If you are several years (or even decades) older than most college students, you might be feeling a little reluctant to go back to school. You might feel like your classmates will know more than you or like you have been out of school too long to find success. That is not true. While the younger students may be more familiar with technology, and they might be more in the routine of going to class, non-traditional students have several advantages over their younger classmates.
Experience
As a non-traditional student, you have life experience. You can share what you have learned with your classmates. In many cases, non-traditional students even have real-life experience in their chosen degree field. This real-life experience makes what your
…show more content…
Many traditional college students end up changing their major or switching schools, sometimes multiple times, before they graduate. As a non-traditional student, you likely have a better sense of direction in your life, and you are less likely to change your mind about pursuing a specific degree.
You have the experience to know that there are certain career options you definitely do or do not want to pursue, and you do not need to take specific classes to discover a certain career path is wrong for you. Maybe cleaning up after a sick child has convinced you that you no longer want to go into the medical field. Perhaps trimming and styling your daughter's hair has piqued your interest in the field of cosmetology. Seeing the injustices in your community may have you wanting to go into criminal justice.
Many traditional college students are also unsure about what they are going to do with their degrees upon graduation. In some cases, non-traditional students already have a job lined up post-graduation. Often, this job is with their current employer, but it might mean a raise, a job promotion to a different part of the company, or in some cases, the opportunity to keep a job they have had for years but that now requires a degree.