lot of pressure for a young adult who doesn’t have much experience with how the world works. Perhaps that’s why some schools estimate that 50 percent of their students switch majors.
Older adults, however, have enough experience to know what interests them. While many kids go to college because it’s what they’re supposed to do after graduating from high school, older adults often go to school because they have found something that they feel passionate about. When you know what you want, it’s easier to reach your goals.
They Know What Hard Work Is
Studying takes a lot of concentration and dedication. No one wants to doubt that. Kids who go straight from high school to college, however, rarely know what real work is. They might have spent a couple years bagging groceries part-time, but that isn’t the same thing as keeping a job you hate because you have to support your children.
Dads know what real work is. They’ve had plenty of jobs that tested them physically and mentally. Sitting down to a read a book for five hours sounds like a nice evening rather than drudgery that prevents you from hanging out with friends. When you’ve had a truly terrible job, academics seem pretty simple. Those young people have no idea how good they have it. But older students do.
They Understand the Value of Money
Considering that attending a state university costs about $22,000 a year and private schools nearly double that amount, older students who know the value of a dollar aren’t wasting the chance to get a good education. If they’re spending money on it, they’re getting everything they can in return. Value is also one reason that so many adults use getarealdegree.com instead of attending traditional programs.
Many young adults don’t understand that college loans, even urgent loans no credit check, will haunt them for years. They don’t have to deal with the debt now, so they live like it doesn’t exist. That can make it a lot easier for young students to decide that going on a date is more important than studying for a final. One day, though, reality will catch up to them.
What are other reasons you think older students out-compete their younger classmates?