Post-secondary education offers students a stepping stone into the next phase of life, presenting a more tangible career path and far more opportunity. But when plans change and all of a sudden schooling isn’t on the agenda anymore, that dream often gets put on a shelf. With higher education comes high price tags and time spent away from work and focused on studies. Priorities change and school can be challenging while navigating through life.
But, it’s not impossible. Especially in this day and age where learning can be done online. With so much information, classes, courses, and accreditations available at our fingertips, continuing studies has never been more accessible. Regardless of age, previous schooling, even financial constraints (there are plenty of viable options for loans, financing, scholarships and more) the dream of going back to school can now be made into a reality.
For 82-year-old Hilary Forde-Chalkly, she just graduated with a Masters degree in Creative Writing from Kingston University in London. “Never ever did I think I’d be walking across that stage. It was like a dream. And that dream actually came true.” After retiring in her 60s, it was then that Hilary’s daughters noticed that their mom was spending a lot of time indoors, not being very active. She became bored and listless. They saw her change in behavior and urged Hilary to do something about it.
For Hilary, she wanted to go back to school and to help her do that, her husband Syd, got back to work, driving up to 100 miles a day to support her studies–at the age of 79. He says, “It’s keeping me fitter, it’s keeping me agile.” Over the years, the couple has held down many jobs. At one point, Hilary owned a nightclub. It’s obvious these two aren’t used to sitting around living a quiet life! As a result, they’ve both chosen to go back to work, and Hilary is thrilled to be poring over her novel, determined to get it published, saying, “My biggest joy of all is doing my writing now.”
Both Hilary and Syd are happy in their new found careers, urging others to do the same. “You think, ‘Oh, how could I? I’ve worked all my life, why should I go out working now?’ I think that you want to live and if you go out and do things now, you will live.”
Click the video below to see how Hilary and Syd are restarting their careers into their 80s.
