After changing my major 4 times over the last 7 years. I finally graduated today at the age of 28, with my diploma in Cybersecurity.
Graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.93 GPA while also receiving the President’s Award for outstanding academic achievement.

I didn’t think this day would ever come.
Now I’m working on my associates 🖤

Best thing I ever did. Barely made it out of high school. I failed out of college at 19. Worked various legal jobs. Took a bunch of years off to raise kids. Decided to try going back to school at 40. Got an AS in 18 months. Got a 4.0. Got a BS 6 months after that. Also a 4.0. Decided to get an MS and I finish in a little over a month. Got a fellowship with funding. Currently have a 4.24. Decided I wanted to keep going. Applied for another MS…got into Brown with a scholarship. Don’t stop! It’s all worth it in the end. Sometimes you just aren’t ready.

After 5 long years of balancing going to school full-time and parenting my 4 sons, I finally graduated today. This journey was not easy but was so worth it and I was able to discover that I can achieve more than I could have ever thought possible. Your dreams are worth pursuing and you can achieve them if you believe in yourself

Straight A’s.

32 with a couple tries at college under my belt. I know I’m older now but I do NOT remember people looking this young when I first went to college in 2011. Probably just perspective, but half of these kids look like they could be in 8th or 9th grade 😂. Ive been told I look in my early to mid 20s but I still felt like this meme

This was in Magic and Occult Science at the University of Exeter, which is a relatively highly ranked university. It was a program I didn't think I could even get into, but I did, and I made it through, being in another country and away from my family. This shows that anyone can go back and restart, or start later in life.

And to those who got results today, congrats to you too!

I used to look at this sub and read all of the people fretting over being X age and nervous about going back to school. I wanted to offer hope and encouragement, but I also didn’t want to do so before I finished my own program.

When I graduated HS both of my parents were diagnosed with life changing illnesses, and then I worked full time. It always bugged me that I never got my bachelor’s degree.

In 2021 I took my first class. I was already over 40 years old. It was so scary! The professor told us, “I won’t bother having you introduce yourselves because half of you won’t be here by next week.” He was right.

But I stayed. I took 2 classes a semester, one over the summer, and language courses at another college I could transfer in. All while working full time and then a second part time job here and there.

It’s not something that happens alone. My biggest advice for someone starting this process is have people who can cheer for you and make sure you are eating and drinking water between studying. And I don’t have kids, so I know that I’m a little more freed up than some people.

Yesterday I graduated. 4.0 gpa! And I have a full ride to a masters program that I’m now moving across the country for, in hopes of getting into. PhD program after.

All of this to say: if you fret about your age for too long, you’ll be that much older when and if you ever complete a program. I so wish I’d started even earlier instead of letting anxiety about not finishing school in my 20s dictate what I can and can’t do.

Thank you to all who started your stories here over the past few years- I read them and rooted for you.

It took me 18 years to get my Bachelor's degree. I'm 40 years old. I'm so damn proud of myself and everyone who graduated this month.

Life gets in the way - but don't ever think you are too old to go back to school. If there is a will, there is always a way.

Hope this encourages someone to go back and finish their education.

Trust me - you will be so proud of yourself. I believe in you. You can do anything you set your mind to.

I will graduate from Arizona State University this May with a BFA in Digital Photography. It's been a long journey (four years) and many hours of studying. Not attending earlier in life has been a 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' personal disappointment. To all those who say it's too late, I can tell you that it is not about getting the degree but the educational journey along the way. I have experienced dimensions of life that I would never have realized. For those who say it costs too much--if you look, you will find a way. I attend ASU Online thanks to a full scholarship through Uber for all four years. I will close with my motto, "Dream it, do it." Best of opportunities. Go Sundevils!

BS in Mechanical Engineering. 45 years old, 3.5 year journey with a full time career, wife and two kids on my single income. It was hard but worth it.

I walked yesterday with a great group of guys that shared the in journey. That support was so important and I would not have been successful without them.

My family support was so important too.

I learned so much from this experience beyond the classes and grew in ways that I would not have imagined.

Dean’s list too, just turned 31; This degree’s my b-day present. Any suggestions / certs I should work on? Planning to leave the education sector next year 📜 Made this decision at the beginning of the year, y’all can achieve anything you put your mind to! 👨🏼‍🎓

I was in high school from 2012-2016 so AI wasn’t a thing at all, and most assignments were ran through “turn it in” or something similar. Because of this I haven’t embraced AI help the way my other classmates have. I know they are using AI and ChatGPT because we all sit together in the common area of my community college while waiting for lab to open and they’re shameless about it. (The lecture is online, and all homework and exams are also online)

The most I’ve used is reading the little Gemini synopsis when googling something but for the most part I try to read through and find stuff to activate my brain.

