Well, here I am, almost one year older. Last year my 40th birthday sucked big time, but the year as a whole was good. I took stock of my life and decided to make some changes. I quit my retail management job and went back to school full time. I’m now working part-time at the university and going to school full time. I’ll get my Associate’s degree in the spring and am trying to decide if I want to go for a Bachelor’s degree, or get back to work full time. Going back to school has opened a lot of doors for me already - I start an internship in December in the tax division of a large company. The hours will be intense, but I’m hoping that this job will be a stepping-stone to a great career.
More importantly, I’m happy with where I am and who I am. Not working retail has enabled me to enjoy my life. If you do the same, you know exactly what I mean. I had one weekend off a month. My schedule was never the same from one week to the next, so it was hard to make plans. This past summer has been wonderful - I was able to enjoy weekends with my family and friends for the first time in years.
I hope 41 brings a lot of good changes to my life. Goodbye, 40. Not so bad after all.
Happy birthday tomorrow! Congratulations on the positive changes in your life. I did the same thing a month before I turned 40 (last year) and am now a full-time student, going for a Bachelor of Science. It’s great. I haven’t worked in a year and a half and I love being a student again. Plus, with all the “life experience” I have, a lot of things make more sense this time around than they did when I tried college 20 years ago.
Thanks! I know what you mean. My grades are usually better than most of the young un’s, because of my life experiences. Our classes are a mixed bag of 20’s 30’s and 40’s aged students. I find that I’m enjoying the college experience more than I ever imagined. I want to get more education, but am concerned about how to pay for it. Going into more debt at my age makes me nervous.
Happy Birthday tomorrow! Which you just happen to share with my youngest son, who will be ten. I bet you’re not getting a new scooter or a Nacho Libre mask, but I hope it’ll be good!
I, too, made a lot of changes this year when I turned 40… must be a trend.
I just turned 40 a few weeks ago. It still seems weird to type that…40…four zero. I sure don’t feel 40. Where has the time gone? It seems like I was still in college just the other day.
Anyway, I had a lousy birthday, too. I was in a shitty mood all day, and got into an argument with my wife, and didn’t get to blow out the candles on my cake until three days later (and the cake was half-eaten).
I also made several changes as I approached 40. Earlier this year, I abruptly (for me) switched jobs…twice. The new job is a good one, but is still engineering, which is just OK. Sometimes I wonder if I should have switched back to teaching (which I loved, but it was at somewhat of a unique institution), but there is no guarantee that I would liked teaching high school, and the pay sucks compared to engineering. So we’ll see how this job works out.
I’m also trying to work out more often and get back in shape. I’ve been doing this for about six months now, and am in much better shape, but haven’t lost any weight. I need to work on eating better.
Today is my last day as a 39 year old. Sometimes I like to look back at the last 40 years and wonder how the hell am I still alive? Not only alive but alive and (mostly) healthy. The thirtys were exactly as hectic and finance centered as I imagined they would be, I’ve always heard the fourtys were a bit more comfortable: not any easier or less stressfull but just comfortable, like a good overstuffed chair.
Anyway, that’s enough rambling like an old man for now.
Happy Birthday.
You might ask around in the financial aid office or with a councelor or someone, a lot of colleges have a list of companies that offer tuition reimbursement. If not then ask around at some of the smaller colleges and trade schools, they might show you their list.
My school (Indiana Tech) keeps such a list and if I ever need it I have a great mailing list for my resume.
When I turned 40, Clinton was still president.