A new beginning....college, online no doubt, at 42 years old

Being a college student isn't easy no matter what your age is but at the age of 42, working and trying to find a new career, the challenge can be overwhelming to say the least.

When I decided to go back to school in December of 2008, the actual decision was made a full month or so prior to that. I spent part of my birthday soul searching what I really wanted now. Did I still want a family? Did I still want to live here in San Antonio? Was I really getting tired of the same old routine?

One of the most important questions I asked myself was if I wanted a family, could my current career path, without a college degree, sustain such an important part of my life? I had to make the decision that I knew should have been done maybe years ago; I had to go back to school.

That was the easy part. The hard part was how in the hell was I going to pay for it and where was I going to attend.

I've always been one who was very unconventional and I needed to find an institution that allowed me the liberties of going to work and do what I do while at the same time giving me the best quality education available. There were several online colleges out there but none of them fit the criteria like what I found at the University Phoenix.

Yeah I know, they have commercials everywhere and you're right. And you're probably saying that I should have picked a different school and not one that had a national following. But my decision wasn't based on the commercials being ran; it based on what the school had to offer. It was the same criteria that you would use in picking a brick and mortar school.

And so I talked it over with myself, some of my closest friends, my parents and some other family members and the decision was easily made; this was the best choice I could come up with.

Paying for college, whether it be a physical one or an online institution, was always going to have to come from me and no one else. I had paid off college a couple of college loans before and so I was ready to go. Or at least I thought I was. I found out that I still owed the government $28 before I could get the financial aid I needed. Okay so $28 was holding me up. Fine. The one annoyance I had so far!

But with that all said and done, after filling out the FARFSA and applying for student loans, the day of my first class came on December 16, 2008.

Every five weeks, I would be taking a new class and inching closer to my goal of having my degree.

The first class has come and gone and I am already into the last week of the second class. I have my third class coming in two weeks.

It's a daunting task but I can tell you right now, I am glad that even at this age, I have made a right decision.

Stay tuned…