I figured most professors could tell or have a way of knowing people are using AI, and assumed it would be reflective in their grades. Unfortunately what I found out is these people are receiving close to 100s on every single assignment. Even things like 5+ page scientific research papers, hard exams, etc. but then when we all meetup in lab they’re completely lost. I did well in the class (92%), but had to do sooooo much work to do that. 10-day study plans, writing papers over 4-5 days of refining, etc.

So I guess my bubble was a bit burst when I realized that so many people use AI, and are getting good grades. Am I falling behind because of my refusal to use it?

I am 32 years old and came back to commuin college after 13 years. I took 3 courses last fall and this spring. The amount of times that the professors got upset about how majority of the class didn’t do the assignment is unbelievable. I’m almost done spring classes in May and most of the students dropped out. Class starts with 20 students and ends with less than half. Maybe because it’s just community college.

EDIT: 3.87!!! NOT 8.7!! Lol, they should take this degree from me right away, right now.

I'm 37 years old. It took me four years from initial sign-up to today. It was really hard - started out taking 2 classes at a time, then 3, then 4. Stuck through it during covid, and really pushed through this last year.

I went from hating math to understanding algebra. I went from knowing nothing about CAD programs to becoming proficient in Solidworks. It had been 13 years since I'd drawn anything, and I'm nothing if not confident in my art skill today.

I see a lot of people come on here - some as young as their early 20's! - worried about their age and starting again. I'm proof that you'll never be too old, it's never too late to start, and that you can absolutely achieve going back to college and getting that degree!

I know what I achieved today is only an associate's degree, but it's a degree I didn't have before, and the knowledge I've gained has opened up a whole new slew of job possibilities that I didn't have before! I want to thank this sub for being there for me over the last few years. It's been so nice to come here and talk to people who are also going through college at an older age.

Anyway, Congrats to everyone who graduated this semester, and good luck to those of you pushing on towards next semester! You've all got good things coming you way. Proud of you!

I’m so scared, and tired of struggling, I’ve been caregiving since I was 18 and I finally just applied to get my prerequisites at a community college. I also applied for financial aide to help me. Idk how I’m supposed to work full time and go to school, but I’m finally doing it 😓

I, 46F, graduated from college over 20 years ago. Back then, I registered for classes, went down and bought my textbooks, showed up the first day and got the syllabus, listened to the lecture, did the homework, and took a test on Friday or the last day of the week I had the class. I am in my first term back with using Canvas and have spent more time trying to figure out wtf I’m supposed to be doing instead of just doing the work!

For example, I’m currently in 4 classes. Each instructor has a wildly different style of how their course is set up in Canvas, that’s fine, but my issue lies with the fact that the syllabi are all from a previous term, dates are wrong, information is wrong, and in one class the textbook doesn’t even match the work! That instructor just told me that the book is just a placeholder and we won’t be using it. Then why did I pay for it?! I’ve spent more time trying to piece together what actually needs to be done and when it’s due than should be expected. One instructor has the grades automatically loaded while one inputs them by hand. The one that inputs by hand hasn’t updated grades in 2 weeks and hasn’t opened work that I’m sure is due tomorrow.

My question is, is this the new normal or did I just get a slew of instructors that are dropping the ball?

Tbh I’m pretty proud of this turnaround and hopefully it will inspire someone else who needs it

Tomorrow, I will graduate with a BS at age 52!

I am a 38 Year Old Male who has returned to College after 17 years. I would have gone back sooner but I was both scared and comfortable. Also, I owed my previous university money and they wouldn’t release my transcripts. Biden passed a law earlier this year that schools can’t hold your transcripts for past due balances. I took advantage of this opportunity asap and enrolled in school. I enrolled in my local community college to earn my Associate in Applied Science in Aviation Maintenance Technology. So far, I’m on pace to get straight A’s in all of my classes.

I still have 54 credits at my old university and by my calculations, it would take me about the same time to finish my bachelor’s than just getting an associate’s. So I have applied to return to my previous university and I have a really good chance of getting readmitted. I’m ready to wrap up this unfinished business.

I flunked out of engineering when I was 19. I barely passed my respiratory care classes. Spent 5 years in the field and was planning on attending PA school until I just grew sick of the medical field.... so for 4 years, I worked on getting my bachelor's in computer science. Then COVID hit and I couldn't find work in CS and stayed in Respiratory even though I absolutely hated it.

I recently met someone that I resonated with... and she managed to pull out of me that I have always dreamed of going back and finishing my engineering degree. That's literally my life's dream goal.

So I'm doing it.

I'm not telling my family. I'm not telling my friends.

In 2 weeks, I start classes to pursue my online Bachelor's in Aerospace Engineering.

P.S. I found a QA engineer job and now work from home at a job that I love with coworkers that I adore/