Encouragement For Newbies & Oldies Like Me!

[marianne202]

I just got back from taking yet another DSST exam. Every week when I do one I get so excited about this site that I just wanted to give a shout out to everyone here and say Thanks again! I also want the newbies here to know this community and forum works! I started in February trying to find the push to finish my AS degree at EC. I did 18 credits in 1 month to finish my degree. I graduated 4/17 and immediately enrolled in EC's BS in Health Sciences degree. I'm now sitting as of today at 84 credits out of my 120 needed! I just enrolled in my first EC online course and I'm doing the ALEKS statistics course as well as finishing my last few CLEP / DSST exams. I have taken an exam almost every week since I started with a few weeks off for illness and I'm taking next week off due to the test center being closed! I'm taking Foundations of Education in 2 weeks. So this can be done!

Now for the Oldies like me! I'm 45 and although I took some college classes right out of high school, once I started working full time on an ambulance doing 24 hr shifts my school work went to H***. I have a ton of withdrawls and incompletes along with "A" & "B" grades for the classes I liked and finished! I didn't go back until I was in my 30's took a few classes then enrolled in the EC ADN program. I did 3/4ths of the ADN program including 5 of the nursing exams, then had a premie daughter and left school in the dust to be a full time Mom to her and my older son. Now at 45 I had to abandon the ADN because of the time limits, but EC gave me the chance to continue on and at first I did so reluctantly. Now 5 months later I can see the end of the road to my BS degree, which I would have told you 6 months ago I had no interest in earning. Now I'm looking into Master's programs! Who took my sensible brain and replaced it with this new brain? LOL! I will say that being a mother and wife has been all I have done and considered myself for many years. I do work as a teacher and love it, but never thought of myself as being able to be a student again. I'm here to say that it can be done, because if I can do it anyone can! I truly didn't realize that my old moldy brain could still work, although statistics is giving it a nasty workout! I guess I was on auto-pilot for so long I forgot I was a real live thinking, dare I say smart, human being. Not only have I discovered I'm not dead yet mentally, but I have found my self esteem. I know I couldn't have done it without the support and friendship of the wonderful people here, but just know you can do this and you are not alone in your journey! Don't be afraid to ask for help or ask those "stupid" questions because some of us have been there and don't think they are "stupid" questions. Keep plugging away and you will obtain your goals and maybe more than you bargained for along the way! Good Luck!